“Shoot for the moon and if you miss you’ll be among the stars.”
Les Brown
If you were headed on a flight to the moon (238,900 miles) the precision of the movement of your rocket ship would be critical. If your movement were off by just one degree at the start, you’d be 4,169 miles off by the time you should have reached the moon. One degree of separation is not noticeable at mile one or a hundred, but over time, the error may take painful measures to correct.
The same could be true for the minutest movements you make every day on the job. It’s almost impossible to tell in the beginning if there is anything “off” in those movements themselves or what affects they are having on your body. Although there are often signals along the way, most people don’t realize they have incurred a repetitive motion injury of some kind for months, years, or decades.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome & Other Repetitive Stress Disorders
Worker’s compensation is not just for falls, equipment failures, and traumatic explosions. Injuries caused by repetitive trauma can take time to develop, but still may qualify an employee for workers’ compensation benefits. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and other types of Repetitive Stress Disorders (RSD) have a much broader impact than the “bigger” accidents that occur in the workplace. In fact, about 60% of injuries at work fall into the RSD category. Awareness is the first step, but how do employees and business owners work towards prevention?
Recognize Warning Signs And Take Action
In most cases, by the time an employee realizes something is “off”, a certain amount of damage has already been done. Ignoring potential warning signs would be the worst thing an employee or his/her employer could do. Here are a few warning signs to consider for those whose jobs require repetitive motion of any kind.
- Numbness
- Tingling Sensation
- Unusual discomfort
- Aching
- Pain during/after work
- Feeling unusually lethargic
- Loss of grip
- Difficulty lifting
What If I May Have Already Been Injured?
Since some worker’s compensation insurance providers have been known to mitigate their own losses by attempting to reduce the amount of compensation given, delays in payment or even full denial of liability could occur. Your best strategy at the onset of filing an RSD claim would be to enlist the advocacy of an experienced Oklahoma City worker’s compensation attorney.
The team at Robert R. Robles has the skillset and nuanced understanding of worker’s compensation law you need. Don’t hesitate to give us a call and tell us your story. We can help you understand whether your on-the-job injuries should be covered by worker’s compensation law and to what extent (repetitive motion or otherwise).
Reach out to us online or call 405-232-7980 today.
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