Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance
Carpal Tunnel Lawyers in Illinois
Findgreatlawyers.com is a free service, run by Illinois lawyers, to find an attorney or obtain guidance for any Illinois legal matter, including Illinois workers' compensation cases. Our founding attorneys are Illinois workers' compensation lawyers and we are able to help people that contact us with work injury questions probably better than in any area of law that we help with. Please call us at (312) 346-5320 or (800) 517-1614 or fill out our contact us form and we will contact you. All inquiries are kept in strict confidence. Please note that while we are based out of Chicago, we are not just a resource to find Cook County carpal tunnel lawyers. Rather we help people find repetitive trauma attorneys throughout Illinois.
When hiring a workers' compensation law firm in Illinois it is important to have a firm that has experience with your specific injury. The lawyers we recommend almost exclusively handle workers' compensation claims in Illinois so they have years of experience in representing workers that have carpal tunnel. Hiring one of these lawyers (or someone you find on your own that has a similar profile) can greatly increase your chances of obtaining the maximum benefits available to you under Illinois law.
Below is some general information about carpal tunnel syndrome. If you have any questions about finding a lawyer or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome is most commonly described as a feeling of numbness or tingling in the hand. It is also possible to feel a pain that goes up the arm, sometimes reaching the shoulder. Many times you will experience clumsiness when handling objects. It is the most common repetitive stress injury among Illinois workers and affects more than eight million people nationwide.
Carpal tunnel syndrome got its name because the median nerve that travels from your forearm to your hand rests inside a tunnel in your wrist. Along with the nerve, the tunnel also contains nine tendons, which connect your muscles to your bones and allow you to move your fingers. The tendons are covered with a membrane, which, at times, can become enflamed. If the membrane swells up large enough, it causes pain, numbness and tingling in the hand. This is then referred to as carpal tunnel syndrome.
What causes carpal tunnel syndrome?
Some common causes of carpal tunnel are:
- repetitive and forceful grasping with the hands
- repetitive bending of the wrist
- broken or dislocated bones in the wrist which produce swelling
- arthritis
- thyroid gland imbalance
- excessive typing
- hormonal changes associated with menopause
- pregnancy
How do I determine if I have carpal tunnel?
If you have any of the symptoms of carpal tunnel you should see a doctor, preferably one who specializes in hand injuries. The biggest indicator of carpal tunnel is numbness, tingling or pain in the hand or wrist, sometimes extending up into the elbow or into the fingers. The best objective test to determine the presence of carpal tunnel is a nerve conduction study or EMG. However, sometimes this test can be normal and carpal tunnel can still be present.
How do I know if my carpal tunnel syndrome is work related?
In Illinois, if your job causes, aggravates or accelerates your carpal tunnel syndrome or any other problem, then your injury should be 100% covered under the Illinois Workers' Compensation Act. In other words, even if you have a pre-existing condition, if it is in any way related to your job activities then you should be receiving workers' compensation benefits in Illinois. Most doctors agree that typing or repetitive use of the hands does contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Treatments for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
There are different options for treating carpal tunnel syndrome depending on how severe the case is. A doctor will be able to recommend the type of treatment that is necessary according to your individual circumstances. The goal of any form of treatment is to relieve the pressure on the nerve; therefore the treatment must cause the inflamed membrane to shrink back to its normal size. Early diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome can sometimes be treated early enough to avoid surgery.
If the carpal tunnel syndrome is not severe, a doctor might recommend a splint for the wrist, which keeps your wrist from bending. By keeping the wrist straight the sprint relieves pressure from the nerve and reduces the inflammation. A doctor can also proscribe medications, such as non-steroidal anti-inflamatories. As the name implies, the medication also reduces swelling.
If you have a more severe case of carpal tunnel syndrome, a doctor may perform a cortisone injection. The doctor will inject medicine into the carpal tunnel which also reduces the swelling of the membrane and relieves the pressure on the nerve.
If these treatments do not provide the patient with relief, the doctor may decide to perform surgery. The doctor will refer to the surgery as a "release." In effect, the doctor will cut the ligament that forms the roof of the carpal tunnel; this will relieve the pressure on the nerve. Local anesthesia is used so that you will not feel any pain during the surgery and you will not be required to stay over night. While all surgeries present risks, carpal tunnel surgery is very common and one study has indicated that carpal tunnel surgery is performed more than 200,000 times a year.
What are some other repetitive stress injuries?
Many workers who think they have carpal tunnel syndrome actually have other problems such as DeQuervain's tenosynovitis, trigger finger problems, radial tunnel syndrome, cubital tunnel syndrome or ulnar nerve compression. For questions relating to these problems please call us and we will connect you with an Illinois job injury attorney that has experience with those types of problems.
What is my carpal tunnel syndrome case worth?
Everyone who has job related carpal tunnel syndrome is entitled to 100% of their medical care to be paid for which means no co-pays or out of pocket expenses. In addition if you miss time from work that is related to your carpal tunnel, you may be entitled to compensation for this time period. Finally, if you have work related carpal tunnel syndrome you are also entitled to benefits for the permanent nature of your injury. The amount you may be entitled to depends on your ultimate recovery as well as how much money you were earning at the time your injury was diagnosed. To obtain a ball park estimate of the value of your case, contact us for a recommendation to an experienced workers' compensation lawyer.
For more carpal tunnel information please read the section below.