Opinion ID: 2159046
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Chest Injury/Functional Impairment

Text: Hill battled chest pain for years, and these chest pains resurfaced almost immediately once she began working at Fleetguard. Less than two weeks into her new job, she complained to Dr. Sieh, her treating physician, that she had chest pains. Before completing her second month of employment, she once again returned to Dr. Sieh complaining of chest pains. Dr. Sieh indicated the work activities at certain stations on the assembly line caused Hill's preexisting costochondritis to flare, but concluded I do not feel her costochondritis will result in permanent impairment. Dr. Sieh imposed work restrictions, but she did not specify whether these restrictions were permanent. She also did not indicate whether these restrictions were necessary because of injuries from Hill's work activities at Fleetguard, or whether the restrictions were necessary to prevent further flare of preexisting conditions. The commissioner concluded these work restrictions were put in place to prevent future episodes of pain related to her preexisting conditions. Dr. Ban, Hill's examining physician, found no objective indications of permanent impairmentthere was no swelling, deformity, loss of strength, loss of sensation, or loss of range of motion. Dr. Bahls, Fleetguard's examining physician, made a similar assessment, and concluded the work activities temporarily aggravated Hill's preexisting costochondritis, but caused no structural change or impairment. After balancing this medical evidence against Hill's lay testimony, the commissioner found there was no permanent injury or functional impairment of Hill's chest. When reviewing the findings of the commissioner, we do not determine whether the evidence might support a different finding; instead we determine whether it supports the finding made. Ellingson v. Fleetguard, Inc., 599 N.W.2d 440, 445 (Iowa 1999); see also Sherman, 576 N.W.2d at 321 (holding the commissioner determines the weight to be given to any expert testimony and may accept or reject this expert opinion in whole or in part). The medical evidence substantially supports the commissioner's finding of no permanent injury/no functional impairment to Hill's chest.