Carpal Tunnel Injuries/Repetitive Stress

South Carolina Carpal Tunnel Injuries Lawyer

The Spartanburg/Greenville area of South Carolina is highly industrialized. Many workers are employed in factories, assembly lines, production lines and other types of work that require them to do the same type of motion again and again, day in and day out. This places them at risk for suffering repetitive stress injuries. If you are experiencing numbness, tingling or pain in your wrists, hands or forearm, you may be suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. You should seek medical attention and report the possible injury to your employer.

As a Spartanburg/Greenville carpal tunnel injuries lawyer and founder of the Knie & Shealy Law Offices, I have been helping injured workers throughout South Carolina for more than 35 years. I can help you prove that your repetitive motion injuries are work-related and take action to ensure that you receive the full amount of compensation to which you are entitled.

How Carpal Tunnel/Repetitive Stress Injuries Happen

Carpal tunnel syndrome is one type of repetitive motion injury. Office workers, production line workers, food processing plant workers and manufacturing workers who make the same twisting or jerking hand motion can suffer a repetitive stress injury. A worker using a vibrating tool for hours on end can also experience a carpal tunnel (or cubital tunnel) injury.

The work doesn’t need to be heavy or difficult in order to cause a carpal tunnel injury. It just needs to be repetitive. One of our past clients worked at a video store and snapped DVD containers open and closed hundreds of times a day. This type of repetitive motion left her with numbness and pain in her arms and hands. Another client who worked in a food processing plant used a squeezing motion to put food into containers. Eventually she suffered serious injury.

Proving That Your Carpal Tunnel Injury Is Work-Related

Employers will often try to say that a repetitive stress injury like carpal tunnel syndrome could not have developed at work because they do not do the kind of work that leads to injury. They try to put the blame on activities the worker does at home. I have worked with past clients to videotape their activities and then gotten professional medical opinions as to whether the activities they were engaged in at work could have caused their injury.

Ensuring You Receive the Medical Care and Financial Support You Deserve

Many of our clients have a bilateral injury; it affects both of their hands. While they are first treated with arm and wrist braces to minimize stress on the wrist, doctors usually end up recommending surgery.

The success rate for surgery is about 50 percent, with half the patients showing considerable improvement after the first surgery and the other half of patients requiring more than one surgery. Some past clients endured four or five surgeries before it was determined they would not gain any more relief. Surgery can result in the development of ganglion cysts and scar tissue that can interfere with hand functioning.

Some injured workers will not be able to return to their previous work after medical treatment. They will need to avoid that type of motion. If you cannot use your hands, there are few jobs you can do.

Workers’ compensation not only pays for medical care, but also pays for lost wages and lost earning ability. If you cannot return to work you should get paid a lump sum for your complete and permanent disability. You can then apply for Social Security Disability for ongoing financial support.

Contact a Spartanburg & Greenville Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Lawyer

If you are experiencing pain or numbness in your hands or arms, you may have suffered a repetitive motion injury, which may make you eligible for workers’ comp. Contact me, a Spartanburg/Greenville work injury attorney, online or call to schedule an appointment to discuss your situation. Consultations are free and confidential.