Florida lower back strain & soft tissue injury claims
They called it a strain.
You’re still hurting.
You expected to feel better by now. Instead, getting through a shift, lifting groceries, or sitting in the car still hurts. Being told it is “just a strain” does not answer your questions about treatment, work, or your next paycheck.
Understanding the injury
A soft tissue injury can have a real impact.
The muscles, tendons, and ligaments around your lower back help support movement. An injury to these tissues can make familiar tasks difficult, even when there is no broken bone.
Chase Injury Law helps injured workers throughout Florida address disputes about care, work restrictions, and benefits. We start with what happened, how you are doing now, and what the medical records actually say.
Lower back strains
A strain involves a muscle or tendon. Lower back strains can occur during lifting, pulling, or other movements that place stress on these tissues.
Sprains & ligament injuries
A sprain involves a ligament, which connects bones. Strains and sprains can cause pain, stiffness, or muscle spasms that affect movement.
Ongoing limitations
The diagnosis is only part of the picture. Your provider’s examination, your progress, and the physical demands of your job also matter when discussing treatment and work status.
Your recovery deserves attention
“Just a strain” does not answer whether you can do your job.
There is a difference between being able to walk into an appointment and being able to lift, bend, climb, or stand through a full shift. Explain your actual duties to your treating provider, including how often you perform them and what has become difficult.
A diagnosis alone does not establish your work capacity or entitlement to benefits. Clear medical restrictions and accurate information about your job help identify what needs to be addressed.
If your work-status form says one thing and the duties being offered seem to require something else, we can review the records and help you understand the next step.
Common points of disagreement
Where strain and soft tissue claims get stuck.
Therapy has not started
A recommendation, authorization, and scheduled appointment are different steps. We can review where the process stopped and what communications or records are missing.
You are not improving
Tell your provider what has changed and what remains difficult. We can review follow-up recommendations and any dispute about additional evaluation or care.
Your checks stopped
A change in work status can affect benefits. We can examine the medical report, your earnings, any work offered, and the carrier’s stated reason for stopping payments.
When the explanation changes
“Degenerative” does not automatically mean denied.
Sometimes a claim begins as a strain and later becomes a dispute about prior back problems or findings on a scan. An existing condition does not automatically decide whether the work injury is covered.
When a work injury combines with a preexisting condition, Florida’s major contributing cause rule generally requires the work injury to be more than 50% responsible for the disability or need for treatment compared with all other causes combined. Medical evidence is required.
We can review the accepted injury, any later diagnosis, and the medical opinions behind the carrier’s position. An initial acceptance of a strain does not necessarily mean every later condition has been accepted.
Make the details easier to understand
Describe the task.
Explain the difficulty.
Specific examples can help your provider understand the limits you are experiencing. Be accurate about what you can do, what you cannot do, and how your symptoms change during the day.
You do not need a perfect file before contacting us. Start with the information you have.
Ask Michelle About Your Claim- Bring your actual job duties.Include lifting requirements, repeated bending, driving, and time spent sitting or standing.
- Keep your work-status forms.Save each update, along with any written light-duty offer or request to return to work.
- Track the treatment process.Keep referrals, appointment notices, therapy records, and messages about scheduling or authorization.
- Save your pay records.Note missed shifts, reduced hours, and benefit payments so changes in income can be reviewed.
How we approach your claim
Start with the records.
Focus on what needs to happen next.
We can compare the treatment your provider recommended with what has actually been authorized, review whether offered work matches your restrictions, and evaluate disputes about benefits.
For a covered injury, Florida workers’ compensation provides medically necessary care subject to the law’s requirements. Wage-loss benefits may also be available when the injury prevents work or reduces earnings, depending on medical work status and other eligibility requirements.
The goal is to identify the specific problem and explain the options for addressing it, without making you sort through the claim alone.
Common questions
Questions about lower back strain claims.
Can a back strain qualify for workers’ compensation?
Yes, a strain can be a covered work injury. You do not need a fracture or a surgical diagnosis for a claim to be considered. Coverage and the benefits owed depend on the evidence and Florida’s legal requirements.
What if I am still hurting after physical therapy?
Explain your progress and remaining limitations to your treating provider. Continued symptoms do not by themselves establish a different diagnosis or entitlement to a particular treatment. We can review any follow-up recommendation and the carrier’s response.
Does a normal X-ray mean I was not injured?
No. X-rays are primarily used to evaluate bones and do not show every muscle, tendon, or ligament injury. Your provider should evaluate your symptoms and examination findings and decide whether further testing is appropriate.
Do I have to accept light-duty work?
Do not assume that calling an assignment “light duty” resolves whether it is appropriate. Compare the actual tasks with your restrictions and ask for clarification when needed. Refusing suitable work can affect benefits, so discuss the specific offer with your attorney before deciding how to respond.
What if the doctor says the strain has resolved?
That opinion can affect your claim, but it is important to understand exactly what the report says. We can review the work-status findings, any remaining symptoms or diagnoses, and the basis for stopping care or benefits.
Is there a standard settlement amount for a soft tissue injury?
No. A diagnosis label is not a settlement formula. Medical opinions, future care, work capacity, wage history, and disputed issues can all affect the evaluation. We can discuss those factors after reviewing your circumstances.
Resources: AANS: low back strain and sprain · Florida coverage and causation · Medical care requirements · Disability benefits
Chase Injury Law
You are still hurting.
Let’s talk about what comes next.
Tell us how your back was injured, what care you have received, and what is making work or recovery difficult.
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General information, not legal or medical advice. Every case is different. Contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.