Case Name: HARDAWAY COMPANY and St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Appellant, v. Harvey BRADLEY, Appellee
Court: Mississippi Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 2003-10-21
Citations: 881 So. 2d 241
Docket Number: No. 2002-WC-01025-COA
Parties: HARDAWAY COMPANY and St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Appellant, v. Harvey BRADLEY, Appellee.
Judges: Before KING, P.J., BRIDGES and LEE, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 881
Pages: 241–249

Head Matter:
HARDAWAY COMPANY and St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, Appellant, v. Harvey BRADLEY, Appellee.
No. 2002-WC-01025-COA.
Court of Appeals of Mississippi.
Oct. 21, 2003.
Rehearing Denied Jan. 13, 2004.
Andrew D. Sweat, Jackson, Brenda Cur-rie Jones, attorneys for appellant.
Jessie L. Evans, Dana Helene Evans, attorneys for appellee.
Before KING, P.J., BRIDGES and LEE, JJ.

Opinion:
KING, P.J.,
for the Court.
¶ 1. This cause arises from a workers' compensation claim filed by Harvey Bradley who sustained a compensable injury on November 1, 1996, while working as a carpenter/finisher for The Hardaway Company. Bradley was injured when wet concrete was accidently poured onto his head and/or neck causing injury to his neck, back and arms. Hardaway and its workers' compensation insurance carrier, St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company, paid Harvey temporary disability benefits from the date of injury to August 29, 1997, in the amount of $12,282.67. Benefits were suspended at that time because one of Bradley's treating physicians, Dr. Howard Katz, found that Bradley had reached maximum medical recovery from a physia-tric perspective. Even though Bradley's functional capacity evaluation indicated he could only do a light duty job, Dr. Katz concluded that Bradley could probably do up to a medium duty job. He released Bradley with some restrictions and no permanent impairment rating. Bradley's primary treating physician, Dr. John Frenz, recommended surgical intervention. Dr. Katz disputed this finding. On the basis of Dr. Katz's recommendation Hardaway notified Bradley that it would refuse to pay for the surgery. A motion to controvert was filed.
¶ 2. The parties agreed to submit the matter for determination by the Commission on the record made by the affidavits of the medical providers. No evidentiary hearing was held to receive lay testimony. The issues presented by the parties sought (1) a determination of whether Bradley needed surgery as a result of his injury as recommended by his primary treating physician, and (2) a determination of the existence of and extent of temporary disability attributable to the injury.
¶ 3. The administrative law judge found that the preponderance of the evidence supported the finding that Bradley did not need surgery and ordered Hardaway to pay temporary total disability at the rate of $264.55 per week from November 1, 1996 to August 29, 1997. On appeal the Full Commission affirmed the administrative law judge. The circuit court reversed the order of the Commission and Harda-way appealed.
¶ 4. According to the findings of the administrative law judge, Bradley was first treated on the day of the injury at MEA Medical Clinic. The treating physician diagnosed a cervical strain secondary to blunt trauma to the head. In a visit to the clinic several days later, in addition to neck pain and stiffness, Bradley complained of intermittent numbness and tingling in the fingers of both hands, and chronic back pain radiating through his left leg. An MRI was ordered and physical therapy and pain medication were prescribed.
¶ 5. Bradley sought treatment from a neurosurgeon, Dr. John Frenz, on November 18, 1996. Dr. Frenz saw Bradley on approximately twenty-six occasions between November 18, 1996 and November 25, 1997. According to Dr. Frenz, the MRI performed on November 6, 1996, had shown disc desiccation (meaning that over time the intervertebral discs had dried out due to a decrease in the amount of water present, causing the appearance of "Black disc" on an MRI) at C4-5 and C5-6 with central disc bulging. According to Dr. Frenz, the bulge encroached slightly on the cervical cord canal but not significantly on the cervical cord itself. Dr. Frenz noted that Bradley had not responded to a wide array of conservative treatments including wearing a cervical collar, using a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation device which works by sending electrical pulses across the surface of the skin and along the nerve fibers which prevent pain signals reaching the brain and also stimulate the body to produce higher levels of its own natural painkiller, called "endorphin") unit, and various spinal epidural corticosteroid injections.
¶ 6. Dr. Frenz concluded that Bradley's "symptoms of cervical spine injury with chronic sprain/strain and intervertebral disc injury disabled him from gainful employment." Dr. Frenz also concluded that Bradley would "gain a reasonable degree of improvement by relief of symptoms and increased functional capacity were he to undergo surgery to the cervical spine for a removal of the abnormal disc and fusion of the involved vertebrae." He further opined that "it is within reasonable medical certainty that at best without said surgery [Bradley] would remain in his present state of pain and incapacitation indefinitely, if not in fact worsen over some undefined period of time." He also stated that Bradley had elected to proceed with surgery.
