Workers’ compensation insurance provides employees who are injured on the job with certain benefits, including lost wages and medical costs.Many employees believe that only a single, dramatic accident makes them eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits. These same workers might be missing out on receiving benefits from another common type of work-related injury: a repetitive stress injury.

Here are the answers to a few frequently asked questions about repetitive stress injury and workers’ compensation benefits.

What Is a Repetitive Stress Injury?

Performing the same motions and movements every day — such as clicking a mouse, working on an assembly line, or working on carpentry — places strain on your muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments. Common types of repetitive stress injuries include bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, shin splints, patellofemoral syndrome, or epicondylitis — otherwise known as tennis elbow.

The hands, wrists, elbow, knees, shoulders, and fingers are the most common sites of repetitive stress injuries. Common symptoms of repetitive stress injuries include:

  • Numbness
  • Swelling
  • Discomfort
  • Trouble with range of motion

Talk to your doctor immediately, if you suspect a repetitive stress injury is the cause of your symptoms. Your physician can diagnose a repetitive stress injury and help you gather medical evidence before you file a workers’ compensation claim.

Does My Injury Qualify Me for Workers’ Compensation Benefits?

Each state has its own laws concerning workers’ compensation benefits and repetitive stress injuries. In Illinois, it is possible to file a workers’ compensation claim if your doctor diagnosed you with a repetitive stress injury. However, you — the employee — must prove the repetitive stress disorder was directly caused by your job, and not due to a hobby or any other action that occurs outside work.

For example, if you work at a computer for several hours a day and develop carpal tunnel syndrome, a common repetitive stress injury that causes numbing and tingling in the hands and wrist, your attorney will have a strong argument. However, if the disorder isn’t typically job-related, you may have more trouble proving the repetitive stress injury occurred on the job.

How Can I Improve the Chances of Receiving Workers’ Compensation?

Hire an attorney to help prepare your case. Unfortunately, there is a strong chance that because your injury isn’t acute and instead chronic, the insurance company won’t immediately approve your workers’ compensation claim. An attorney will help you gather evidence to strengthen your case.

Schedule an appointment with an orthopedist, who is a doctor that specializes in tendons, muscles, and ligaments. A diagnosis of a repetitive stress disorder by a specialist will strengthen your argument. Create a list of your regular work duties, the symptom you experienced, and when the symptoms started.

For example, if you work on an assembly line and are diagnosed with tennis elbow, write down a detailed explanation of your work duties and the symptoms you experience while performing your regular duties and at home. Also, write down how the symptoms have impacted your life outside of work.

What Should I Do If My Claim is Denied?

If your initial workers’ compensation claim is indeed denied, act quickly and file an appeal. Your attorney will help you determine why the claim was denied and work to ensure the appeal is effective. For instance, if the insurance company claimed you didn’t have sufficient evidence your repetitive stress injury is work-related, your attorney might suggest hiring a repetitive stress injury specialist to testify that your injuries are work-related and you are entitled to your benefits.

Repetitive stress injuries are common and if the injury is work-related, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Contact the professionals at Randall A. Wolff & Associates, Ltd. with all of your questions.