When we think of workplace injuries, we think of falls or machinery accidents. What a lot of people fail to understand is that sometimes, injuries or illness caused by repetitive stress can be considered a workplace injury as well.
What is a repetitive stress injury?
A repetitive stress injury is an injury that is a result of repetitive stress on a muscle or group of muscles. These are injuries to nerve endings, soft tissues, tendons, ligaments and the muscles themselves.
When you put your body through repetitive stress, that can cause damage over time. Things like typing, cutting, and even boxing packages can cause repetitive stress injuries when given enough time.
What are examples of a repetitive stress injury?
Repetitive stress injuries are common within workplaces that have employees doing really repetitive motions. Standing in one place scanning items repeatedly, sitting at a computer, or even driving for a long time can cause repetitive stress injuries. Some diagnoses that might be a result of repetitive stress are as follows:
- Carpel tunnel syndrome
- Bursitis
- Tendinitis
- Tennis Elbow
- Tenosynovitis
- Trigger Finger
How do you know if these are a result of the workplace?
It can be hard to identify workplace injuries if there’s not a specific event connected to them. For example, if you fall or get injured by equipment in your workplace, that would obviously be a workplace injury.
But most repetitive stress injuries aren’t immediately connected to a workplace, and they take time to develop. People who do assembly line work, meatpacking, sewing, computer work or landscape work are just some of who might be most susceptible to repetitive stress injuries. If you believe your repetitive stress injury is a result of your workplace, call a worker’s compensation lawyer today.