Denver Workers Compensation Attorney Explains how To See a Physical Therapist
If you’re a worker, who has recently sustained a workplace-caused injury or are interesting in what happens if you are injured at work, you should get a better understanding of how to use workers compensation and how to begin seeing a physical therapist to get yourself back on your feet. Fortunately, the process usually isn’t too complicated, and you can get your injuries healed rather quickly. But don’t worry, recovering from injuries doesn’t mean you’ll lose pay. Here’s what Denver workers compensation attorney has to say about using workers comp and seeing a physical therapist for recovery today.
How to File Your Workers Compensation
Report Your Accident Immediately to a SuperiorIt’s essential that you report your accident as soon as it happens and have a witness see you fill out the necessary paperwork. It’s also helpful to write down exactly what happened during the accident, as well as where it occurred since it’s easy to forget the fine details a few hours or even a few minutes afterward. By reporting your accident, you can begin your workers compensation claim process and can start making an appointment with your doctor to determine what kind of injury you’re dealing with.
Make an Appointment with a Local Doctor
Once your accident is properly recorded to your superior, you should make an appointment with a local doctor to get the necessary tests and x-rays done to determine what kind of damage your accident caused. Most of the time, workplace accident occur in the legs and back, but your injuries will entirely depend on the type of accident that happened. However, before placing your appointment, you should contact your health insurance provider to ensure the doctor you’re seeing is in-network and speak about your accident, so they know you’re filing a workers compensation claim.
Seek Referrals for a Physical Therapist
Following your doctor’s appointment, your injuries will either be minor enough for a day or two of recovery before returning to work, or they’re severe enough to require surgery and/or meeting with a physical therapist. A physical therapist or PT for short will help you regain your mobility and assist in recovery following surgery. Although you may not think mobility exercises are essential, you’d be surprised how helpful a PT can be to recovering from your workplace accident.
Send Your Medical Bills to Your Workers Comp Representative
Depending on your workplace, you might be assigned to a workers compensation representative that will handle your case, or be referred to a workers compensation attorney depending on the severity of your accident. You will have to recall the accident with the representative or attorney, as well as forward your medical bills so that you can be adequately reimbursed for them. During this process, just make sure to be truthful and do your best in remembering your accident.
Tips for Seeing a Physical Therapist
Find the Best PT in Denver
To recover from your workplace-caused injuries, you’ll need to work with the best Physical Therapist (PT) in Denver. Fortunately, you should have gotten plenty of referrals from your primary care provider, but you might also want to do some research on your own. After booking a few consultations to find the best PT for your recovery process, it’s time to kick start your treatment plan, so that you can regain mobility and return to work.
Wear Comfortable Clothing to Physical Therapy Sessions
Physical therapy sessions can get quite hot and sweaty from the work you do, so it’s important you stick to wearing clothes that are comfortable to wear. However, this also has to do with the setting you're doing your therapy sessions in. Your best bet is to wear a fitting t-shirt, comfortable athletic sneakers, and shorts. Wearing these comfortable clothes will make your therapy sessions a lot easier and help you sweat less, which can make your therapy sessions less frustrating and exhausting.
Don’t Be Afraid to Speak Up
During your therapy sessions, you should never be afraid to speak up in case an exercise is too challenging or if you need a break. Your PT is there to help you regain your mobility; there’s no point to your therapy if you feel that you’re being pushed too hard and feel the anxiety of attending therapy sessions crushing you. However, at the same time, it’s necessary that you remember that these therapy sessions are meant to challenge you and regain your mobility from your injuries. Occasionally, you’ll have a hard session or two, but that’s no reason to quit your therapy. Worst case scenario, you should ask your physical therapist to lower the stress of the exercises for a particular day if you’re having an especially hard day.
Remember That Your Recovery Takes Time and Patience
It’s essential that you don’t give up on yourself when meeting with a physical therapist. Remember that your recovery will take both time and patience, after all, you won’t regain the mobility of your broken arm of leg overnight. If you are having a hard time with your therapy sessions, don’t be afraid to talk to your PT and tell them the problems you’re having so you get helpful advice, rather than feel like you should give up and live with your restricted mobility.
If you’re suffering from a work-based injury, you’ll be able to take advantage of workers compensation and begin seeing a certified physical therapist to help you regain your mobility. Although it may seem like an unusually lengthy process, recovering from a broken limb isn’t as easy as it sounds. Hopefully, with the help of this short guide from your local Denver workers compensation attorney, you can have a much easier time filing your compensation claim to obtain lost wages and medical pay from your accident. If you need help beginning your claim process or tips on how to get started with your workers compensation, feel free to contact Mark A. Simon, attorney at law, or stop by his office.