Illinois Lawyer Referrals and Legal Guidance
Does Typing Cause, Aggravate or Accelerate Carpal Tunnel
or Other Injuries to the Wrist and Hands?
Findgreatlawyers.com is a free service, run by Illinois lawyers, that helps people who need legal guidance and/or an attorney referral for any Illinois legal matter. Since 2001 we have helped tens of thousands of people with their legal problems at no cost. If you have any questions or would like an attorney referral, please call us at (312) 346-5320 or (800) 517-1614 or fill out our contact us form and we will contact you.
One of the areas we help with is Illinois workers compensation claims. In recent years, as a result of a Mayo Clinic study, there has been a question as to whether or not computer use and typing leads to carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel is a commonly filed work related injury in Illinois as workers have alleged that repetitive use has caused numbness and tingling in their hands, wrists and fingers.
The Mayo Clinic study has been used by employers and insurance companies in Illinois to contest work related carpal tunnel claims. The study involved 3,500 work places in Denmark and concluded that computer use does not pose a severe hazard for developing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.
While this study sounds like bad news for injured workers in Illinois, the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission has consistently rejected this study in decisions made by arbitrators. That is likely because this study does not deal with individual cases, but rather makes generalizations on a group as a whole. In addition, it does not address Illinois law which states an injury is work related if it is caused, aggravated or accelerated by job activities. If an injured worker credibly states that they notice increased wrist pain when doing typing at work then an arbitrator is almost surely going to find that the job accelerated the condition. That doesn't guarantee a result as there are other factors such as pregnancy, diabetes, excessive weight, etc. that can be major contributors. However, if typing was a contributor, the injured worker would most likely receive workers' compensation benefits in Illinois.
Does this sound confusing? It's not always straight forward in Illinois work injury claims and if you have carpal tunnel from typing you likely will find yourself being sent to a doctor chosen by the insurance company who will agree with the Mayo Clinic study. If that happens you will almost definitely need representation of your own. If you would like a referral to an Illinois workers compensation attorney who has a great deal of experience in repetitive trauma cases such as carpal tunnel, De Quervain's Tenosynovitis, radial and cubital tunnel, etc, please do not hesitate to contact us. All calls and e-mails are free and confidential.
Since 2001 Findgreatlawyers.com has helped thousands of people with their Illinois legal matters. From Chicago down to Belleville and just about every point in between, Findgreatlawyers.com is the trusted resource for legal guidance and attorney referrals