What you’ll learn from this article:
- A repetitive stress injury comes from repeated work-related motions.
- Kentucky employers are required to offer workers’ compensation benefits including medical care and wage replacement for injured workers.
- You can empower yourself to secure repetitive motion injury benefits with the help of a Kentucky workers’ compensation lawyer.
Repetitive motion injuries are a bit different from other workplace accidents where a sudden, traumatic event causes damage. A repetitive stress injury arises from making movements over and over, leading to a back injury, wrist strain, nerve damage, or another type of painful bodily injury.
It’s a difficult and demoralizing issue for someone who has always worked hard to make a living. All your work has led to a workplace injury and your employer might be minimizing the severity of the situation.
Your repetitive motion injury deserves proper care and you may be entitled to medical and income benefits during your recovery period. These claims are typically handled through the workers’ compensation process, but some employers make it difficult to claim the benefits their employees need.
Below are some of the most common questions about repetitive stress injuries, plus insights into how a Kentucky workers’ compensation lawyer can help you claim the benefits you deserve.
Why Do Repetitive Motion Injuries Occur at Work?
The human body simply can’t perform the same motions hundreds of times per day without risking injury. Repetitive motion injuries occur due to the overuse of certain muscles, nerves, and tendons in key zones like the neck, shoulders, back, arms, and legs.
Anyone who moves around at work can develop an overuse injury. You don’t have to carry heavy objects or do intense physical labor to do damage from repetitive motion. These injuries arise from a wide range of tasks, including typing on computers, assembling items, and working with dangerous materials while performing the same movements again and again.
What are the Main Repetitive Strain Injury Symptoms?
According to the Merck Manual, most work-related repetitive motion injuries fall into one of the three main repetitive injury categories: tendonitis, bursitis, or nerve entrapment.
- Tendonitis is muscle overload that creates small rips in the muscle structure.
- Bursitis is a condition where overstressed joints become inflamed and painful.
- Nerve entrapment is the term for compression of the peripheral nerves, which causes nerve pain and mobility limitations. This can include carpal tunnel or cubital tunnel syndromes.
It’s a myth that you’d notice the symptoms of a repetitive stress injury while it’s occurring. These injuries often have hidden or mild symptoms that aren’t worrisome until the condition is already severe.
For example, a micro-tear in a muscle can be a normal part of building healthy muscle mass until the muscle becomes overused and strained beyond its limit. The person might not realize they have detrimental muscle tears until the damage is already done and they are experiencing disabling tendonitis.
Common repetitive strain injury symptoms include:
- Burning sensations
- Edema (fluid buildup)
- Erythema (reddening)
- Muscle cramps
- Numbness
- Pain
- Swelling
- Throbbing
- Tingling
- Warmth in the affected area
- Weakness in muscles, joints, or limbs
Can I Claim Compensation for an Overuse Injury?
In Kentucky, all employers with at least one worker are required to offer workers’ compensation insurance to cover workplace injuries. You may be eligible for wage replacement and covered medical care for an injury directly attributable to your required work tasks.
Many Kentucky employees don’t realize that their workers’ compensation represents their exclusive remedy for a repetitive stress injury. Since you can’t sue your employer for additional compensation, it’s essential to claim the full value of your applicable workers’ compensation benefits.
What if your claim is denied? If you disagree with the workers’ compensation insurance company’s decision about whether your claim is compensable, you have the right to file a claim with the Kentucky Department of Workers’ Claims to seek additional benefits.
If you don’t understand why your claim was denied or are facing an uphill battle with getting the medical care and wage replacement benefits you need, it’s time to hire a workers’ compensation lawyer.
Repetitive Motion Injuries in Kentucky? Contact McCoy & Sparks
You don’t have to suffer in silence with a repetitive motion injury. Please reach out to the Kentucky workers’ compensation lawyers at McCoy & Sparks. We care about helping you claim the benefits you deserve.
Our process starts with getting to know you. We’ll ask about your overuse injury and how your employer is handling the situation. Then we’ll explain all of your options, giving you the pros and cons of each choice so you’ll understand the process and feel empowered to take action.
Call 1-844-4KY-WINS and request a risk-free consultation about workers’ compensation. We’re here to help you.