So whats next?

[pennilayne]

Hello again! I have a few questions about my daughter's case. Again, were from PA. So, she had her surgery on Sept. 18 (microdiscetomy l5-s1) . Seems to have went well, although she has muscle spasms and cramps in her left leg and parts of her left foot are still numb. She has a post op appointment with her surgon on the 14th of this month. Ill guess hell x-ray and see whats going on from there. In the mean time, the week of her surgery, she got her first check from w/c for 4 weeks of missed work. The company even sent it fed-ex. They said shell get one now every 2 weeks. That should be this week. So, my question is what happens now? Does she get this impairment rating that is talked about so much? If so, who does that? Does this pain and numbness have anything to do with that? Just wondering what to expect next in this ongoing saga.......

[1171]

for the most part pennsylvania uses wage loss to determine future benefits rather then impairment.
your daughter can find out more from the state website
http://www.dli.state.pa.us/landi/cwp/vie...8&q=220671

[bronco54501]

To me it seems a bit early, with the cramps and spasms.

[pennilayne]

Do you mean to early after the surgery? The Dr. operated on the left side, but the herniation was on both sides. she seems to think her left leg is cramped because of the way she's walking from the numbness in her left foot.

[Tuffy]

Your daughter has a ways to go yet, She has to reach MMI (max Med Improvement) and released by her DR.s Back surgery recovery can be a very slow process. Just hang in there, and be patient........

[pennilayne]

Well she sees the surgon in 2 weeks. If shes ready, shell have 2-4 weeks of pt before they decide what to do. I think shes doing pretty well, although I have nothing to compare it to.

[AQA]

Even the best case scenerio, she still has awhile to go before MMI. There has been some nerve damage. The surgery was to remove part of the disc that was pressing on the nerve. The question now is, will the nerve heal???? We all hope so.

[hurt at work]

AQA is correct it is a nerve cause it the issues she is having,I hope it does heal for her and she gets back to work soon.

[Timothy Belt]

In PA the IC can not even request an IRE until the injured worker has received 104 weeks of temporary total disability wage loss benefits, so you have a couple more years before that becomes a factor.

[Still in Limbo]

Mr Belt is an Attorney Here in Pa., and I Value His Opinion Greatly. I had the Exact Same Surgery as Your Daughter, My Herniation Crushed My S1 Nerve Root, and I think Your Daughters is Less Severe, but She is going to Probably be Off of Work for at Least 6 Months, while She Heals. As Far as the Numbness in the Foot, when they do an Operation such as this, Sometimes they have to Move or Re-Align the Sciatic Nerve, and it could just be a Temporary Feeling from that. She will have an Altered Gait for a While, but Right now it's just Rest PT, and Healing Time, which Varies from Patient to Patient. With Your Daughter being so Young, I Hope Her Healing Time is Much Quicker. My Surgery Failed, and I Live with My Right Foot Numb Right down the Middle for Life, but My Issues were Scar Tissue, and Your Daughter will Probably be O.K. and have a Much Better Recovery than Me!! Give Her My Best, and Make Sure She Listens to the Doctors!!