As per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, knee injuries are the third most common workplace injury in the country. They’re most often suffered by truck drivers, nurses, factory workers and construction tradesmen. A serious knee injury can even happen in an office though. An employee can over an electrical cord, slip on a wet spot or trip while going down a flight of stairs.

Serious Knee Injuries Can Be Permanent
Knees are weight bearing joints, and any failure to timely or properly treat a knee injury can worsen a person’s condition. Knee tissue tears and fractures often require surgery and recovery time. Upon returning to work, an employee might only be able to perform light duty. Sometimes that’s on a permanent basis. You’ll serve yourself well to speak with a California workers’ compensation lawyer right after any serious knee injury.

A Knee Injury Can Affect Other Body Parts
Any knee injury is going to affect the way you walk, and the way that you walk can affect your back and your other leg too. If that’s what happened to you from a work-related injury, all of the medical evidence in the case must be thoroughly examined and tied into the case by a workers’ compensation professional. You might have compensable secondary injuries.

Some Common Knee Injuries
Some knee injuries develop over time as a result of a worker performing the same movement with his or her knees. Other knee injuries might result from years of walking on hard concrete floors. California recognizes these types of injuries. Other knee injuries might be caused by twisting, slipping, tripping or bumping into heavy equipment or machinery. Here are some common knee injuries that are suffered on the job:

• Torn meniscus
• Torn ACL
• Torn MCL
• Patella fractures
• Proximal tibia fractures
• Distal femur fractures

Insurance Company Defenses
Many knee injuries only require minor outpatient surgery. Others might require more serious surgery and a period of physical therapy while recovering. Some victims might require knee reconstruction or replacement. California law gives injured workers the right to seek compensation for the injuries that they suffer on the job. Workers’ compensation insurers will often defend these types of injuries by arguing that a victim had a pre-existing injury or hurt his or her knee somewhere else. If they do accept the claim, they’ll want it resolved as quickly and inexpensively as possible. They might even cut off wage loss or medical benefits if the claimant doesn’t recover as quickly as the insurer wants him or her to recover. That claimant is going to need quality legal help right away.

Contact a Sacramento Workers’ Compensation Attorney

Workers’ compensation cases become very complex very quickly. If you suffered a serious knee injury while on the job, you’ll want to give your employer notice of the accident and injury, and then speak with an experienced and effective Sacramento workers’ compensation lawyer.