¶ 7. On January 15, 1997, Bradley submitted to an independent examination by neurosurgeon Dr. Lon Alexander. At that time, Dr. Alexander reported that Bradley was.wearing a soft collar and complained of posterior neck pain that radiated down his right arm into his right hand with numbness bilaterally. Bradley also complained of low back pain with radiation into his right leg and burning in his legs.
¶ 8. Dr. Alexander's report of the examination revealed a free range of cervical motion, normal strength in all extremities, and reflexes that were found to be equal. It was also Dr. Alexander's opinion that the November 6, 1996 MRI was "entirely within normal limits." Dr. Alexander concluded that:
1. Bradley was "status post injury with objectively normal neurological examination and non-dermatomal sensory loss."
2. He had no surgical lesions in his neck and should continue with some sort of therapy.
3. An evaluation by a physiatrist would be prudent at some point.
4. A normal EM6 and nerve conduction study might help rule out any structural lesions if Bradley continued to complain of non-dermatomal, non-anatomic numbness in the upper extremities.
¶ 9. On May 9, 1997, Bradley saw Dr. Howard Katz, a physiatrist, for the first time for an independent medical evaluation. Bradley's chief complaints were (1) low back pain; (2) burning in both legs "on the tops and bottoms," sharp shooting pains throughout his legs, numbness and tingling in both legs and sometimes his feet; (3) spasms in both arms, numbness down the medial right forearm down to the index, long and ring fingers; (4) numbness down the left medial forearm to the small finger; and (5) headaches every two days.
¶ 10. The report of Dr. Katz's physical examination indicated that:(l) a pin prick exam administered to Bradley was unreliable throughout; (2) sometimes Bradley said that something was dull and the next time when tapped in the same place he would say that it was sharp;(3) there was no dermatomal or anatomic explanation for Bradley's inconsistent pin prick examination; (4) Dr. Katz found Bradley's pin prick examination to be one of the most unreliable he had ever encountered; and (5) Dr. Katz found that Bradley's deep tendon reflexes were normal and symmetric and the rest of the neurologic exam to be normal.
¶ 11. Dr. Katz assessed Bradley's condition as status post cervical strain with no objective evidence of neurologic deficit. He concluded that Bradley's complaints were difficult to compare to his injury and could represent symptom magnification, psychological overlay and malingering.
¶ 12. A second pin prick examination By Dr. Katz on June 19, 1997, was again thought to be unreliable. Bradley was referred to physical therapy for therapeutic strengthening, exercise and flexibility. Pain medication was also prescribed. On July 10,1997, on a return visit to Dr. Katz, Bradley reported no improvement with physical therapy. He still complained of neck pain, bilateral arm pain, low back pain and right leg pain. He requested refills on Daypro and Valium and different pain medication. Bradley also asked to have surgery performed. Dr. Katz's diagnosis remained unchanged and he ordered a functional capacity evaluation for Bradley at the Reliability Center.
¶ 13. Bradley was evaluated by the Reliability Center on August 20, 1997. The records from the Center indicate that Bradley did not give his maximum effort and that he magnified his symptoms. The physical therapist concluded that Bradley's true functional máximums could not be determined "secondary to claimant stopping tasks due to complaint of pain with few, if any, changes in physical signs present to warrant stopping the tasks." The therapist noted that further evaluation of psychological social and/or motivational factors might have been warranted.
¶ 14. Dr. Katz next saw Bradley on August 29, 1997. Bradley complained that he still tingled all over. Dr. Katz discussed the findings of the functional capacity evaluation with Bradley and questioned why it showed four of five positive non-organic signs, inconsistent varying behaviors and overall self limiting, and inconsistent and inappropriate behavior with all testing except for his strength grip. Bradley's immediate response was, "They could have lied about me." When Dr. Katz asked why the therapist would lie, Bradley said that he did not know.
¶ 15. Dr. Katz's own examination of Bradley at this visit indicated that Bradley sat comfortably and moved smoothly and evenly during conversations and when he walked down the hall with Dr. Katz. Dr. Katz noted that when not testing, Bradley had no difficulty ambulating, but in testing he had only 3+ strength in his lower extremities. Dr. Katz's diagnosis and impressions remained unchanged and he concluded that Bradley might benefit from psychiatric counseling but that Bradley was only interested in surgery. Dr. Katz saw no indication for surgery. He also concluded that Bradley had reached maximum medical recovery from a physiatric perspective. While Bradley's functional capacity evaluation indicated he could do only a light duty job, it was Dr. Katz's opinion that Bradley could probably do up to a medium duty job. He released Brad ley to return to work with some restrictions and no permanent impairment rating.
¶ 16. The administrative law judge found that, even though Dr. Frenz treated Bradley more often and over a longer period of time than did either Dr. Katz or Dr. Alexander, a preponderance of he evidence indicated that the opinions of Drs. Alexander and Katz had greater probative value than the opinion of Dr. Frenz. She also found that all of the diagnostic tests and analyses including the MRI, myleogram, CT scan and functional capacity evaluation supported Dr. Katz and Dr. Alexander's conclusion that no surgery was warranted. These findings were affirmed by the Full Commission.
