We recommend workers’ compensation attorneys who work almost exclusively in the workers’ compensation industry and have years of experience with hand and wrist injuries. In general, it is advantageous to retain an attorney who has experience with a specific injury, because attorneys with experience are more likely to obtain the maximum injury benefits allowed under Illinois law.
The following information is a brief description of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).
Causes of carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome can be caused by a wide range of factors, including pregnancy, repetitive bending of the wrist, repetitive hand gripping, typing, menopause, thyroid disease, arthritis, and wrist fractures.
CTS is named for the tunnel that houses the median nerve that travels from the wrist to the forearm. The tunnel also contains nine tendons that connect the muscles to the wrist bone, allowing the fingers to move. When the membrane surrounding those tendons becomes inflamed, it causes pain, swelling, and numbness in the hand.
Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome
CTS affects more than eight million people nationwide and is the most common stress injury in workers’ compensation. Symptoms include numbness and pain in the hand that extends up the arm and sometimes to the shoulders, which can lead to clumsiness when handling objects. If you think you might be experiencing these symptoms, you should see a doctor who specializes in CTS. To determine if you have this lesion, doctors administer a nerve conduction study, or EMG. Sometimes, however, it can still be present when the test is normal.
Carpal Tunnel Treatments
The goal of treatment is to decrease the swelling of the inflamed membrane and relieve pressure on the median nerve. Early detection and treatment reduce the chances that wrist surgery will be necessary.
If caught early, the doctor may only prescribe a splint that prevents the wrists from bending to relieve pressure on the nerve. Doctors may also prescribe anti-inflammatory medications to reduce swelling and relieve pressure on the nerve. The most severe cases of CTS require cortisone injections into the carpal tunnel to relieve swelling of the membrane.
If treatment doesn’t work, surgery may be necessary. More than 200,000 carpal tunnel surgeries are performed each year, making it very common. Doctors refer to this surgery as a release surgery. The surgery essentially involves a doctor cutting the ligament that forms the roof of the carpal tunnel. Local anesthesia is used to make the surgery painless and so that patients do not have to spend a night in the hospital.
Workers’ Compensation for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
When CTS arises from a work-related activity, a worker can expect to recover all money spent on medical costs, including copays and out-of-pocket costs. Workers can also recover lost wages when treatment requires time off work. Therefore, overall compensation depends on the severity of the injury and the value of lost wages. To get an estimate of the value of your injury, give us a call and we can connect you with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.
Other repetitive stress injuries:
Other injuries may also involve CTS-like symptoms. Sometimes workers who think they have CTS actually have injuries such as radial tunnel syndrome, ulnar nerve compression, cubital tunnel syndrome, or DeQuervian tenosynovitis. If you call us, we can refer you to an attorney with experience handling cases involving injuries like these.