I know people are quick to bad mouth the worker's comp doctors who are perceived to be 'working for the other side', but for once I was fortunate to meet a doctor who was the complete polar opposite of that description. I was injured on the job in February 2017 and was already paid by the worker's comp system so in 2019/2020, so I did not expect anyone to take the newest claim of pain that would not resolve and kept becoming progressively worse seriously. In April 2019, my injury must've reached that breaking point and an already uncomfortable shoulder became a nightmare of some degree of varying ache 24 hours a day. I was miserable, not sleeping, swollen at times and generally a drag to be around. When my lawyer reopened the case, I was paper pushed around the system not being taken seriously until they sent me to Dr. Clifford Schob. I researched Dr. Schob prior to being seen and he gets stellar references as a doctor on general principal. He ordered me an MRI & when I returned with my report & disc, he immediately left the room. Confused, I asked his assistant what was happening. He entered the room and stated, "I've just taken over your worker's comp claim". His assistant stated after he'd left the room again, "Dr. Schob has a way of getting things done, the worker's comp guys listen to him". Boy, she wasn't kidding! He had mentioned I had moderate arthritis & bursitis in my shoulder which was causing the pain. He suggested an operation was the way to alleviate the issue. Of course, there was bureaucratic red tape to cut to get from the office to the operating room, but his office would not back down until the surgery room was booked. It was literally 2 weeks between the visit and the surgery. Nicole, his surgery scheduler, kept me informed every step of the way. We hit obstacles and she vehemently fought to get it done. The surgery was supposed to be a half hour, but my injury was a bit more severe than the MRI showed and he was in for 2 hours I believe he told me. He said there was a lot of damage clean out of the shoulder socket and shave down the bone to stop the constant rub that caused the pain. Dr. Schob has this positive vibe to him that he is certain he can fix it but its not a God complex that some doctors have. It's absolutely refreshing! He appears to be a happy person to begin with, but that attitude goes a long way for people who've been in constant pain for a long time who are beginning to lose hope that the pain they're in is their new normal. Surgery wasn't the most fun I've ever had, but it's surgery, it isn't supposed to be. He made sure I was comfortable immediately following the operation. Physical therapy is only as good as the work YOU put into it, so I went hard. Not fun but my range on motion is tenfold better than it had been for nearly three years. He seemed elated by that. Tell me what person unrelated to you is ELATED at your progress? Dr. Schob was! It was amazing to know there was light at the end of a very dark long tunnel. It's nice to know that the pain I feel now is intermittent, depends on temperature or rain and is temporary and minimal at best and is now solved by ibuprofen and not a pain pill. When those factors aren't present, my arm is no longer an interference in my day. More than one person has noticed a change in my face (as silly as that sounds) that I don't have that pensive anticipation of pain look on my face anymore.
I hope and pray you are fortunate to be referred to Dr. Schob as your worker's comp doctor! Walk into the room with an open mind because this is the guy who is going to take you seriously and go out of his way to get you back to the best version of yourself and be happy for you feeling better. read more