“I’m a single mom. When I hurt my elbow and shoulder at work, I thought I’d lose everything. My lawyer fought like it was her own case.”
The Origin of the Claim: Elbow and Shoulder Injury at a Chicago Packaging Plant
A 33-year-old worker at a food-packaging plant in southwest Chicago developed lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) and rotator cuff tendinitis after 18 months of repetitive motion on the packing line, where she performed the same grip-and-lift movement 900 times per shift. What began as elbow discomfort in March 2022 progressed within months to pain radiating from her wrist to her shoulder. She couldn’t lift her 3-year-old son without sharp shoulder pain, couldn’t hold a tray with both hands, and after an 8-hour shift, her elbow would lock at a 90-degree angle. An MRI revealed a partial tear of the common extensor tendon in the elbow and supraspinatus tendinosis in the shoulder — both conditions directly linked to repetitive workplace motion.
Women in Illinois manufacturing and packaging face a disproportionate risk of cumulative trauma injuries. According to the IWCC, women account for 45% of upper-extremity claims in the state’s food industry, and their cases take on average 30% longer to resolve than their male counterparts’. The pattern is well-documented — and it played out in this case.
The Obstacles: When the Insurer Dismisses Women’s Pain
The company-designated physician for insurer Liberty Mutual conducted a 12-minute evaluation and concluded the worker had “mild muscular discomfort” that should resolve with rest and anti-inflammatories. Based on this report, the insurer denied the MRI and authorized only 6 sessions of physical therapy. The report completely ignored the findings of the worker’s treating physician — a pattern all too common when the injured worker is a woman in a male-dominated industry.
As a single mother with a young child depending entirely on her, the worker could not afford to stop working. She continued going to the plant for 4 more months, worsening her injury with every shift, because the alternative — losing her income while fighting the insurer — was unthinkable. This is the reality for many injured workers in Chicago: working hurt because the system doesn’t respond fast enough for their lives to wait.
Legal Strategy: Documenting Cumulative Trauma
The attorneys at Illinois Compensation helped the worker create a chronological pain diary documenting, day by day for 6 months, the progression of pain, functional limitations, and impact on her daily life. This diary — combined with hospital records and an MRI finally obtained through a court order — established an unmistakable pattern of progressive deterioration directly linked to her job duties.
An occupational medicine orthopedist from Rush University Medical Center conducted an exhaustive independent evaluation — 90 minutes, not 12 — and concluded that the elbow and shoulder injuries were “directly and exclusively attributable to repetitive workplace motion” and that the worker would require platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in addition to extended physical therapy. The contrast between a 12-minute cursory exam and a 90-minute thorough evaluation was stark — and it exposed the insurer’s bad-faith handling of the claim.
The Victory: $55,000 and Full Medical Treatment
The case settled for $55,000 after the independent expert report was submitted. The settlement included full medical treatment (including PRP injections), retroactive compensation for the months she worked injured without accommodation, and permanent partial disability (PPD) for the residual limitations in her elbow and shoulder. What started with an insurer offering “6 sessions of PT and rest” ended with an agreement that recognized the full scope of the injury. The worker received not just compensation, but validation that her pain was real and that the law protected her — regardless of whether the company doctor chose to minimize it.
With PRP injections and proper physical therapy, the worker regained much of the function in her elbow and shoulder. The compensation allowed her to take the time needed to heal without pressure to return too early — and today she can lift her son without pain, something no dollar figure can measure.
Did the company doctor say your injury is “mild” but you know it isn’t? Insurers in Illinois maintain networks of physicians who routinely minimize women’s workplace injuries. If you feel your elbow, shoulder, or wrist injury is being dismissed, our firm obtains an independent second opinion and fights to ensure your pain is recognized — and compensated.
Call us today for a free consultation. We don’t back down — and neither should you.
