The daily grind can take a lot out of the average worker a little bit a time – especially when their work requires a lot of repetitive motions throughout the day.
Repetitive trauma injuries, also known as repetitive strain injuries (RSIs) or repetitive motion injuries, are a group of conditions that develop over time due to ongoing stress on specific parts of a worker’s body through repeated actions. These repeated actions place strain on muscles, tendons, nerves and other soft tissues, leading to inflammation, pain, tingling, a reduced range of motion and weakness that can be quite debilitating.
What are some of the most common repetitive trauma injuries?
There are far too many different RSIs to list in one place, but some of those that frequently lead to workers’ compensation claims include:
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: This occurs when the median nerve in the wrist becomes compressed due to repetitive hand and wrist motions, leading to symptoms such as pain, numbness, and tingling in the hand and fingers.
- Cubital Tunnel Syndrome: This occurs when the nerve bundle that passes over the elbow gets pinched and affects the hands similar to the way that carpal tunnel does.
- Tendinitis: Tendinitis is the inflammation of a tendon, commonly caused by repetitive motions that strain the tendon. It can result in pain, swelling, and limited joint movement.
- Bursitis: Bursitis involves inflammation of the bursa, which are small fluid-filled sacs that cushion and lubricate joints. Repetitive motions can lead to bursitis and cause pain, swelling and tenderness as well as a restricted range of motion.
- Tennis Elbow: This condition affects the tendons of the forearm muscles as they attach to the elbow. It causes pain and tenderness around the elbow due to repeat gripping, wrist extension or wrist rotation.
- Rotator Cuff Injuries: Repetitive overhead motions can lead to inflammation or tears in the tendons of the rotator cuffs in a worker’s shoulder, causing pain, weakness and a reduced range of motion.
- Trigger Finger: This occurs when the tendons in a worker’s fingers become inflamed, causing one or more fingers to “lock up” in a bent position.
It’s important to understand that you can get workers’ compensation for repetitive trauma injuries – including those that were pre-existing and were aggravated or exacerbated by your current job. Unfortunately, the workers’ compensation system doesn’t always make the process of seeking benefits for RSIs easy, which is why it’s often wise to learn more about your legal rights before you make a claim.