Lawyer's Story

I work exclusively in the field of workers’ compensation law. I am the senior workers’ compensation lawyer at Brown and Crouppen. I want to tell you about carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive trauma injuries.

Some people think that to have a workers’ compensation claim you have to have suffered an “accident”, that you have to have slipped and fallen or picked up something too heavy or been injured by a piece of machinery. All those things could produce work injuries, of course, but there is also what is known as repetitive trauma injuries that come from doing the same thing over and over.

These injuries come from repeatedly doing something, over a long enough period of time, that it eventually causes a failure of the body part involved. The best known of these types of injuries is carpal tunnel syndrome, which affects the hands, wrists and forearms. While carpel tunnel syndrome is the most common of these injuries, I have also represented clients who have injured their backs or some other part of the body due to repetitive motions on their jobs.

There are three things I look for before advising a client that he or she has a repetitive trauma case. First, a diagnosis of carpel tunnel or other repetitive motion injury by a competent physician. Second, evidence that the job required the type of stresses that could cause carpel tunnel and that the client worked long enough at the job to cause the injury. Lastly, when the client has had multiple employers, a determination that we can prove which of the employers is responsible.

First, there must be a medical diagnosis of a repetitive trauma injury. It does not have to be by the company doctor. In fact, most carpel tunnel syndrome cases begin with a diagnosis made by the client’s personal physician.

Second, the job must be repetitive enough and the client must have been doing it long enough to create injury. Tightening one screw probably won’t cause carpal tunnel syndrome, but tightening screws for much of the day for an extended period of time, will.

Third, if the client has recently changed employers, the lawyer has to determine which employer is responsible. This has become a very complicated area of the law because employers and insurance companies are always trying to shift blame for the injury to someone else. Any employee who has recently changed jobs should consult a lawyer before proceeding with a repetitive trauma case.

These are just the basics of how I approach Carpel Tunnel and other repetitive motion injuries. Not to long ago these injuries were rarely compensated through workers’ compensation. Today they are on the cutting edge of work related injuries. How things have changed.

At Brown & Crouppen we’ve handled thousands of workers’ compensation cases. We’d like to help you. To contact us please click here. Someone will contact you promptly.

Brown & Crouppen can help you make informed decisions about your legal rights, so please call Brown & Crouppen at Toll Free: 866-991-4700 for your free legal consultation or save time with our online Contact Form.

A Client's Story...

Read More

Hello, my name is Edward Y. When I developed carpal tunnel syndrome on my job I thought my employer and it’s insurance company would take care of me.

Instead they denied that my job could have caused the condition. They refused to provide me with the surgery I needed to treat my carpal tunnel syndrome. After being frustrated by them for almost two months I called Brown and Crouppen.    CONTINUE

Things You Should Know... 

Read More

Brown & Crouppen we have handled carpal tunnel and other repetitive motion injuries for years. We have been successful in getting fair compensation for injuries that were diagnosed long after the employee left the job which caused the injury. If you have one of these injuries call us now, there is a good chance we can prove your injury was work related.   CONTINUE