Workers’ Compensation Claims for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

If you type, cook, or use a cash register for a living, you’re probably familiar with that painful twinge your wrists get at the end of a long day. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a fairly common disorder that affects the median nerve and tendons in your wrists. It commonly results in pain, numbness, weakness, and tingling.

When your chosen line of work leads to an injury, you should be compensated for your medical expenses and unexpected time away from work. Learn more about your rights as an employee by calling Thiry & Caddell at 251-478-8880.

Repetitive Stress Injuries in the Workplace

Carpal tunnel syndrome is what’s known as a repetitive stress injury, rather than an acute injury. Some injuries are easy to tie back to your daily work. For example, if you slip and fall and break a wrist at work, that’s obviously a work-related injury. If your finger gets caught in a piece of broken equipment and you lose your fingertip, it’s clear that the work equipment is the cause of your injury.

Since carpal tunnel syndrome builds up over time as you overwork your wrists on a daily basis, it may be more difficult to demonstrate that it is work-related. You cannot link your injury or diagnosis back to a single accident or instance at work, but to a general pattern of your daily work tasks.

Proving That Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is a Workplace Injury

To prove that your carpal tunnel syndrome is a workplace injury and should therefore be covered under workers’ compensation, you may need to demonstrate that your work is the only or primary contributing factor to your diagnosis.

For example, if you spend several hours per day knitting, driving, working on your home garden, playing a string instrument, or sewing, your workers’ compensation insurance provider may argue that your injury is due to your choice of hobbies—not your daily work. In this case, you would need to prove that your work exacerbates or is the primary cause of your carpal tunnel syndrome.

You may be able to do this with the help of a medical provider and a workers’ compensation attorney. It’s also helpful if you work in a field with a high occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome. Some jobs that have frequent CTS claims include:

• Farm workers
• Gardeners and painters
• Factory and assembly workers
• Mechanics
• Cashiers
• Garment workers
• Janitors and housecleaners
• Locksmiths
• Customer service representatives and others who spend most of their time typing

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome as an Occupational Disease

Under Alabama law, coverage for workplace injuries extends to occupational diseases. This includes chronic diagnoses that happen because of a heightened risk in a worker’s specific line of work. As a cashier, secretary, farm worker, or factory worker, you may be able to show that your work puts you at a greater risk of carpal tunnel syndrome than those employed in other fields. This would allow you to receive medical benefits and partial income replacement for your carpal tunnel syndrome.

How an Attorney Can Help

Proving chronic injuries or diagnoses is always more difficult than proving that an acute injury or accident occurred at work. For this reason, many employers or workers’ compensation insurance providers push back against these claims.

Insurance companies know that many employees will simply give up and either skip treatment or pay for their own treatment rather than aggressively pursue workers’ compensation. However, just because your injury is a chronic one and not an acute one does not mean that you are any less deserving of your workers’ compensation benefits.

Working with a workers’ compensation attorney in Mobile allows you to avoid confrontation with your employer and focus on recovery. This can help you preserve your relationship with your place of employment while still pursuing the benefits you are entitled to.

Turn to Thiry & Caddell for the Help You Need

Carpal tunnel syndrome can leave you with limited wrist mobility and a loss of flexibility. If you developed this condition at work, you may be entitled to compensation. Figure out what your next step is with the team at Thiry & Caddell. Call us at 251-478-8880 or fill out our online contact form to have a team member reach out to you.