Is It Possible To Sue For Carpal Tunnel Injury?

Just like any other day, you go to your workplace, sit at your desk, and start typing away. Suddenly, you feel a sharp spike of pain in your arm.

Usually, you would brush it off, thinking it’s just a muscle flex. But this time, you realize that the pain has been there for a few weeks now. The pain that started as a dull tingling is becoming unbearable. Do you know what’s going on? Most probably, you are facing the initial symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Continue reading for further information.

Understanding Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal Tunnel refers to a narrow passageway of about an inch at the base of our wrists. This passageway cannot stretch much because it is surrounded by bones and ligaments. The median nerve, responsible for developing feelings in the fingers and thumb, passes through this tunnel. When the tissues around the carpal tunnel swell due to pressure, they press or squeeze the tendons and the median nerve. This condition is known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Factors that Cause Carpal Tunnel

Tissues in the arm, hand, and wrist may swell due to various reasons.

Non-Work Related

The factors of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome not related to your working conditions include age, gender, pregnancy, weight, trauma, and medical conditions like arthritis and diabetes. They also include the overuse or repetitive movements of the hand and wrist.

Work-Related

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can also develop when your hands and wrist are exposed to repetitive stress on the job.

You are likely to suffer from this syndrome if your work involves the following:

• Continuous similar movements without break or rest, like typing, pushing, slicing, etc.
• Improper or stiff positions
• Exposure to vibration
• Cold climatic conditions

Trauma or injury to your wrist at the workplace can also result in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. For example, you may experience the symptoms if you slip and fracture your wrist.

Symptoms

What happens when your median nerve is pressed due to repetitive stress? Look out for the following symptoms.

• Tingling or shock-like sensation in the hands and fingers
• Numbness and weakness in the arms and shoulders
• Loss in the ability to grip objects
• Lack of feeling in the arms, hands, or wrists

People suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome feel like their fingers are swollen even if there is no visible swelling.

Who is at Risk?

People who belong to occupations that require excessive use of hands are most likely to suffer from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. For example, assembly line workers, mechanics, cashiers, clerks, painters, and janitors have to use their hands in a repeated motion.

Treatment for Carpal Tunnel

In the initial stage, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome can be treated through rest, steroid injections, splints, and diuretics that control blood pressure. Moreover, stretching and strengthening exercises also help relieve the pain.

If the pain becomes unbearable, you might have to go for surgery. Surgery to treat Carpal Tunnel is called Carpal Tunnel Release. Under this procedure, the doctor cuts through the swollen ligaments to provide more space for the median nerve.

It may take you months to recover from carpal tunnel syndrome.

Understanding the Law

Is It Possible To Sue For Carpal Tunnel Injury?

Repetitive stress injuries are becoming more common at workplaces now, thanks to the increased use of computers.

Worker’s Compensation

Your hands have to move in a repeated motion over the mouse and keyboards. Consequently, you might develop Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. In such cases, employers are liable to compensate you for medical treatment, missed income, pain, and suffering. You have to file a worker’s compensation claim to receive the deserved compensation.

Reasonable Accommodations

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is also recognized as a disability that affects your employment. You may not be able to carry out your job duties like usual after surgery. Therefore, employers are also liable to provide you with reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). These accommodations include medical leaves, reduced working hours, increased breaks, and required modifications in your duties.

Proving that Your Condition is Work-Related

Proving that you are in pain because of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not enough to receive compensation. You will have to prove that your condition is caused by work-related factors.

The employer’s insurance company might try to blame your condition on other factors. For example, they might argue that you developed CTS because of some other health condition or the fact that you play tennis every day. In short, they will try everything to prove that you did not develop the syndrome while working for their client.

The best way to prove the cause of your condition is to consult an expert doctor. The doctor will analyze your job duties and compare them to your symptoms to see if they are connected.

Is Your Injury Accidental or Occupational?

Some states categorize Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as a workplace accident, while others label it an occupational disease. But why does it matter? The classification affects the burden of proof on you.

• If your state’s law only qualifies workplace accidents for compensation, you will have to prove that your condition developed from a sudden and violent incident.
• If your state’s law treats Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as an occupational disease, you will have to prove that you were more exposed to the syndrome than the general public.

Hiring an Attorney

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is not the result of an obvious accident. Therefore, proving that you developed this syndrome because of work-related factors can be difficult. Pompano Beach Personal Injury Lawyers can prove your claim more effectively and get you the deserved compensation to cover all your damages.

Final Words

A team of Pompano Beach Personal Injury Lawyers has the required skills and experience to prove that your injury is work-related requires medical attention and can affect your ability to earn. They are the perfect solution to your injury compensation problems! You can leave all your legal worries to them and focus on your recovery only.