Workplace injuries can be significant, life-threatening events. When a New Jersey worker suffers a serious fall, or when an employee is trapped or pinned by heavy machinery, they may face a long battle just to survive. Depending on the environment where a person works, their risks of injury can be vast.
However, not all workplace injuries are the result of dramatic incidents. For some workers, harm develops over time and from common tasks. When a worker performs the same movements and actions day in and day out, their body may begin to wear down from the repetition. These injuries are known as repetitive motion injuries and in some cases they can form the grounds for workers’ compensation actions.
Ways that repetitive motion injuries develop
Repetitive motion injuries can happen in almost any part of the body. Individuals who spend their days working assembly lines may develop back or shoulder pain from reaching to do their work. Office workers who spend their days at their desks may have pain in the wrists and hands from long periods of computer use.
These injuries take time to develop. They are not the result of single accident harm, but rather constant use in a repetitive manner. Repetitive motion injuries are common among athletes as well as workers.
Workers’ compensation for repetitive motion injuries
Just because an injury develops over time does not mean that it is not disabling. Problems like carpal tunnel syndrome can cause severe and limiting pain that may keep a worker from using their hands and arms to do their job until they find relief. A repetitive motion injury can be severe and force a worker to stop working to address their medical needs.
When pursuing a claim for workers’ compensation based on a repetitive motion injury it can be useful for a worker to seek legal support. A workers’ compensation attorney can help them prepare a strong claim for financial support during their period of recovery. Repetitive motion injuries can happen at work, and when they do workers can seek help to ensure their financial needs are met while they heal.