Workers’ compensation: Carpal tunnel syndrome in tech industry

When workplace injuries are mentioned, many people think of construction workers falling off scaffolds, industrial workers suffering electric shocks or warehouse workers involved in forklift accidents. Office workers and employees in the technology industry are not typically included in discussions about occupational hazards. However, the Maryland workers’ compensation program reports many claims filed by computer operators for repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

Productivity and budgets of technology businesses are threatened continuously by carpal tunnel syndrome, which is caused by repetitive hand and wrist motions. The wrist has a passageway called the carpal tunnel that houses a nerve that stretches between the palm and the forearm. Overexertion by repetitive motions can cause swelling in the tunnel, causing the nerve to be squeezed and put under pressure.

Although symptoms could vary from one person to the next, they typically include numb, swollen or itchy fingers, reduced grip strength and frequent discomfort and pain in the hand, wrist and arm. This affliction can affect workers in other industries such as line workers in factories. However those in technology professions are incredibly vulnerable to CTS, which can develop into severe conditions that could prevent a victim from typing or holding a mouse.

Not only can CTS have an adverse impact on a victim’s earning ability, it can also bring about high medical expenses. Orthopedic surgery is typically the only method of dealing with this debilitating occupational injury. Although the workers’ compensation insurance system covers all workplace injuries, the help of an experienced Maryland workers’ compensation attorney may ease the stress and frustration of navigating the administrative and legal processes of a benefits claim.

Source: techinsurance.com, “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: A Workers’ Comp Minefield for Technology Businesses“, Accessed on Oct. 27, 2017