¶ 17. In reversing the decisions of the administrative law judge and the Full Commission, the circuit court judge found that their decisions were not supported by the substantial credible evidence. Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green held as follows in her memorandum opinion and order:
In determining whether the Commission erred in its decision, the Court must review the record as a whole. Even though there may be slight evidence to support the Workers' Compensation Commission's decision, that decision can be clearly erroneous when in light of the entire evidence, the reviewing court is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made. Guardian Fiberglass, Inc. v. LeSueur, 751 So. 2nd 120[1], 1204 (Ct.App.1999). This Court, after review finds that Bradley submitted substantial evidence to support an award of permanent partial disability benefits and that the Full Commission may likely have made such a mistake in its assessment of Bradley's benefits. While it is true that Dr. Katz and Dr. Alexander opined that Bradley did not require surgery, and Dr. Katz specifically diagnosed Bradley as reaching maximum medical recovery, Dr. Katz, Dr. Alexander, and Dr. Frenz's diagnosis conflicted in that, Dr. Frenz opined that without the recommended surgery, Bradley's condition would not improve and would in fact worsen. Further, it should be noted that the conflict regarding Bradley's condition came from physicians who examined' Bradley at the request of the Workers' Compensation Commission. The Court in Atlas Rollr-Lite [Door]Corporation v. Ener, 741 So.2d 343, 347 (Ct.App.1999), was clear in its opinion that "doubtful cases should be resolved in favor of compensating a 'claimant so that the beneficent purposes of the Workers' Compensation Act may be accomplished."
In light of the rulings in Atlas and Guardian Fiberglass, the Court is of the opinion that Bradley had not reached maximum medical recovery on August 29, 1997, and that further surgery is needed.
¶ 18. Finding that Judge Green came to the correct resolution of this matter, this Court affirms her ruling to reverse the Commission, albeit on different grounds.
ANALYSIS OF THE LAW
¶ 19. Under this Court's standard of review on workers' compensation matters the Full Commission, as the ultimate fact finder, enjoys the presumption that it made proper determinations as to the weight and credibility of the evidence and .its findings are binding on this Court provided they are supported by substantial evidence. . Furthermore, this Court will only reverse the Commission's decision when the decision is erroneous and contrary to the weight of the evidence. Page v. Zurich Am. Ins. Co. of Ill., 825 So.2d 721, 722(¶ 3) (Miss.Ct.App.2002). Finding that the Commission's decision was erro neous and contrary to the weight of the evidence, reversal is in order.
¶ 20. In a factually similar case, The Mississippi Supreme Court held that "it is the obligation of the employer to provide whatever is needed or is reasonably calculated to carry out the humanitarian purposes of the Workers' Compensation Act," and that, "there is a broad public policy behind the Act to provide the necessary treatment to restore the injured worker to health and productivity." Spann v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 700 So.2d 308, 315 (¶¶ 31-32) (Miss.1997).
¶ 21. In Spann, the Commission upheld the administrative law judge's ruling that Spann was not entitled to surgery that had been recommended by his primary treating physician who was, coincidentally, Dr. John Frenz. As in the case sub judice, two other physicians had found that surgery was unnecessary or would not be beneficial to Spann's recovery. In reversing the Commission, the court held that the employer, Wal-Mart, was obligated, pursuant to the Act, to allow Spann to have the surgery recommended by Dr. Frenz. Id. at (¶ 33). The court further held that "the case law and Act mandate that as long as a particular treatment is deemed 'necessary and reasonable' by a competent treating physician, the employee and carrier are obligated to furnish such treatment . [and][t]here is no dispute that Dr. Frenz is a competent physician as defined by the Act." Id. at (¶ 34).
¶ 22. Following the dictates of the supreme court's holding in Spann, it is the finding of this Court that "[following surgery, if still indicated, and the appropriate period of recovery, it should be determined whether or not maximum medical recovery has indeed been achieved, and if so, whether any temporary or permanent partial disability exists." Id. at (¶ 36).
¶ 23. THE JUDGMENT OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF HINDS COUNTY IS AFFIRMED. ALL COSTS OF THIS APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO THE APPELLANT.
McMILLIN, C.J., BRIDGES, THOMAS, LEE, IRVING, MYERS AND CHANDLER, JJ., CONCUR. GRIFFIS, J" DISSENTS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY SOUTHWICK, P.J.
. A physiatrist is a medical specialist in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation whose focus is on evaluating and restoring function. The physiatrist cares for patients who suffer acute and chronic pain and mus-culoskeletal problems like back and neck pain, tendinitis, pinched nerves and fibro-myalgia. Florida Society of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, http:www.fspmr.org/physiatrist.htm