Improve Rehab to Make the Most of Your North Carolina Workers’ Compensation

August 31, 2010, by Michael A. DeMayo

In the struggle to collect North Carolina workers’ compensation benefits for injuries at work, occupational diseases, and repetitive stress injuries, employees often lose sight of their ultimate aim, which is to restore their health and get back to work as quickly as possible.

After all, workers’ comp aims to empower hurt employees to return to a life of productivity, happiness, and health. And while it’s certainly important (and often necessary) to understand how to fight battles against bad faith insurance companies and employers that unfairly refuse to discuss your North Carolina workers compensation claim – it’s equally crucial to explore methods to speed up and augment recovery from illnesses and injuries.

This post will address some “secret” ways to improve rehabilitation:

1. Watch Your Diet

The ingestion of processed vegetable oils, trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and refined sugars has all been associated with aging, obesity, Type-2 diabetes, and immune system problems. By avoiding these foods and instead eating healthy protein and fats and fresh fruits and vegetables, you may be able to improve your body’s capacity to heal itself.

2. Improve Your Muscular Strength

In the wake of a debilitating injury, you may not have much time, energy, or motivation to hit the gym or even do basic physical activity. But the cultivation of muscular strength is essential for rehabilitation for many injuries – particularly injuries like sprains and soft tissue damage. Of course, always consult your physician and work with a professional physical therapist to make sure you don’t hurt yourself as you build your strength back.

3. Stress reduction

When you go through periods of excessive stress, your body produces the hormone cortisol. A little cortisol is okay, but so called “hypercortisolemia” – the over-production of cortisol – can cause a wide range of problems, including damage to your immune system. So try to fight back against stress by getting enough sleep, engaging in recreational activities, doing meditation and relaxation exercises, and spending time around people you love.

4. Rest

If you are a workaholic by nature, you may find it very difficult to stunt your urge to “get back out there” as soon as possible. To ensure your fastest recovery, ironically, you need to make sure that you don’t take on too much too soon.

If you need help responding to an urgent North Carolina workers’ compensation matter, a quality and experienced law firm can help you explore your rights and make sure that you don’t make any significant mistakes that would hamper your claim or delay your benefits.

More Web Resources


The Case against Sugar (Robert Lustig lecture)


The Case for Muscular Strength