Is Carpal Tunnel a Workers’ Comp Injury?
- Posted on: Oct 17 2018
Carpal tunnel affects millions of people every year. The American Academy of Family Physicians estimates that as many as six percent of adults suffer from this issue. If you develop carpal tunnel as a result of computer work or making repetitive motions as part of your job, do you have a workers’ comp case?
What Is Carpal Tunnel?
The carpal tunnel is the nerve tunnel that extends from the forearm down into the hand. The median nerve runs through this tunnel. When the tunnel narrows due to inflammation, it puts pressure on your median nerve that causes pain, weakness, and numbness. You may find that the pain comes and goes, but is aggravated by working.
Repetitive motions, the position of your hands and wrists while performing certain activities, and other health conditions all play a part in carpal tunnel syndrome. Sleeping with a wrist brace that keeps your wrist and hand in alignment will help take pressure off the median nerve at night, but after a day of repetitive motions, the pain will have returned.
Jobs that Often Cause Carpal Tunnel
If you perform any of these tasks for a long period of time, you’re likely to experience carpal tunnel at some point:
- Data entry
- Typing
- Assembly line tasks
- Computer drafting
- Painting
- Retail
- Tasks that make use of a vibrating tool
- Any other job that requires you to make the same motions over and over
Is it a Workers’ Comp Injury?
It depends on what type of work you do. It’s quite easy for employers to say that your carpal tunnel developed due to computer work or other actions you did outside of work, especially if your job doesn’t require you to do repetitive work. Often, the case comes down to your doctor’s diagnosis. You may even be able to make a claim that the job you held in the past, but have left directly caused your carpal tunnel issues because it can take months or even years for symptoms to fully appear.
If you have carpal tunnel and believe the cause is your job, contact Dr. Jeff Mollins today. He will assist you with filing the correct paperwork and documents to get the compensation you deserve.
Posted in: Blog, Work Injuries, Workers Compensation