Always Available – Virtual Consultations
Florida's Workers' Comp Lawyer | 25 Years Of Experience
Florida’s workers’ compensation laws are not just for employees injured in workplace accidents. Workers’ compensation insurance also covers injuries that accrue over time on the job, usually from performing a task repeatedly, putting stress on specific joints and muscles.
Workers’ compensation covers any work-related injury or illness, regardless of your profession. If you are diagnosed with a medical problem due to the strain of performing the same task, a Florida repetitive motion injury lawyer can help you file for and receive benefits. Call the Law Firm of Kevin A. Moore today to speak directly with Attorney Moore regarding your situation.
Repetitive motion strain is stress on certain joints and muscles. Examples include:
Almost any repetitive action can cause a problem over time. A Tampa repetitive motion injury attorney from the Law Firm of Kevin A. Moore can help workers who develop painful or limiting medical conditions as a result of performing their regular job duties.
When force is applied repeatedly to the same muscle group, joint, or tendon over a prolonged period, cumulative forces may cause soft tissue tears and trauma. The resulting injury may lead to ligament and tendon disorders, degenerative joint disease, bursitis, or nerve damage. In addition to repetition and high force, risk factors associated with RSI and CTDs include awkward joint posture and prolonged constrained posture.
Tendinitis can also develop if you are a competitive athlete or if your job requires the same repetitive movement during the work day. Such tendinitis can develop, for example, amongst electricians, and meat packers (because of the repetitive wrist extension, flexing and thrust necessary to grip knives and carve through frozen meat).
Hand-and-wrist RSI begins when the tendons or nerves that pass through a delicate channel in the wrist (the “tunnel” formed by eight small carpal, or wrist, bones protecting the medial nerve) are irritated. Typing with the wrist at an angle – a common practice – places extra stress on those tendons or nerves, which can cause permanent injury. Other problems known generically as RSI include tenosynovitis and myofascitis, or inflammation of the tendons, connective tissues and muscles, and de Quervain’s disease, a tendinitis of the thumb, which may develop from the overuse of the space bar or computer mouse. A Tampa repetitive motion injury attorney can help individuals who are struggling with these conditions pursue the benefits they need.
Occupational therapists can help patients with these disorders practice “joint protection.” Patients can learn to use their hands in non-deforming positions. For example, instead of grabbing a key with a thumb and twisting, patients can learn to turn a key with adaptive equipment. Coping skills also include the use of over the counter drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen for mild to moderate symptoms or prescription NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for stronger anti-inflammatory relief. RSI may be avoidable through proper work habits – including posture, wrist position and regular work breaks – as well as ergonomically designed workstations and keyboards.
Prevention is important. The key is using appropriate posture while doing repetitive tasks . The use of specially designed equipment also can help people avoid this problem. A few simple changes in work habits and in your office setup can save you months or years of pain and disability. See the links below for prevention and relief ideas regarding computer-related RSI.
Questions To Ask Your Doctor About Repetitive Stress Injuries:
An experienced Tampa attorney can help you ensure you are getting the right treatment for your repetitive stress injury.
According to Florida Statutes § 440.09, you must describe your injury and how it is occupational to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Your physician must also certify that the repetitive motion you perform at work is the significant contributing reason you are injured.
Once the injury manifests itself, you have 30 days to report it to your employer under Fl. Stat. § 440.185.
While workers’ compensation allows you to receive benefits without fighting for them in court, you risk denial of your claim if you try to handle it yourself. Forgetting even one small detail can result in delays or denials. The process should be in the hands of a skilled attorney like Kevin Moore, who can:
A Tampa repetitive motion injury attorney can help alleviate some of the stress you may feel as an injured employee trying to navigate the workers’ compensation system. Concentrate on getting well while our team concentrates on your legal needs.
Florida requires most businesses to carry workers’ compensation insurance, which pays employees injured at work for their medical care and replaces a portion of the wages they lose while recuperating.
Construction companies must carry workers’ compensation insurance if they employ at least one person, while businesses in other industries must carry insurance if they employ at least four people. Agricultural companies are exempt from carrying worker’s comp insurance unless they employ six people or at least 12 seasonal workers.
Work is essential to life. Sometimes your work can involve repetitive motions such as stocking shelves, typing letters, or cutting hair. When you begin to notice the damaging effects of performing these tasks so often, you may have a lot of questions about what to do next and whether your injuries would qualify for workers’ compensation.
Contact the Law Firm of Kevin A. Moore to get answers and dedicated guidance. A Florida repetitive motion injury lawyer can handle the claims process while you concentrate on making a recovery.
