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Can I claim carpal tunnel syndrome

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cheknurpulse196

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? TN
I work as a CNA and I think I am getting carpal tunnel in my left and possibly my right hand. My sister in law in IL claimed hers on workman's comp. How and can I do that?
 


cheknurpulse196

Junior Member
My boss is the type that he will try to get out of it. And just need to know if it can be claimed and if and where I can get the info before I go to him.
 

commentator

Senior Member
You need to notify your employer that you believe you are having carpal tunnel. They'll ask you a bunch of questions. Is this bi-lateral, or just on one side?What do you think you are doing at your work that is causing the carpal tunnel? Do you do anything else off work that might be causing it, such as bowling, riding dirt bikes? What are your syptoms?

Generally carpal tunnel is caused by repetitive motion of some type. Lifting (such as lifting patients) is probably not going to cause carpal tunnel. Cleaning, scrubbing, that type of repetitive motion which you might do as a CNA would probably be a more likely cause.

Then, they will refer you to one of their panel of doctors. You must see their doctor, not your doctor. They'll have more than one for you to choose from.There is a definitive test that they can do that will show whether or not you have carpal tunnel. Then if it is determined that you definitely have carpal tunnel, they will do a lot of investigation to show whether or not it is work related. I suspect that your employer will be very diligent in fight your claim. This does not necessarily mean he is a bad person, it just means they don't give out worker's comp freely because you think it may be available and nice to have.

Many middle aged people begin to get carpal tunnel, and it may be related to something as simple as the position in which they sleep. I suspect you are not going to be the first person who has tried to attribute carpal tunnel to CNA work, and the medical facility/care entities lobbies and associations are very strong and active in TN (strongest in the USA, in fact) so they will have lots of processes in place to put you through to prove definitively that this is a work related condition.

You did not mention whether your sister in another state is in the same type work as you. If so, what motion, action, work related situation did she say was causing her problems? If you've got it, and it is work related, you are certainly entitled to worker's comp. If it isn't, then it's going to be tough to beat the system and get them to give it to you.
 
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ecmst12

Senior Member
REPETITIVE motions cause carpal tunnel. Not pushing/pulling unless you do it over and over again for hours.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
In support of the OP, while CT is considered to be a repetitive stress injury to many, the fact is, it can be caused by many different types of stresses on the transverse carpal ligament which causes it to be injured and swell and cause pressure on the median nerve.

this is a list of some common causes of CTS from Google:

Sewing
Driving
Assembly line work
Painting
Writing
Use of tools (especially hand tools or tools that vibrate)
Sports such as racquetball or handball
Playing some musical instruments
Raquetball and handball is not really a repetitive stress along the same line as other actions such as writing or typing. Notice that even driving is considered to be a common cause.

but even more surprising is this from the National Institutes of Health

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Fact Sheet: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)


Carpal tunnel syndrome is often the result of a combination of factors that increase pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel, rather than a problem with the nerve itself. Most likely the disorder is due to a congenital predisposition - the carpal tunnel is simply smaller in some people than in others. Other contributing factors include trauma or injury to the wrist that cause swelling, such as sprain or fracture; overactivity of the pituitary gland; hypothyroidism; rheumatoid arthritis; mechanical problems in the wrist joint; work stress; repeated use of vibrating hand tools; fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause; or the development of a cyst or tumor in the canal. In some cases no cause can be identified.

There is little clinical data to prove whether repetitive and forceful movements of the hand and wrist during work or leisure activities can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Repeated motions performed in the course of normal work or other daily activities can result in repetitive motion disorders such as bursitis and tendonitis. Writer's cramp - a condition in which a lack of fine motor skill coordination and ache and pressure in the fingers, wrist, or forearm is brought on by repetitive activity - is not a symptom of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Notice it actually states repetitive stress is not been proven to be causation but is more due to congenital disposition.

there is no reason to believe lifting a patient, which causes a great amount of stress on the concerned tendon, would be any less a cause than typing.
 

cheknurpulse196

Junior Member
No ECM, I am not thinking of a lawsuit. I want to know if this could be covered under workman's comp. And if so, how do I go about doing it, and I got the answer. Thanks.
 
