The meniscus is located in your knee. It is a rubbery, c-shaped disc that acts as a shock absorber between your shins and thighs. A torn meniscus is a type of physical injury where the tissue and/or cartilage in the knee is torn apart due to forceful twisting. This can cause swelling, stiffness, and great pain for a person. These injuries can occur from a car accident, assault, or physical activity like playing a sport.
The length of recovery from a torn meniscus depends on the severity of the injury and the types of treatments you are receiving. Prescription drugs and painkillers will help with easing the severe pain you might be facing. Physical therapy can help with strengthening your muscles and helping your tissue and cartilage to heal.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the average recovery time for a torn meniscus is between 4 to 8 weeks.
What to Do Shortly After Injuring Your Knee?
Before you call up a personal injury lawyer to fight for financial compensation and hold the at-fault party accountable, it is important to take a pause and just breathe. You do not want to exacerbate the whole ordeal by worsening your knee’s pain. Follow the four main steps in the RICE care method shortly after injuring your knee, which includes:
- Rest – Do not try to walk or move around much on your injured leg, or it will cause more swelling, stiffness, and pain. Just take some time off from work and stay off your feet as much as possible.
- Ice – Applying ice or a cold pack to the hurt knee will help keep the swelling down and alleviate some of the pain.
- Compression – Applying a compression bandage of some sort will help keep the inflammation down. Be careful, though. Sometimes compression applied incorrectly can actually worsen the pain, like with broken bones.
- Elevation – It is important to elevate your hurt knee above the rest of your body. This is because this position helps reduce the blood flow to your leg, reducing inflammation and making it less painful for you.
After these precautions are taken, and after you contact medical professionals, you can get in touch with legal counsel about your action plan going forward.
Can a Torn Meniscus Qualify for Disability Benefits?
Suffering from the severe pain of an injury is already torture enough. Having to miss out on work and getting paid makes your whole entire situation that much worse. There are benefit programs that can help you ease this weight off your shoulders.
A torn meniscus will most likely qualify you for short-term disability because you will be injured for roughly 4 to 8 weeks. The qualifying period for short-term disability is 11 weeks, whereas long-term disability is a year or longer. You could also be eligible for worker’s compensation if the injury occurred on the clock at your workplace.
The difference with worker’s compensation is that your employer pays you the benefits rather than your insurance company.
What Will Happen if You Do Not Repair Your Meniscus?
Some people do not want to take time off from work to properly heal a physical injury because they are afraid of missing put on pay. These same people most likely do not know that they can receive disability benefits for their injuries without having to step foot in their workplace. Still, ignoring the injury can lead to an injury either not repairing itself, or the condition worsened due to neglect.
Parts of the meniscus could become loose and fall to the joint if not treated properly. This can lead to you needing knee restoration surgery or developing worse ailments like osteoarthritis. All of which are much more painful and much more expensive. Do not let these sorts of things happen due to misguided judgment and/or reckless carelessness.
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Do you Need an Attorney for Leg Injury Claims?
Having a torn meniscus occur because you were exercising at the gym or causing a motor vehicle accident would be valid reasons for not hiring a leg injury lawyer. Otherwise, you will want to hire an attorney from John Foy & Associates to help deal with a leg injury claim. This is especially true if someone or something else causes a leg injury, like a car accident or a mishap at your place of employment.
A personal injury lawyer from John Foy & Associates can help negotiate with the insurance companies to compromise on a justified amount of benefits for disability leave and coverage for medical bills. A personal injury lawyer can also help hold the at-fault party accountable and seek the legal retribution that you are entitled to. Despite being called the strong arm, John Foy & Associates is here 24/7 to help with leg-related injuries, like a torn meniscus, and other personal injuries.
What Are the Damages in Leg Accident Claims?
Leg accident claims are no different than any other personal injury claim. This means that the damages that you can ask compensation for include:
- Lost income/wages from missed work
- Medical bills from surgeries and appointments
- Physical therapy costs
- Prescription drug costs
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
To recover compensation from these losses, you will need to contact a personal injury lawyer from John Foy & Associates. From here, we can help you file your claim and build your case.
What Are Some Other Types of Knee/Leg Injuries?
Knee and leg-related injuries can be some of the most painful and grueling types of ailments to recover from. This is due to the fact that they can prevent you from walking and performing routine tasks. A torn meniscus is not the only knee-related injury for which you can file a claim.
Some other examples of leg-related injuries include:
- Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) tear
- Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL) tear
- Tendonitis
- Fibula fracture
- Tibia fracture
- Knee sprain or strain
- Knee fracture
- Knee dislocation
- Knee Bursitis
- Ligament tear
- Leg break
- Foot break
- Ankle sprain
Suffering the physical torment of any one of these injuries, plus countless others, make you subject to receiving disability benefits. It also makes you eligible to file a claim with a personal injury attorney.
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