Patients
Orthopedic care for work-related injuries
Dr. Nolan Horner evaluates and treats work-related shoulder, knee, and other orthopedic injuries in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, Oak Brook, and St. Charles.
Workers' compensation patients are accepted at all three offices — Oak Brook on Mondays, Little Village on Wednesdays and St. Charles on Thursdays.
Treatment is tailored to your injury, symptoms, examination findings, and the physical demands of your job. Options may include rehabilitation, nonsurgical treatment, or surgery when appropriate.
Professional Spanish interpreters are available in person and by phone, so your visit can be conducted in the language you are most comfortable with.
Áreas de atención
- Rotator cuff tears and shoulder injuries
- Knee ligament, meniscus and cartilage injuries
- Fractures after a fall or crush injury
- Lifting, overhead and repetitive-strain injuries
- Second opinions on work injuries
- Work-status documentation
Common work injuries treated
Many work injuries involve the shoulder or the knee — a rotator cuff tear after lifting or a fall, a shoulder dislocation, a twisting knee injury on a ladder or a loading dock, or a meniscus tear. You can read more about shoulder care and knee care, including shoulder pain and weakness after an injury.
Fractures, tendon injuries and other acute orthopedic injuries from workplace accidents are also evaluated and treated.
How to schedule
Use the website’s regular appointment options or call (877) 377-1188. Tell the office that your visit concerns a work injury, and share your claim information if you already have it, so staff can guide you through the next steps.
If you would prefer to speak Spanish, let the office know when you call and an interpreter can be arranged for your visit.
If your claim is not approved yet
In general, a first visit can be scheduled even if your workers' compensation claim has not yet been approved. Continued care after that first visit requires a valid workers' compensation claim number.
This is a general description of how the office handles work-injury visits, not a promise about whether a claim will be approved or what a carrier will cover. Claim decisions are made by the workers' compensation carrier, not by the office.
What to bring
- Any claim information you have, including the claim number
- Contact details for your employer, adjuster or case manager
- Prior imaging (X-rays, MRI) and medical records
- A list of your current medications
- A description of your job duties and physical demands
What the first evaluation involves
The visit generally includes a focused history of how the injury happened and how it has progressed, a physical examination, review of any imaging you bring or that is ordered, and a discussion of treatment options.
Dr. Horner will also discuss what your injury and treatment plan may mean for your work — what you can safely do now, and what a realistic recovery timeline looks like.
Work restrictions and documentation
Work restrictions are individualized to your injury, your recovery and the tasks your job requires. The office provides work-status documentation and visit notes so your employer and your claim representatives know where things stand.
Where appropriate, modified duties may allow an earlier return to work. Returning to full duties depends on your recovery and your job requirements.
Communication with your claim representatives
The office can communicate directly with workers' compensation representatives, employers and case managers regarding your care and your work status, so that treatment plans and restrictions are clearly understood by everyone involved.
Second opinions
Second opinions on work-related orthopedic injuries are accepted. If surgery has been recommended and you would like another orthopedic assessment, bring your imaging and records to the visit. Attorneys and carriers seeking a formal examination or record review should see workers' compensation medical-legal services.
Injured at work?
Request an appointmentRelated care