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Are Injuries that Occur Over Time Such as Carpal Tunnel Eligible for Workers’ Comp?

When most people think of workers’ compensation cases, they think of being hurt in an accident and immediately being in pain or needing surgery. However, there is another type of on-the-job injury that is less noticeable. This type of injury occurs over time due to the repetitiveness of the job or repeated exposure to certain chemicals.

For example, if you work on the computer all day or are part of an assembly line where you perform the same task over and over, you may develop carpal tunnel syndrome. This is certainly an injury you sustained due to your work, but does it qualify for workers’ comp?

You Have a Repetitive Stress Injury

The good news is that these types of injuries do often qualify for workers’ comp. They fall under the category of repetitive stress injury, overuse injury, repetitive strain injury. All three terms refer to the same type of injury. In the case of illness, they’re classified as cumulative trauma disorders, a category that also includes gradual hearing loss and other types of loss.

Symptoms of an RSI

With an acute injury, you can immediately see the symptoms: you’re in pain, may be bleeding, and may have a fractured or broken bone. With an RSI, it’s not always easy to see the symptoms, especially since they come on over time. You may feel some pain from the injury, but you may not. The pain may also come and go without any pattern to it. Other symptoms you may experience from time to time include numbness, tingling, loss of range of motion, and loss of strength.

The difficulty is recognizing that these are signs of a RSI and not something else. To file a workers’ comp claim for an RSI, you need to begin documenting every time you experience a symptom. You also need to visit a doctor right away. The faster you can be diagnosed with an RSI, the better for both your workers’ comp case and for your recovery.

Dr. Jeff Mollins and his team are here to help you deal with a RSI and any other workers’ comp case. Contact us today to set up a free case evaluation and begin your journey on the road to recovery.

Posted in: Blog, Construction Accidents, Diagnostic Testing, Injury Documentation, Injury Treatment, Orthopedics, Physical Examinations, Slip and Fall Accidents, Uncategorized, Work Injuries, Workers Compensation