Question: I would appreciate guidance on assessing impairment, using the Sixth Edition, for a man with multiple pain complaints whom I saw for an independent medical evaluation.
In summary, this 35-year-old male fell 5 to 7 feet when walking across a grate that was not bolted; he was found to have lacerations on his scalp, a neck strain, and an elbow contusion/abrasion. Since that time, he has had ongoing pain complaints involving his head, neck, left shoulder, thoracic spine, and lumbar spine. His physical examinations revealed tenderness, decreased spinal motion, and pain behaviors; neurological examination has always been normal. His extensive imaging included X rays of cervical and lumbar spine; 3 CT scans of head and cervical spine; MRI scans of the cervical spine (twice), circle of Willis, brachial plexus, lumbar spine, and left shoulder (twice); and...
