Ask anyone with a bulging disc and they will tell you that there is nothing more debilitating. 

From the inability to go about your daily routine to struggles working, disc injuries aren’t just awfully painful, they can make an awful impact on your life. 

Whether in the neck or back, disc and back injuries can leave sufferers bedridden, on large amounts of pain relief and unable to perform normal tasks. 

For people who suffer and are unable to work, it’s important to realise that you may have a claim under your TPD Insurance.

Back injuries in Australia

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2017–18 National Health Survey (NHS), nearly 16% of all Australians suffer from back and spine pain. In fact, back pain was the second leading cause of disease burden in Australia. Of the people who reported back pain, 2 in 5 said that pain affected their daily activities at least moderately. During the same time, there were some 181,000 hospitalisations in Australia caused by back pain.

It’s obviously a huge issue both with respect to management and prevention. 

Types of pain

There are a variety of injuries and causes, some of which include:

  • Disc disorders like herniated discs and degeneration. 
  • Sciatica
  • Pinched or compressed nerves
  • Vertebral fractures 
  • Disease-related pain like Osteoarthritis / Osteoporosis
  • Curvature of the spine
  • Tumours 
  • Degenerative disc disorders 
  • Whiplash because of an accident 
  • Sports & lifestyle issues 
  • Spondylitis 
  • Lumbar narrowing
  • Unclassified back pain

Whatever the source of the back pain, the reality for most sufferers is that it is debilitating and ultimately will have some effect on their work. 

Can you claim TPD for back pain?

It depends. 

Whether you can make a claim will be dependent on the severity of the injury. If your injury is minor, you are likely to be able to manage it with reduced work and doing less activity. Ultimately with any injury, if you can continue working with modifications and treatment, then TPD cover may not be available. However, if your pain is so severe that you are unable to work (or return to work), you may be eligible under your TPD Insurance to make a claim. 

What to do

Like everything, the devil is very much in the detail and that is why it is so important to get a lawyer to help you with any TPD claim. 

There can be complications around insurers’ TPD definitions, the process you need to follow and the exact nature of the claim that you will want to seek legal advice on. At WKB TPD Lawyers we offer a “no win, no fee” guarantee if we take your claim. We are here to step you through the process and give advice on whether it is worth pursuing a claim, then helping you do so in the event you are in the position to. 

As we only do TPD, we are uniquely placed to help people with both straight forward, and more complex claims. 

It’s important to note that we routinely help people who have previously had a claim rejected, so please feel free to get in touch if this is the situation you find yourself in as there may be other avenues of recourse open to you. 

To have a confidential discussion please contact us at WKB TPD Lawyers on 1800 865 225.