Overuse Injuries and Workers’ Comp Carpel Tunnel Claims in Atlanta
Carpal tunnel syndrome. Some jobs require workers to repeat the same movements or actions thousands of times. Factory workers, data entry, and machinists often develop carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel syndrome as these conditions gradually onset over the course of months or years on the job. The repetitive nature of the job can cause painful overuse injuries to hands, shoulders, knees, backs, and other joints. Workers in Georgia who suffer injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis in the course of performing their jobs are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.
Often, insurance companies deny carpal tunnel or tendinitis workers comp claims because there was not a specific injury or because the worker failed to provide proper notice of the injury. Usually, these denials of claims are completely bogus but require an attorney to file a claim to get the claim straightened out. Medical records showing carpal tunnel or tendinitis after months or years of repetitive work help to prove your overuse workers comp carpel tunnel claim. I have helped hundreds of injured workers recover workers comp for carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel claims.
If you have been diagnosed with an overuse injury and are having difficulty obtaining workers’ compensation, please call us today at (770) 766-0135.
At Parsons Law Group, we’ll review your carpal tunnel or overuse injury claim from our offices in Atlanta and Savannah and advise you of your legal options free of charge.
Understanding Your Rights After Work-Related Repetitive Motion Injury
The Georgia Workers’ Compensation Act covers workers who develop overuse injuries. Among the most common types of overuse injuries are:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome – The risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome is common among workers performing certain types of work, including data entry clerks, manufacturing; assembly-line work; sewing; and meat, poultry, and fish processing. Symptoms include burning, tingling or numbness in the fingers, discomfort in the wrist and forearm, and difficulty gripping. Dropping items is very common. Carpal tunnel can damage the median nerve, causing shooting pain up your arm. Treatment often involves resting the injured hand or wrist, leaving you unable to work for an extended period. Serious carpal tunnel injuries may require surgery. However, most injured workers recover after carpal tunnel surgery.
- Tendinitis – Repeated motions performed as part of normal work activities can cause tendinitis, a type of repetitive motion disorder involving stretching or repeated overuse of the tendons connecting muscle and bone. Tendinitis often occurs in middle-aged or senior workers as a result of overuse for an extended period of time. Tendons that frequently become inflamed include those in the hand and upper arm and the Achilles tendon. Many times, insurance companies will try to say that this is a pre-existing condition but that is not a valid defense to a claim under Georgia law. As long as there is an aggravation of a pre-existing claim, you have a legitimate workers’ compensation claim.
If you have a work-related overuse injury or carpal tunnel syndrome, you are entitled to full medical care and weekly replacement income if you can’t work. Because overuse injuries develop gradually rather than from a single traumatic accident, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance may deny and often will deny your injury claim. If that happens, talk to a knowledgeable overuse injury claim attorney at Parsons Law Group.
We will guide you through the series of steps you’ll need to take to obtain full benefits, including filing a Notice of Claim with the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation and requesting a hearing before the Board. We understand the medical evidence that the Board is looking for to show that an overuse injury was work-related. Nerve conduction studies and EMGs often prove that carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel can be from a repetitive motion injury at work.
Contact Our Workers’ Compensation Attorneys Today
The attorneys at Parsons Law Group have helped injured workers in the Atlanta and Savannah areas receive the full worker’s compensation benefits they deserve after a work-related repetitive motion injury. To speak directly with Michael Parsons, call (770) 766-0135. We offer personal service and your call will be returned within 24 hours.