Gastonia Repetitive Motion Injury Lawyer

Repetitive Motion Injury Attorney in Gastonia, NC

A repetitive motion injury differs from other types of workplace injuries as these typically develop gradually over time rather than happening as the result of a traumatic accident. These injuries usually occur due to performing the same kind of physical motion over and over, day in and day out. These injuries, when caused by your mode of employment, may allow you to become eligible for certain benefits, and a skilled Gastonia repetitive motion injury lawyer can help.

Common Causes of Repetitive Motion Injuries at Work

There are several ways in which a repetitive motion injury can occur depending on your kind of work. The most common employment activities that can potentially lead to repetitive motion injuries include:

• Typing on a keyboard or number pad.
• Using a computer mouse.
• Operating power tools and equipment like drills, sanders, nail guns, jackhammers, or saws.
• Engaging in construction work that involves any repetitive, back-and-forth motions like hammering, using a saw, or painting.
• Operating the necessary machinery for sewing.
• Stocking shelves.
• Meatpacking, deli work, or butchering.
• Housekeeping or other janitorial work.
• Working in a restaurant, both as front-of-house staff and a kitchen employee.
• Playing professional sports.
• Working as a musician.
• Assembly lines or other kinds of manufacturing work.

If you have noticed symptoms such as aches and pains, tenderness, the swelling or stiffness of certain joints, numbness in limbs or extremities, frequent muscle cramping, muscle weakness or the loss of your range of motion or strength, you may be suffering a repetitive motion injury due to your employment and the attorneys at Roberts Law Firm, P.A., can help.

The Most Common Types of Workplace Repetitive Motion Injuries

There are several common types of repetitive motion injuries that can happen in the workplace, including:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome. This medical condition is caused when pressure occurs repetitively on the median nerve, which runs the length of an individual’s arm, through the wrist, and into the hand. It can cause symptoms like tingling, weakness, and numbness in the hands and fingers.
• Tendinitis. This condition is the inflammation or irritation of an individual’s tendons, or the fibers that connect muscles to bones. This most often arises in an individual’s elbows, shoulders, wrists, or knees.
• Bursitis. This medical issue arises when the fluid-filled sacs known as bursae, which sit between your joints and cushion the contact between bones, become inflamed. This typically happens to the knees, shoulders, hips, and elbows.
• Back injuries. Certain repetitive motions can result in back injuries, such as herniated spinal discs or bulging, which can further cause chronic nerve pain or conditions such as sciatica.
• Dupuytren’s contracture. This medical condition arises as the result of a deformity in the hand when knots occur under the skin and pull fingers into a permanently bent position.

How to Prove You Sustained Your Injury at Work

To have an actionable repetitive motion injury claim, you’ll need to prove that you sustained your injury as a result of workplace activities. Unfortunately, proving a repetitive strain injury can be challenging. Here are a few tips that can help:

• Report the injury quickly. You must report your injury within 45 days of its discovery to be eligible to receive compensation under workers’ compensation.
• Schedule a visit with a doctor right away. You should also schedule a doctor’s visit right away. Your doctor should be informed of your employment, the duration of time you’ve spent in the role, and its physical demands. They can use this information to both diagnose the problem and indicate whether it could be work-related.
• Employ a professional. Expert witnesses can help you prove your repetitive strain injury by testifying to the nature of your work and the relationship between your occupation and repetitive motion injuries.

Your attorney can help you make arrangements with a doctor from CaroMont Occupational Medicine or another local clinic to get your condition diagnosed and obtain proof that it was caused by your work environment.

Reasons to Hire a Repetitive Motion Injury Lawyer

A 2023 CDC report indicates that in 2021, 9% of adults in the United States had suffered a repetitive strain injury in the past three months. Many of these injuries were caused by the working conditions of these injury victims. If yours occurred at work, you can hire a repetitive motion injury lawyer to help you file a workers’ compensation or third-party claim. Your lawyer can:

• File paperwork
• Prove that your repetitive motion injury is work-related
• Attend hearings on your behalf
• Help you determine whether to file a claim against a liable third party
• File an appeal for your workers’ comp claim, if necessary
• Represent you in court, should your case go to trial

Working with a Gastonia repetitive motion injury attorney is the most effective way to successfully file a workers’ compensation claim and determine whether you are eligible to receive other forms of compensation.

FAQs

What Qualifies as Repetitive Motion?

Activities that qualify as repetitive motion include those that require you to use the same joints, muscle groups, or tendons repeatedly with little variation. When you perform these actions continuously over time, they can cause microscopic damage that leads to cumulative trauma, fatigue, and musculoskeletal disorders.

Repetitive motion injury laws allow you to collect compensation for your medical care and the time you must spend away from work recovering.

Are Repetitive Motion Injuries the Hardest Injuries to Prove?

Repetitive motion injuries are some of the hardest injuries to prove because they occur slowly over the course of months to years instead of resulting from a single, documented accident. These injuries also involve subjective symptoms that are rarely visible on definitive medical imaging, which makes insurance companies more likely to dispute their severity.

Is an RSI Considered a Disability?

An RSI can be considered a disability if it is severe and impacts your ability to work or perform basic life tasks. If your RSI was caused by or aggravated by your job, it should be covered by workers’ compensation insurance. This system provides coverage for your medical treatments and partial wage replacement while you are recovering or if you’re left with a permanent impairment.

How Much Compensation Can You Get for a Repetitive Strain Injury?

How much compensation you can get for a repetitive strain injury depends on how severe the injury is and how it affects your ability to work and perform daily tasks. More severe injuries that lead to longer recovery periods typically garner more substantial compensation because workers’ compensation must pay out for as long as it takes to recover from your injury.

Speak to a Compassionate Repetitive Motion Injury Today

Workers who suffer repetitive motion injuries on the job deserve just as much in workers’ compensation benefits as those who sustain injuries in workplace accidents. Contact the offices of Roberts Law Firm, P.A., today to schedule your initial consultation and learn how we might be able to assist you.

Gastonia Repetitive Motion Injury Resources:

• North Carolina Personal Injury Statute of Limitations

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