Medicolegal Glossary

Plain-English definitions of impairment, workers’ compensation, and AMA Guides terminology used throughout Impairment.com. Select any term below for its full definition.

A

Activities of Daily Living Everyday self-care tasks like dressing, bathing, and eating used to gauge how much an impairment affects daily life.
Adjuster The insurance professional who manages and decides a workers' comp claim.
Aggravation A work event that worsens a pre-existing condition, often permanently.
Agreed Medical Evaluator A physician both sides agree should evaluate a disputed workers' comp claim.
AMA Guides The standard reference physicians use to convert injuries into impairment percentages.
Ankylosis Stiffening or fusion of a joint that eliminates normal movement.
Apportionment Dividing an impairment rating between the current injury and any pre-existing or unrelated causes.
Arising Out of Employment A legal test for whether a work activity caused the injury.
Atrophy Wasting or shrinkage of muscle, often from disuse or nerve injury.
Average Weekly Wage The pre-injury earnings figure used to calculate benefit amounts.

C

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Compression of the median nerve at the wrist causing hand numbness and weakness.
Causation Whether, and how much, a specific incident or exposure actually caused the medical condition being rated.
Certified Impairment Rater A clinician credentialed to perform impairment ratings to a recognized professional standard.
Class of Impairment A severity band in the 6th Edition method that sets the baseline rating range.
Combined Values Chart An AMA Guides table for merging two or more impairment percentages so the total never exceeds 100%.
Compensability Whether an injury legally qualifies for workers' compensation benefits.
Contracture A permanent tightening of muscle, tendon, or scar tissue that limits movement.
Course of Employment A legal test for whether an injury happened while the worker was doing their job.
Crepitus A grinding or crackling sensation in a joint during movement.
Cumulative Trauma Injury that develops gradually from repeated stress rather than a single event.

D

Decedent A person who has died, in the context of a death benefit claim.
Dependent A family member entitled to benefits after a worker's work-related death.
Diplopia Double vision.
Disability A reduction in a person's ability to meet personal, social, or work demands because of an impairment.
DRE Method A spinal rating method that places an injury into a category based on diagnosis and objective findings.

E

Exacerbation A temporary flare-up of a pre-existing condition that returns to baseline.

F

Functional Capacity Evaluation A structured set of tests measuring what physical work a person can safely perform.
Functional Loss A measurable reduction in the ability to use a body part or system.

G

Grade Modifier A factor that fine-tunes a rating up or down within its severity class in the 6th Edition.
Grip Strength A measure of hand strength sometimes used in upper-extremity ratings.
Guarding Protective muscle tightening that limits painful movement.

I

Impairment A loss, loss of use, or derangement of any body part, organ system, or organ function.
Impairment Evaluation The medical examination and analysis used to assign an impairment rating.
Impairment Rating The physician-assigned percentage that quantifies a permanent loss of function.
Independent Medical Examination An evaluation by a neutral physician who is not the treating doctor, used to assess a disputed claim.

L

Light Work A physical demand level involving limited lifting and mostly light exertion.
Loss of Earning Capacity The reduction in a person's ability to earn wages because of an injury.

M

Malar Displacement A cheekbone that has shifted out of position, usually after a facial fracture.
Maximal Medical Improvement Date The specific date a condition is judged to have stabilized for rating purposes.
Maximum Medical Improvement The point at which a condition has stabilized and is unlikely to improve further, so a permanent rating can be assigned.
Medical-Legal Report A physician's formal written opinion used to resolve a disputed claim.
Modified Duty Temporary adjusted job tasks that fit a worker's medical restrictions during recovery.
Motion Segment Integrity Whether the small joints and discs of the spine move and align normally.

N

Neuropathy Damage or dysfunction of one or more nerves, often causing numbness or weakness.
Nystagmus Involuntary, repetitive eye movement that can affect vision.

O

Objective Findings Measurable, observable medical evidence such as imaging results or reflex changes.

P

Paresthesia Abnormal sensations such as tingling, prickling, or numbness.
Permanent Impairment A loss of function that remains after maximum medical improvement and is unlikely to change.
Permanent Partial Disability A lasting impairment that limits some function but does not prevent all work.
Permanent Total Disability A lasting impairment severe enough that the worker cannot return to any gainful employment.
Pre-existing Condition A medical condition that existed before the injury being evaluated.
Prophylactic Work Restriction A precautionary limit placed on a worker to prevent future harm, not because of current inability.

Q

Qualified Medical Evaluator A state-certified physician who performs impairment evaluations in disputed workers' comp cases.

R

Radiculopathy Nerve-root irritation causing pain, numbness, or weakness along the nerve's path.
Range of Motion Method A spinal rating method that measures lost joint or spinal movement compared to normal.
Return to Work The process of an injured worker resuming employment, sometimes with modified duties.

S

Scheduled Injury An injury to a body part with a benefit amount fixed by statute.
Second Injury Fund A fund that helps cover added disability when a new injury combines with a prior one.
Sedentary Work A physical demand level involving mostly sitting and minimal lifting.
Sequela A lasting condition that results from an earlier injury or illness.
Settlement An agreement resolving a claim, often as a lump sum, in place of ongoing benefits.
Spasm An involuntary muscle contraction, often a sign of injury.
Subjective Findings Symptoms reported by the patient that cannot be directly measured, such as pain.
Subrogation An insurer's right to recover paid benefits from a responsible third party.

T

Temporary Partial Disability A short-term, partial limitation that lets a worker do some, but not full, work during recovery.
Temporary Total Disability A short-term inability to work at all while recovering, expected to resolve.

U

Unscheduled Injury An injury not listed in the statutory schedule, rated by its broader effect.

V

Vocational Rehabilitation Services that help an injured worker train for and return to suitable employment.

W

Whole Person Impairment A percentage estimating how much a permanent injury affects the body as a whole, not just the injured part.
Work Restrictions Medically ordered limits on what tasks a worker may do, such as lifting limits.