W

Willlyjo

Guest
You need to notify your employer that you believe you are having carpal tunnel. They'll ask you a bunch of questions. Is this bi-lateral, or just on one side?What do you think you are doing at your work that is causing the carpal tunnel? Do you do anything else off work that might be causing it, such as bowling, riding dirt bikes? What are your syptoms?

Generally carpal tunnel is caused by repetitive motion of some type. Lifting (such as lifting patients) is probably not going to cause carpal tunnel. Cleaning, scrubbing, that type of repetitive motion which you might do as a CNA would probably be a more likely cause.

Then, they will refer you to one of their panel of doctors. You must see their doctor, not your doctor. They'll have more than one for you to choose from.There is a definitive test that they can do that will show whether or not you have carpal tunnel. Then if it is determined that you definitely have carpal tunnel, they will do a lot of investigation to show whether or not it is work related. I suspect that your employer will be very diligent in fight your claim. This does not necessarily mean he is a bad person, it just means they don't give out worker's comp freely because you think it may be available and nice to have.

Many middle aged people begin to get carpal tunnel, and it may be related to something as simple as the position in which they sleep. I suspect you are not going to be the first person who has tried to attribute carpal tunnel to CNA work, and the medical facility/care entities lobbies and associations are very strong and active in TN (strongest in the USA, in fact) so they will have lots of processes in place to put you through to prove definitively that this is a work related condition.

You did not mention whether your sister in another state is in the same type work as you. If so, what motion, action, work related situation did she say was causing her problems? If you've got it, and it is work related, you are certainly entitled to worker's comp. If it isn't, then it's going to be tough to beat the system and get them to give it to you.
I'm a bit curious...so could you explain how carpal tunnel can possibly be related to any sleeping position? I'm having a problem trying to figure out how you can get carpal tunnel by sleeping. Please explain how this is possible since you think it is.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
I'm a bit curious...so could you explain how carpal tunnel can possibly be related to any sleeping position? I'm having a problem trying to figure out how you can get carpal tunnel by sleeping. Please explain how this is possible since you think it is.
from the National Institutes of Health:

Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers. Some carpal tunnel sufferers say their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. The symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night, since many people sleep with flexed wrists. A person with carpal tunnel syndrome may wake up feeling the need to "shake out" the hand or wrist. As symptoms worsen, people might feel tingling during the day. Decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. In chronic and/or untreated cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away. Some people are unable to tell between hot and cold by touch.
CTS is simply a compressed nerve. Anything that can cause the nerve to be pinched or compressed is causing CTS. Sleeping with your wrists flexed can cause the nerve to be compressed.

happy willy?
 
W

Willlyjo

Guest
from the National Institutes of Health:



CTS is simply a compressed nerve. Anything that can cause the nerve to be pinched or compressed is causing CTS. Sleeping with your wrists flexed can cause the nerve to be compressed.

happy willy?
I don't believe this proves that sleeping with one's wrists flexed causes cts. It may possibly exacerbate cts that was caused by something more vigorous like repetitive typing for instance.

And there is no specific definition of "flexed wrist" in your little attempt to prove that sleeping in any normal position causes cts. I really find it hard to imagine that one would even be able to "flex" one's wrist while sleeping since normally one's muscles would be totally relaxed while sleeping.

Also, as you should know (but I don't think you do or you would have figured it out), night time is when one's immune system defenses the body at a lower rate which usually intensifies any symptoms when one awakens.

What your little "proof" shows is that at night time, symptoms are more pronounced. Not that sleeping causes cts as you and Commentator believe! Work on your reading comprehension Justalayman!

OH and by the way, are you stalking my posts here? It seems you are the one who shows up the last couple times I posted to nitpick with me.
 
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justalayman

Senior Member
It wasn't my attempt. If you want to argue with the National Institutes of Health. They are the folks that published that.
 

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