Workers’ Compensation for Repetitive Stress Injuries in the Workplace

Trusted injury attorneys protecting the rights of injured workers throughout Delaware

Repetitive stress injuries (RSI) can occur when workers perform the same tasks repeatedly in the same way, day after day. RSI is the kind of injury that does not occur from an accident, but the damage from the constant daily stress wears on the muscles and tendons over time, until the result is a painful injury that makes performing normal tasks difficult to impossible. If you can demonstrate that your repetitive stress injury was caused by the work you do, or your regular work tasks aggravate or exacerbate the injury you may be able to qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ compensation is a partial, temporary disability program that pays medical expenses directly related to the injury and partial wage replacement when you must miss work due to a work-related injury or illness.

At the law firm of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, our Delaware workers’ compensation attorneys in Seaford, Wilmington and Newark have helped countless workers before you to obtain the benefits they deserve when they have been injured by repetitive strain injuries at work. We can help when you are dealing with a dispute with your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance company or the Delaware Workers’ Compensation Board.

Common causes of repetitive stress injuries

Repetitive stress injuries are classified as a work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD), which, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are injuries of the muscles, nerves, tendons, joints, cartilage and spinal discs to which the work environment or the performance of work contributes to the condition, and/or the condition is made worse or persist longer due to work conditions.

Examples of WMSDs include:

• Sprains, strains, and tears
• Back pain
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Hernia
• Pain in the neck, shoulder, elbow, hand, wrist and back

NIOSH (the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) reports that the routine lifting of heavy objects and daily exposure to whole body vibration might lead to WMSDs. Other daily activities – typing on a computer, bending down to remove or place object on shelves, making copies or scanning objects – can also lead to RSIs.

Symptoms of repetitive strain injuries

Common symptoms of an RSI include:

• Pain
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Clumsiness
• Tingling
• Numbness
• Swelling
• Redness

As soon as you begin to experience the symptoms of an RSI, you should visit a doctor immediately and report the occupational illness to your employer right away.

How a workers’ compensation attorney can help

If your employer’s workers’ compensation insurer tries to push back on approving benefits you might require the services of an experienced Delaware worker’s compensation attorney. When you have an experienced Silverman, McDonald & Friedman workers’ compensation lawyer on your side, you enjoy the advantage of the knowledge we have of the system, and our experiences helping hundreds of clients in and around Wilmington, Seaford and Newark obtain benefits and resolve disputes regarding their claim.

Experienced workers’ compensation attorneys serving injured workers in Delaware every day

You can rely on the workers’ compensation lawyers of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman to make sure that you obtain the maximum amount of benefits available when you have been injured at work. You can call us toll-free at 302-888-2900 or you may fill out our contact form today.  We proudly serve our clients throughout Delaware from our conveniently located offices in Wilmington, Seaford, and Newark.