{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-85a-85a-62","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 85A, § 85A-62","heading":"Nonsurgical soft tissue injury","body":"A. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 45 of this title,\n\nif an employee suffers a nonsurgical soft tissue injury, temporary\n\ntotal disability compensation shall not exceed eight (8) weeks,\n\nregardless of the number of parts of the body to which there is a\n\nnonsurgical soft tissue injury. An employee who is treated with an\n\ninjection or injections shall be entitled to an extension of an\n\nadditional eight (8) weeks. For purposes of this section, an\n\ninjection shall not include facet injections or intravenous\n\ninjections. An employee who has been recommended by a treating\n\nphysician for surgery for a soft tissue injury may petition the\n\nWorkers' Compensation Commission for one extension of temporary\n\ntotal disability compensation and the Commission may order an\n\nextension, not to exceed sixteen (16) additional weeks. If the\n\nsurgery is not performed within thirty (30) days of the approval of\n\nthe surgery by the employer, its insurance carrier, or an order of\n\nthe Commission authorizing the surgery, and the delay is caused by\n\nthe employee acting in bad faith, the benefits for the extension\n\nperiod shall be terminated and the employee shall reimburse the\n\nemployer any temporary total disability compensation he or she\n\nreceived beyond eight (8) weeks. An epidural steroid injection, or\n\nany procedure of the same or similar physical invasiveness, shall\n\nnot be considered surgery.\n\nB. For purposes of this section, \"soft tissue injury\" means\n\ndamage to one or more of the tissues that surround bones and joints.\n\nSoft tissue injury includes, but is not limited to, sprains,\n\nstrains, contusions, tendonitis and muscle tears. Cumulative trauma\n\nis to be considered a soft tissue injury unless corrective surgery\n\nis necessary. Soft tissue injury does not include any of the\n\nfollowing:\n\n1. Injury to or disease of the spine, spinal discs, spinal\n\nnerves or spinal cord, where corrective surgery is performed;\n\n2. Brain or closed-head injury as evidenced by:\n\na. sensory or motor disturbances,\n\nb. communication disturbances,\n\nc. complex integrated disturbances of cerebral function,\n\nd. episodic neurological disorders, or\n\ne. other brain and closed-head injury conditions at least\n\nas severe in nature as any condition provided in\n\nsubparagraphs a through d of this paragraph; or\n\n3. Any joint replacement.","path":["OK Code","Title 85A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os85A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"175a135c2b9a3321af7cb5d29a0626d65185bb85576b18ac7f611e6f1f7a0973","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-85a-85a-61","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-85a-85a-63"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}