Your Employer May Be Responsible for Your Carpal Tunnel Treatment

 Posted on June 21, 2017 in Workers' Compensation

Workers’ compensation is not just for those who have been injured in an accident at a job site. In fact, many people receive workers’ comp benefits for repetitive injuries and injuries that are sustained in an office environment.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a fairly common condition that affects workers who use computers and well as those on factory lines. CTS often causes numbness and tingling in the hand and arm. CTS is a serious condition and an expensive one to treat.

In fact, treatment of CTS costs $2 billion annually in the United States. The cost is so high because surgery is often required. The median lost work time by those who have CTS is 27 days. This is longer than any other work-related injury with the exception of fractures. Alarmingly, about 20 percent of employees with CTS leave their job within 18 months of feeling symptoms.

Because of the clear link in many cases between CTS and acts required by an employer, treatment for CTS is often compensable under workers’ comp. In Illinois, so long as you can prove the condition was caused by your job, you should get benefits for your medical bills, lost wages from missed work, and permanent effects of CTS (if any).

Causes and Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

CTS is caused by pressure on the nerve that runs from the forearm through the wrist to the hand. This is called the median nerve, which provides sensation to your hand as well as signals to move the muscles in your hand. The area in your wrist that the median nerve runs through is called the carpal tunnel.

When the median nerve is squeezed in the carpal tunnel area, CTS symptoms will be felt. Swelling and inflammation can contribute to the squeezing.

Experts warn that CTS symptoms appear gradually and that many people try to resolve CTS at first by shaking out their hands. Often, the initial sign of CTS is intermittent numbness or tingling in the thumb, index, and middle fingers.

CTS has also been known to cause wrist or palm discomfort. Sensations may also travel up the arm. Another symptom is hand weakness. This weakness may cause you to drop objects.

Contact a Bloomingdale, IL Carpal Tunnel Injury Lawyer

Call the experienced Bloomingdale workers’ comp attorney at the Law Offices of David W. Clark, P.C. to learn more about how your CTS case may be handled and set up a free initial consultation. Our firm can be contacted at 630-665-5678.

Source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4042862/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/carpal-tunnel-syndrome/symptoms-causes/dxc-20313870