Yes, you can receive workers’ compensation for carpal tunnel syndrome. You should file a claim with workers’ compensation if you believe you have developed carpal tunnel syndrome and have had it diagnosed by a doctor. While carpal tunnel syndrome cases aren’t always easy to prove when working with workers’ compensation, knowing all of the data you should collect before filing can make winning workers’ compensation benefits a lot easier. 

Talking With Your Doctor

When you first start experiencing pain, you should make an appointment with your doctor. If your job duties require a lot of repetitive motions, it’s likely that the duties of your job may have caused you to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. If you’re diagnosed with carpal tunnel, you may experience loss of strength in your hands, tingling and burning sensations, muscle deterioration, and even nerve damage.

Your doctor may request you have a carpal tunnel release to treat the injury or request you have restrictions. Explain to your doctor what your work activities look like and when you first started experiencing these symptoms. Ask your doctor if they believe the carpal tunnel injuries could be related to your work duties. If your doctor does believe the duties you perform at work are related to your injury, you can move forward with filing a workers’ compensation claim. 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Outside the Workplace

Keep in mind that carpal tunnel can develop outside of the workplace. While you’re in the early stages of your diagnosis and treatment, gather documentation of the repetitive motions you perform while you’re working. You should also have official documentation from your doctor, like a statement, regarding the carpal tunnel diagnosis. In addition, your doctor can also make a note in the statement detailing the likelihood of the carpal tunnel syndrome developing due to the duties you perform for your job. Certain sports, and typing without proper support, can begin the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. 

Filing for Workers’ Compensation for Carpal Tunnel

Carpal tunnel is an injury that occurs as the result of repetitive motions. When your doctor confirms that they believe the carpal tunnel is a result of your duties at your job, report the injury to your employer. You can report injury the same way you would file if you received a broken bone while on the job. In the filing for a workers’ compensation claim, state that you believe your carpal tunnel syndrome is a result from the duties you’ve performed while working.

Generally, for repetitive trauma injuries, workplaces don’t take these types of injuries very seriously. This is because the length of time it takes for this type of injury to develop is much different compared to someone breaking their bone or slipping and falling on the job. 

It’s very common for these types of claims to get denied, since repetitive trauma injuries are harder to prove. If you’ve filed an injury claim with your employer and workers’ compensation benefits with your company’s insurer, but have been denied, don’t give up hope. Find an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer to help you fight for your benefits. 

Understanding Your Rights When Filing for Workers’ Compensation with Carpal Tunnel 

Your employer’s insurer will likely dispute the cause of the carpal tunnel syndrome to avoid paying out any workers’ compensation benefits. Working with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer will give you direct advice on how to organize and present all of the evidence you have to support your work injury and receive approval for compensation.

If you need someone in your corner to help you fight for workers’ compensation for carpal tunnel syndrome, contact Mottaz & Sisk Injury Law today