Repetitive Motion Injuries

When you think about workers’ compensation, a large industrial accident might come to mind, but there are actually small injuries that qualify for compensation on a regular basis. Repetitive motion injuries are some of the most common types of workers’ comp claims. If your injury seems insignificant because it’s “just” a repetitive motion injury, know that you are entitled to compensation and should seek it to help you with your medical bills.

What Causes These Injuries?

Repetitive motion injuries happen just as they sound like they would. When someone does one motion over and over, the body may get injured. Take carpal tunnel syndrome for example. This happens when a key nerve in the wrist is compressed. The median nerve controls many of the nerve impulses in the hand, and passes through a small area in the wrist that is comprised of ligaments and bones. When the wrist and hands do the same movement repetitively, they begin to swell, which compresses that median nerve and often results in pain. Other repetitive motion injuries are acquired the same way.

Who Can Suffer From These Injuries?

Repetitive motion injuries happen to a lot of people in a lot of different professions. Some jobs that require this type of movement from one or more parts of the body include assembly line workers, seamstresses, typists, drivers, and other professions. These types of injuries can affect both young and old, or healthy and not healthy individuals. Left untreated, muscles can deteriorate, which makes everyday tasks become difficult.

What Does Workers’ Compensation Do?

When someone is diagnosed with a repetitive motion injury, it’s possible he or she will need some time to recover. Whether that’s due to surgery, or just the doctor’s orders before the condition gets worse, an employer will be required to pay for lost wages until the employee is able to return to work. Any medical bills incurred because of the injury will also be covered by workers’ compensation.

The good news is that most employers are required by state law to carry this kind of insurance, so regardless of the type of work you do, you should have access to compensation when you need it most.

Getting the Help of an Attorney

If you have found yourself with an injury because of repetitive motion at work, you have options. Contact a workers’ compensation lawyer, like a workers’ compensation lawyer in Green Bay, WI, to learn more about what those options are, and to learn what you should do to receive the payout you are entitled to.

Thanks to Hickey & Turim Attorneys at Law for their insight into what repetitive motion injuries are and how workers’ compensation covers them