Did You Develop Bursitis While Working for Lowe's?*

Workplace injuries and illnesses are part and parcel of working in some workplaces. If you have developed a painful illness or injury and need time to treat the problem, there is no point in suffering needlessly. In the end, you will only make the condition, whatever it is, worse.

As long as you can get medical confirmation that the problem has happened while you were at work you are likely to obtain workers’ compensation under your employer’s state mandated insurance coverage. A successful claim should cover any bills you face for medical treatment as well as lost earnings if you have time off work. A workers’ compensation attorney will explain how the claims process works in detail.

Lowe’s Companies Inc. – Company Profile

More than a quarter of a million people work in one or another of the nearly 1,900 Lowe’s home improvement and hardware stores. Lowe's is the biggest chain store of its type after the Home Depot, its nearest rival. Lowe's is mainly based in the U.S., but the stores are also located across Canada and Mexico.

Bursitis Worker's Comp Lawyer

If you work in a Lowe's store, you are most likely to be employed selling Lowe's products, answering enquiries, taking money at the cash out and involved in the distribution and stocking of goods. Some of these jobs can involve very repetitive and constricted movements, which can lead to the development of chronic problems like bursitis.

Why You Need Time off Work When You are Suffering From Bursitis

In many parts of the human body there are special areas that help to prevent damage by acting as a cushion. These are called bursae. There are around 160 of them in the body. Under particular conditions, these bursae can become inflamed. They hen swell up and become very tender and painful. This condition is known as bursitis.

If bursitis develops on the legs or elbows, it will become almost impossible for a worker to do the sort of work they normally do, which probably contributed to bursitis in the first place. As the main recommended treatment is to rest and recuperate, this is most likely what a doctor would advise. A workers’ compensation claim should be filed to recover any lost earnings while not at work.

The Value of a Lowe's Bursitis Claim

Medical treatment is less specialized for bursitis, but the condition does need t be diagnosed properly. The doctor’s diagnosis should be recorded for later use when a workers’ compensation claim is made. It is likely that painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs will need to be purchased while the inflammation is subsiding. That means the main component of a bursitis workers’ comp. claim would be for lost earnings. It takes two to three weeks for bursitis to subside as long as it is not a severe inflammation.

Typically, a worker who is employed doing repetitive work in Lowe's like stocking shelves or unpacking inward bound goods would earn between $8 and $12 an hour. The value of a Lowe's bursitis claim for someone earning a median hourly wage of $10 an hour would then be : $10 x 40 (no. of hours a week) x 2 (no. of weeks away from work) x 0.67 ( percentage allowed by the state’s workers’ comp. legislation). In this hypothetical example, the claim would be for $530 plus the sum of the documented medical expenses as noted above.

Contact an Attorney if Unhappy About Your Workers' Compensation Claim

You may need to contact a workers’ comp. attorney if you are unsure of your rights under state law, or how to set a workers’ comp. claim in motion. An attorney may be able to help you if your claim is denied or if the amount awarded seems unreasonably low.

*The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Lowe's, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.