Shoveling snow at home did not bar recovery in pending work comp case

In a recent Illinois Workers Compensation decision the commission found that an injured workers injury to his low back while shoveling snow at home several months after his work related low back injury did not bar his recovery for the initial injury.  The petitioner injured his back at work in the summer and had an MRI which revealed Disc extrusions at L4-5 and at L5-S1.The petitioner had returned to work on less than full duty restrictions.

In December, while shoveling snow at home, the petitioner re injured his back and was treated at the emergency room and with his regular doctor.

The commission, in holding that the injury to his low back while shoveling snow did not break the causal connection to the work injury and the petitioner was entitled to workers compensation benefits. The commission determined that the original work injury weakened the petitioners condition of his low back, and the subsequent injury to the low back while shoveling snow only aggravated the original injury to the low back and the petitioner was entitled to benefits from the injury to his low back while shoveling snow.