“Eman at Yazdchi Law was extremely professional, responsive, and supportive at all times. He and his staff exceeded all of my expectations.”
Andrea Dalessandro
✦ Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law — State Bar of California ✦
Back injuries are the #1 workers’ comp claim in California — and among the most undervalued.
By Eman Yazdchi, Esq. · Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law
Back injuries account for more workers' compensation claims in Los Angeles than any other type of injury. They affect workers across every industry — from construction laborers in DTLA who lift heavy materials all day to nurses at Cedars-Sinai who transfer patients, from warehouse workers along the Alameda Corridor who load trucks to office workers in Century City who sit at desks for ten hours straight.
Back injuries are also the claims that insurance companies fight hardest. Spinal conditions are difficult to see on imaging, easy to attribute to aging or pre-existing degeneration, and expensive to treat. That combination makes back injury claims a prime target for denial and minimization.
Attorney Eman Yazdchi of Yazdchi Law P.C. is a board-certified workers' compensation specialist who has handled hundreds of back injury claims. Board certification by the California State Bar means Eman has the verified expertise to navigate the medical complexity of spinal injury cases and fight for the benefits these injuries demand.
Work-related back injuries in Los Angeles fall into several categories:
The most common finding in workers' comp back injury cases. Discs between the vertebrae can bulge, herniate, or rupture due to heavy lifting, falls, vehicle accidents, or cumulative wear from repetitive bending and twisting. Disc herniations may compress nerves, causing radiculopathy — pain, numbness, and weakness radiating into the legs.
Muscle and ligament injuries in the lower back from overexertion, awkward lifting, or sudden movements. While often described as "soft tissue" injuries by insurers seeking to minimize them, severe strains can be debilitating and lead to chronic pain.
Falls from height on construction sites, vehicle accidents, and struck-by incidents can cause vertebral compression fractures or burst fractures. These injuries may require surgical stabilization with hardware.
Many workers have some level of age-related disc degeneration visible on MRI. Insurers love to point to these findings and claim the condition is purely degenerative, not work-related. But California law is clear: if work aggravated, accelerated, or contributed to the progression of a degenerative condition, it is compensable. This is one of the most frequently litigated issues in Los Angeles workers' comp.
Insurance companies use several tactics to minimize or deny back injury claims:
The construction worker in DTLA who herniates a disc when a concrete form shifts while he is pouring a slab. The insurer's QME finds only a "temporary aggravation" of pre-existing degeneration, even though the worker had no symptoms before the accident. Yazdchi Law challenges this opinion through deposition and obtains a panel QME with more favorable findings.
The home health aide in East LA who develops chronic lumbar disc disease from years of lifting and repositioning elderly patients. Because the injury developed gradually, the insurer denies the claim as "not industrial." A cumulative trauma claim properly documented with medical evidence overcomes this denial.
The longshoreman at the Port of LA who suffers a compression fracture when a container shifts during unloading. His high earning rate means his temporary and permanent disability benefits should be at maximum levels, but the insurer calculates his wages incorrectly.
The Amazon delivery driver working routes through Hollywood who develops lumbar radiculopathy from constant loading and unloading of packages combined with hours of driving on LA's rough streets. The employer contests whether cumulative vehicle vibration and lifting constitute an industrial injury.
Back injury cases are medical cases as much as legal cases. Successful outcomes require an attorney who can:
Injured at work in Los Angeles? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →If you sustained a back injury at work in Los Angeles — whether from a specific accident or from years of physical labor — your claim deserves a thorough evaluation by a board-certified specialist. Do not accept a denial based on "pre-existing degeneration" without a fight.
Contact Yazdchi Law P.C. for a free consultation. Attorney Eman Yazdchi will review your medical records, explain your rights, and develop a strategy to get you the full benefits you are owed.
Ready to discuss your case? Schedule a free consultation.
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