Tendinitis? Input please...

[wildmaninal]

I took the liberty to cut the excess metal off of a front end loader bucket. The bucket was modified to hold more dirt but due to the modification it wouldn't work for our application. Anyhow I used a saw zaw instead of a torch because we were out of oxygen. It took me over an hour to cut this metal off, smoke breaks included.

Aside from another physical problem, now I'm really paying for it. Due to a past on the job injury I was diagnosed with tendinitis, all I received was pain medicine for treatment, no operation, no compensation from work. When the injury first happened (a few years back) I thought I broke my left wrist it was swelled, I went to the emergency room.
Well even after studying tendinitis I am confused on whether tendinitis is a permanent problem or reoccurring problem, meaning it will heal, but the healed areas rip back apart, or what. I have read that it can heal, but slowly and doesn't heal back strong, in other words it doesn't heal back 100%. With this wrist problem, this sorta made me opt out any production job on a fast assembly line or anything in fast production. My last job was in production and it wasn't pleasant especially when the problem flares up out of no where and you are trying to concentrate on your job.

I've noticed that sense I completed this cutting job that my wrist pops (this isn't the only time this accrued) when moving it, I figure that is always a bad sign. Sometimes it hurts just to pick up a glass of water. I've had problems in the past as well with it. I'm sorta of stuck here at the moment with no medical insurance. I am right handed so that is one good thing. Any input would be much appreciated, I'm getting tired of worrying with this, and I can't do much about it at the moment.

Have any of you guys been diagnosed with tendinitis? (in any part of the body)
I haven't been back to the doctor about this....
If any of you have been to a doctor for treatment may I ask how have they treated this?
Has the treatment worked?
I basically need to know what to look forward to if I get to go to the doctor, I don't mean or I'm not trying to ask ridiculous question on here lol.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Tendinitis? Input please...

I get that popping sensation and pain sometimes when I sleep on my wrist wrong... takes about a week for it to go away. I've never seen a doctor about it though, so I don't know if there's anything serious going on or not. Sorry that's not much help.

As I understand it though, tendenitis does cure itself over time, and can be just as strong. maybe not when measured in thousanths of a second for an olympic runner, but for the average use it's just as good.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Tendinitis? Input please...

takes time, heat wrap, or soak. wait till you get a torn rotator cuff.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Tendinitis? Input please...

Inform your employer that you injured yourself on the job. Go see your own doctor, not theirs. You may have to see theirs at some point but you are not bound to letting them treat the injury. At some point, the previous work related injury will surface. Sometimes if there is a previous injury, the workers comp insurer will try to bail on some of the cost of the medical treatment. Since your previous injury was work related, this should not be much of a problem. Also, check into your state's workers comp laws - some states have what is referred to as a "second injury fund." This is basically a pool of money that covers whatever the workers comp won't cover, if there was a previous, non-work related injury. The only reason that I am bringing this up is that, if you do have the fund, it won't matter if your previous injury was deemed to be work related or not - you won't have to pay for any of the treatment. This is just a good thing to know in case the WC insurer starts to try to question the previous injury as it relates to the current one.

PS: WC insurers, especially self insurance funds, love to hand out questionaires to employees upon hire, which asks for comprehensive personal medical information. In Louisiana, where I live, one such fund even misquotes a law that requires employees to give information about past injuries/illnesses, upon filing a WC claim that might be affected by such prior conditions. WIthout getting into all kinds of technicalities about privacy of personal medical information, suffice it to say that you don't have to answer this kind of stuff and, in my opinion, shouldn't because workers comp insurance carriers are not covered by HIPAA privacy rules. Once you give out info that they really don't need, you have compromised your own privacy.

 

[arboldt]

Re: Tendinitis? Input please...

I'm a computer programmer, so almost all my 'work' is at a keyboard. Over the past 10 years there's been quite a focus on repetitive stress injury. At the risk of gross oversimplification, this usually takes one of two forms: 1) carpal tunnel syndrome, where the nerve channel calcifies, or 2) tendonitis, where the tendon swells or inflames.

About 10 years ago, we spent our normal early-May weekend raking leaves and acorns when we opened the lake place. By Monday morning I could hardly move my right arm. I asked about a split or angled keyboard for my PC, and a lower keyboard tray. Both requests were quickly granted. Because of the possibility of RSI, they sent me to several doctors (worker comp stuff, although I never lost any time or pay) etc, and eventually was diagnosed with RSI. For several months after that I went to weekly physical therapy sessions where heat and electrical stimuli were applied to my back, arm, and elbow. There was some improvement, but not a lot.

At the urging of a couple friends, I finally went to a chiropracter (first time I'd ever visited one). An hour later I was *much* better, and within a couple weeks discontinued all the other physical therapy. I did continue seeing that chiro for a few months.

10 years later, I'm still a little sensitive to any stress on that arm, and I cannot lift much heavy stuff. If I do try, I pay for it for weeks.

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Tendinitis? Input please...

I appreciate all the info so far.

Jay_merrill some of this WC stuff is new to me.

The injury occurred when I was doing a delivery for a rent to own company (that is no longer in business in this town). I was carrying a big screen TV up a flight of steps with the aid of a co worker and a set of hand trucks. I was on the pulling end, pulling the TV up the stairs the co worker was pushing the the TV when I pulled it, when we go up the top of the steps there was a rail there where we had to turn left once we got to the top of the steps, the co worker pushed this TV into me when I was already up near the rail, and this jammed my wrist. Of coarse thinking about it, pulling the TV up the steps may of caused the injury by itself.

I got back to the work place told the boss what happened, he gave me the papers needed to bring with me to the Emergency room (as I said before, I thought I broke my arm). Now that I think of it I might of had to go to the doctor again after the initial visit to the emergency room, because I had a brace that I was wearing, I recall wearing it at work. But I can't remember what doctor I seen for treatment.