What is a Repetitive Stress Injury?

Your work can often feel repetitive if you’re doing the same things over and over again on a daily basis. These types of persistent actions can also lead to certain injuries known as Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI) or Cumulative Trauma Injuries (CTI).

These are serious issues that may impact your ability to work and depending on the type and severity could make you eligible for workers’ comp.

In this article we’ll go over what RSIs are, how they are covered by workers’ compensation and how you can prove that you have one.

What is an RSI?

These injuries are caused by any type of movement that consists of a repetitive motion such as lifting heavy objects or any other frequent movement that may overexert the muscles and tendons in the body. Even repetitive events that cause hearing or vision impairment can be classified as a RSI since the injury took place due to constant and often duplicated actions by the worker or from things around them. 

Some of the most common RSIs include:

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

• Raynaud’s Syndrome

• De Quervain’s Disease

• Rotator Cuff Injuries

• Tennis Elbow

• Tendonitis 

• Tinnitus

• Bursitis 

• Stress Fractures

How to Prevent these injuries

These injuries can be very impactful to not only your ability to work but all aspects of your life. When not treated, their impact can affect you for a long period of time. However, taking measures to prevent these types of injuries can mitigate the damage they cause and can help you live a healthy lifestyle that’s free of suffering.  

1. Practice good posture

Even though it’s something you might not be wary of in the moment, incorrect posture can lead to many issues and an RSI. When you have the wrong or bad posture, you tend to lean forward. This can easily lead to back issues as well as eye issues since you are closer to the harmful blue light emitting from the screen. 

Taking steps to fix your posture can make all the difference in preventing on the job injuries. Turning it into a habit or a fun mental exercise may make your attitude improve as you see positive progress.

2. Engage in regular breaks while doing repetitive tasks

Knowing the limits of what you are comfortable with is a necessary step for many facets of life including the prevention of a repetitive stress injury. Because these injuries often involve strains on particular parts of the body, pushing farther or for longer than what you are comfortable with, frequently leads to an injury. 

By pausing every once in a while, your body gets a chance to recharge itself. Putting the repetitive motion on hold briefly can reinvigorate your muscles and tendons so they are less likely to be damaged over a long period of time.

3. Start the day off by stretching

Going a step beyond a simple break in your routine, stretching strengthens the muscles and tendons in your body so they can withstand more pressure. It also loosens you up before a long day of work but stretching at any time of day can be helpful. However, you don’t want to stretch too much because doing so can also lead to injury. Find the limits of your physical comfort and don’t overexert yourself. Hopefully you become more and more flexible as time progresses which will help keep your body healthy.  

4. Wear/Use PPE

The term PPE or Personal Protective Equipment can apply to a wide variety of objects meant to help keep your body safe. These may include masks when working in hazardous situations, UV goggles to protect your eyes from the sun, headphones to lower the amount of decibels bombarding your eardrums and even chairs that provide proper lumbar support. Regardless of what they may be protecting, using protective equipment can help keep you safe, leading to longevity on the job.

Making sure your RSI is covered by workers’ compensation

The nature of many jobs causes you to be doing the same work repeatedly meaning RSIs can be quite prevalent in the workplace. It is important to note that your RSI is covered by worker’ comp. The only difficult thing may be proving it.

It may be hard to showcase your RSI as a work related injury since it is not as clear cut as many other injuries such as a head wound or broken bone. You also need a lot more hard evidence vs other forms of injuries. Many employers will try to deny your claim since they don’t want their insurance rates to go up, but there are things you can do to prove it is a result of the work you do.

1. Medical Exam 

Having your injury viewed by a medical professional is vital in establishing the credibility of your claim. They will take into account your injury and what kind of work you do to determine if the two are related. If they determine the two are related, their word will go a long way to helping you get the compensation and help you need. Going to a doctor also creates a paper trail which is good for establishing a timeline because time is a huge factor in this type of claim.

2. File your claim ASAP

Reporting this type of injury in a timely manner may be difficult since it is the result of an accumulation over a certain length of time. However, as soon as you determine your injury is caused by the work you do is when you should file the claim. It may be a difficult process due to the speculative nature of time, but that’s where that doctor's reference comes in handy. 

3. Witness accounts

It may be hard to have someone be a witness to a prolonged injury compared to a one time incident but having their testimony is an important component to your list of evidence. While potentially not as substantial as the word of your doctor, a witness account helps build a solid foundation for your case, and you may need as many accounts as you can get. 

Repetitive Stress Injuries are just as important and life altering as other workplace injuries and you qualify for workers’ compensation in the same way. If you believe you have a RSI and need guidance, contact the team of skilled workers’ comp. professionals at Cole, Fisher, Cole, O’Keefe + Mahoney.

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Cole, Fisher, Cole, O’Keefe + Mahoney is Central California’s leading workers’ compensation and social security disability law firm. With over 30 years of successful experience, we are committed to securing maximum benefits for our clients in the Fresno, California area. Schedule a free consultation today.