The purpose of the website is to empower injured workers in the State of California by educating them about chronic pain, so they can take control of their situation and actively participate in their own care.
There is lot of complex scientific information presented on this website, but please be patient and read through all of it, because understanding pain is the most important first step in managing chronic pain.
We will walk through this maze step by step to:
-
Understand pain
-
Understand chronic pain
-
Understand how psychological factors play a role in chronic pain
-
Learn about treatment approaches available under the umbrella of the Workers Compensation system
-
Learn self management approach for chronic pain
-
Learn psychological tools to manage chronic pain
CAUTION: This site is not meant to replace your personal physician or give you any specific advice pertaining to your injury or treatment needs. It is only meant to give you additional knowledge. We want to put you in control of your situation, instead of being a passive recipient of treatment. Please check with your physician before following the recommendations given here.
If you have been injured at your work place, not only you are dealing with the injury and its consequences, but also having to deal with and work within the framework of the Division of Workers’ Compensation.
As a Qualified Medical Examiner in the State of California, it has been painful to watch many injured workers suffering because of chronic pain and how their world comes crumbling down as a result. I know that some simple strategies could make their pain manageable and turn their lives around.
Forty years back, the specialty of “pain management “ was in its infancy, but has since grown by leaps and bounds, based both on experience as well as research.
Unfortunately, this information rarely gets to the injured workers!
Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) of California has gone through its own financial turmoil in the last 20 years and they have implemented various new strategies to manage their financial woes - cutting back on the patient’s medical care being one of them!
But that is NOT the only cause of this epidemic of chronic pain in injured workers!
Blaming anyone does not solve the problem!
If you have been injured on the job, then you have to work within this system; so it helps to know how to navigate through this maze and to get the best care possible.
I have designed this website with 2 primary purposes:
-
To give you, the injured worker, background information on treatments available within the Division of Workers’ Compensation system so that you know how to work within it.
-
To help you, the injured worker, understand chronic pain and learn how to best manage it, thus empowering you to feel in control and take charge of your own life.
Nicole Chitnis, M.D., Q.M.E., has 40 years of experience in sports medicine and pain management as well as 10 years of experience as a Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) in the State of California.