Repetitive Motion Injuries (RMIs)

Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

As their name implies, repetitive motion injuries happen when you are required to perform the same movements over and over again as part of your job. Repetitive motion injuries (RMIs) can go by a variety of names, including the following:

• Repetitive strain injuries (RSIs)
• Occupational overuse syndrome (OOS)
• Repetitive stress injuries (also RSIs)
• Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
• Cumulative trauma

Whatever they’re called in your state, the good news is that workers’ compensation covers them.

Workers Most At Risk

While virtually any worker can develop an RMI, you’re most at risk if your job consists of one of the following:

• Office worker typing at a computer
• Baker kneading bread and other dough
• Construction worker lifting, carrying and moving heavy objects and materials
• Jackhammer operator holding and manipulating heavy, vibrating equipment
• Cashier using a cash register and swiping barcodes on a scanner
• Silkscreen printer reproducing paintings and other artwork
• Nurse or other health care worker moving patients and equipment
• Janitor or other maintenance worker sweeping, mopping, kneeling and bending to clean

Specific Repetitive Motion Injuries

Data from the Department of Labor shows that RMIs account for upwards of 33% of all worker injuries each year. Specific injuries include the following:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome in your wrists, hands, arms and neck
• Cubital tunnel syndrome in your elbow joint, a/k/a tennis elbow
• Bursitis in your shoulder, elbow or hip
• Tendinitis in any tendon
• Rotator cuff syndrome in your shoulder
• Trigger finger where one of your fingers gets stuck in a bent position
• Impingement syndrome in your shoulder, a/k/a swimmer’s shoulder

Early Symptoms

Since, by definition, an RMI happens over time, you may not even be aware that you’re developing one. Consequently, if you know you’re performing repetitive motions at work, be on the lookout for the following:

• Tingling, particularly in your hands, fingers or feet
• Tenderness and pain on the site of the injury that ranges from a dull ache to throbbing or acute pain
• Numbness, particularly in your hands, fingers or feet
• Loss of strength in your hands
• Inability to grip objects or form a fist
• Loss of flexibility in any joint
• Reduced range of motion in any joint

Keep in mind that all RMIs are progressive in nature. Once you begin developing one, there may be little you can do short of quitting your job to stop the progression. Ultimately, surgery likely becomes your only option for pain relief and regained range of motion.

Proving RMI

In terms of filing a a worker’s compensation claim for your repetitive motion injury, you will need to prove that it’s more likely than not that your job caused it. Once you establish that, worker’s compensation will cover your medical bills and at least part of the income you lose from having to recuperate from surgery.

Many Pennsylvania residents choose representation from a local workers’ compensation lawyer based in Philadelphia PA. A local lawyer will be familiar with local state workers’ compensation laws and be able to create a plan that meets the specific needs of your claim. Lawyers specialize in workers’ compensation law and offer free consultations to new clients who believe they may have a valid workers’ compensation claim related to Repetitive Motion Injuries.