Workers’ Comp for Carpal Tunnel Requires Clear Evidence According to Campbell & Associates

Not all injuries are sudden or catastrophic. Some injuries are built up over time through continuous strenuous activity. Along the way, the progress of an injury may be so nominal that you do not even notice it for years until one day all of the build-up manifests in a full-blown injury. Carpal tunnel is an injury that gradually progresses in precisely this manner and is referred to as a repetitive stress injury. 

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome, also referred to as CTS, is a medical condition that affects the wrist by compressing the median nerve within the wrist, causing pain and muscle weakness in the forearm and hand. This type of injury has become widespread since the 1990s due to the increase in office jobs. Many other conditions can be misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome, which is why a workers’ compensation claim for carpal tunnel syndrome  requires clear evidence to avoid confusion.

In the state of North Carolina, carpal tunnel is considered an occupational disease and is commensurable under North Carolina’s workers’ compensation law if an employee is under an increased risk of receiving the disease compared to the general public and working conditions contributed to the disease.

An experienced workers’ compensation lawyer recognizes that because of the gradual buildup of an injury such as carpal tunnel, securing benefits from a workers’ compensation claim can be significantly more tedious than a claim for a more straightforward injury that occurs suddenly. Establishing the origin of the injury can be incredibly difficult as it is hard to show that an injury that does not usually occur suddenly was caused from work-related activities over an extended period of time.

Confusion and differences of opinion concerning the origin of an injury can be avoided if you have clear and convincing evidence. If you have suffered from carpal tunnel, contact Campbell & Associates today for a free consultation with one of our experienced work injury attorneys.