Jul 11, 2017
What Is a Repetitive Strain Injury?
Nate Hansford
When people picture a workplace injury, they usually imagine a single dramatic event — a fall, a crash, a heavy object dropped on a foot. But many of the most disabling work injuries never happen in one moment at all. Instead, they build slowly, one repeated motion at a time, until an everyday task becomes painful or impossible. This kind of gradual, cumulative damage is called a repetitive stress injury (RSI), and it can qualify for workers’ compensation just like a sudden accident.
At its core, an RSI is what happens when soft tissues — nerves, muscles, ligaments, and tendons — are worn down by overuse. The damage most often shows up in the wrists, hands, neck, shoulders, forearms, and elbows, the parts of the body that absorb the most repetition on the job. And because the injury arises out of the work itself, it is treated as a compensable workplace injury even though no single accident caused it.
Common Types of RSIs
A repetitive stress injury can occur in any occupation and field. However, it is more likely to happen to workers who are specialized in one specific type of work. Office workers who use keyboards all day and retail clerks who need to stay on their feet for hours each day are two examples of occupations that are more susceptible to an RSI.
Common forms of RSIs include:
- Arthritis and carpal tunnel: Using a keyboard, mouse, and small tools that require high dexterity can cause arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome after months or years.
- Back pain: Workers who are tasked with lifting and moving products all day can hurt their backs, perhaps not in one accident but instead gradually.
- Foot aches and pain: Employees who have to walk or stand for long hours are likely to start to develop foot aches and pains that might make it impossible to continue their expected work duties until a remedy is found.
- Eyestrain: Staring at a computer monitor or working under bright lights can also cause painful eyestrain and migraines if the activity is performed too often and too long.
How to Help Prevent RSIs
The first and best person to protect you from a repetitive stress injury at work is yourself. You know your body and what is causing its aches and pains better than anyone, so you will have the best chances of finding a way to prevent an RSI based on your work.
A few simple steps to prevent RSIs are:
- Work on maintaining good posture throughout the day
- Use ergonomic tools and equipment, like specialized computer chairs
- Take all breaks offered to you by your employer
- Stay hydrated if your RSIs include headaches and eyestrain
Of course, you are not the only one who should be concerned about your health and wellbeing at work. Your employer should be thinking of ways to prevent RSIs as well. Ask them about ergonomic equipment, break schedules, and any other concerns you might have about repetitive stress injuries common in your field of work.
Workers’ Comp Claims for RSIs
Don’t forget that a repetitive stress injury is a work injury that can be addressed with workers’ compensation benefits. Your employer should know as much, too, and help you seek the benefits you deserve by reporting your injury to their insurance provider.
If your employer or the insurer refuses to take your RSI claim seriously, that is the moment to put an experienced workers’ compensation attorney in your corner. Hansford McDaniel – Workers’ Compensation Attorneys offers comprehensive legal services and representation to workers in Atlanta, Georgia. To see if we can help you get the workers’ comp benefits you deserve after suffering an RSI, please call 770-922-3660 or contact us online.
