Will a repetitive stress injury be covered by workers’ compensation?

When thinking about on-the-job accidents and injuries, you may imagine catastrophic events, such as someone falling from a height, or a back injury caused by lifting heavy objects. What you may not realize is that an extremely common type of work injury is a repetitive stress injury. 

A repetitive stress injury occurs when someone does the same motion again and again. While some states don’t recognize this as a compensable injury, this isn’t the case in California. Find out more about these injuries and if you can receive compensation for them here. 

What are examples of repetitive stress injuries?

A repetitive stress injury will impact the muscles, nerves or tendons in the area affected. They can result from many different actions including things like working on an assembly line, serving people, lifting heavy things and more. 

Some of the injuries that occur because of these repeated motions include carpal tunnel, tendinitis, bursitis and injuries to the rotator cuff. If you suspect that you are dealing with this type of injury, it’s important to seek medical treatment right away. 

Receiving workers’ comp benefits for repetitive stress injuries

Something to remember is that workers’ compensation benefits aren’t automatic. You need to file a report that lets your supervisor know about your condition. It will also be necessary to show proof from a doctor or medical professional that shows how the repetitive stress injury was caused by work conditions. 

Protecting your rights after experiencing a repetitive stress injury

If you have developed a repetitive stress injury from your job duties, you deserve to receive workers’ compensation benefits. If your claim isn’t going as expected, find out more about your legal options.