Tendonitis Injury Lawyers
Tendonitis and related repetitive stress injuries are common in the workplace, but workers compensation coverage for these types of injuries can be a grey area. Tendonitis injury claims account for a large portion of workplace injury claims. As workers compensation laws vary from state to state, it may or may not be compensable under the Worker’s Compensation system in place where you live and work. Contacting a workers compensation attorney in the state where the injury took place is a wise move.
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Parts Of The Body Affected By Tendonitis
Tendinitis causes pain and soreness around a joint. Even when work induced, repetitive strain caused or the end result of cumulative trauma common forms of tendinitis are named after the sports that increase their risk. They include tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, pitcher’s shoulder, swimmer’s shoulder, and jumper’s knee.
Tennis Elbow (AKA Golfers Elbow)
Tennis elbow is an injury to the tendon in the outer elbow. Golfer’s elbow affects the inner tendon of the elbow. Any activity that involves a lot of wrist turning or hand gripping, such as using tools, shaking hands, or twisting, can bring on these conditions. Pain occurs near the elbow. It can also travel into the upper arm or forearm.
Shoulder Bursitis
Two types of tendinitis can affect the shoulder. Biceps tendinitis causes pain in the front or side of the shoulder. Pain may also travel down to the elbow and forearm. Raising your arm over your head may also be painful. The biceps muscle in the front of the upper arm helps secure the arm bone in the shoulder socket. It also helps control the speed of the arm during overhead movement. For example, you may feel pain when swinging a racquet or pitching a ball.
Rotator cuff tendinitis causes shoulder pain at the top of the shoulder and the upper arm. Reaching, pushing, pulling, or lifting the arm above shoulder level can make the pain worse.
Even lying on the painful side can worsen the problem. The rotator cuff is a group of muscles that attach the arm to the shoulder blade. This “cuff” allows the arm to lift and twist. Repeated motion of the arms can damage and wear down the tendons, muscles, and bone. Impingement syndrome is a squeezing of the rotator cuff.
Jobs that require frequent overhead reaching and sports involving lots of use of the shoulder may damage the rotator cuff or bursa. Rheumatoid arthritis also can inflame the rotator cuff and result in tendinitis and bursitis. Any of these can lead to severe swelling and impingement.
Knee Tendonitis
If you overuse a tendon during activities such as dancing, bicycling, or running, it may become stretched, torn, and swollen. Trying to break a fall can also damage tendons around the kneecap. This type of injury often happens to older people whose tendons may be weaker and less flexible. Pain in the tendons around the knee is sometimes called jumper’s knee. This is because it often happens to young people who play sports like basketball. The overuse of the muscles and force of hitting the ground after a jump can strain the tendon. After repeated stress from jumping, the tendon may swell or tear.
People with tendinitis of the knee may feel pain while running, jumping, or walking quickly. Knee tendinitis can increase the risk for large tears to the tendon.
Achilles Tendonitis
The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscle to the back of the heel. Achilles tendinitis is a common injury that makes the tendon swell, stretch, or tear. It’s usually caused by overuse. It can also result from tight or weak calf muscles. Normal aging and arthritis can also stiffen the tendon.
Achilles tendon injuries can happen when climbing stairs or otherwise overworking the calf muscle. But these injuries are most common in “weekend warriors” who don’t exercise regularly or don’t take time to warm up before they do. Among athletes, most Achilles injuries seem to occur in sprinting or jumping sports. Athletes who play football, tennis, and basketball can all be affected by Achilles tendinitis. An injury almost always retires the athlete for the rest of the season.
Achilles tendinitis can be a long-term condition. It can also cause what appears to be a sudden injury. When a tendon is weakened by age or overuse, trauma can cause it to rupture. These injuries can be sudden and agonizing.
Tendonitis Treatment
Tendonitis merely means inflammation of the tendons. The ending ‘itis’ on any word always means inflammation. Tendonitis occurs when the tendons in your wrist become inflamed. This is more often than not the result of repetitive motion and/or overuse of the wrist. For this reason, perhaps the most commonly-identified form of wrist tendonitis is a Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) known as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This results over time from sustained periods of activities such as typing, or playing a musical instrument. Chefs, surgeons and some athletes may also experience this because they use their wrists and hands so much in the scope of their jobs.
Symptoms of an RSI in the wrist may include decreased dexterity, loss of feeling in the hands, chronic pain, and reduced strength, such as a diminished ability to grasp things. Treatments depend on how severe the condition is. If the symptoms are mild, treatment may consist of simple things, such as a period of rest in which the activity is not performed, physical therapy, massage, use of a wrist splint, and/or anti-inflammatory medication.
However, if the condition is more severe and a physician suspects nerve damage, surgery may be necessary to resolve or relieve wrist tendonitis symptoms. Surgery will be followed by a recovery period, of course, and it is important to follow your doctor’s instructions. You should also obtain his or her advice about whether you should return to your previous employment — including whether there should be any limitations placed on your job duties — and what your future prognosis will be.
Filing A Workers’ Compensation Claim
If you suspect that you have wrist tendonitis that’s been caused by your job duties, make sure you report it to your employer as soon as you begin to experience symptoms. If caught early, tendonitis can resolve with minimal treatment. Your employer may be able to make changes to your work station to lessen the burden on your wrists — in some cases is may be as simple as adding wrist rests to your computer keyboard.
Even if your employer cannot make changes due to the nature of your job — or if your employer refuses to make any changes — it is important to place him or her on notice of your potential work-related injury as quickly as possible. Then, you might want to consult with a lawyer to determine whether Worker’s Compensation may cover your claim, or whether you might have to pursue litigation to recover lost wages, medical expenses, and other damages. Also, make sure you are examined by your doctor so he or she can properly diagnose you and refer you to a specialist, if necessary.
Contact A Work Comp Lawyer Handling Tendonitis Injury Cases
Whether through Worker’s Comp or litigation, you can seek to recover any lost earnings that resulted from the tendonitis injury. This can include missed work time for recovery or doctor’s appointments. You can also seek to recover damages and economic losses for medical expenses that were related to your work induced tendonitis injury. If your employer could have accommodated you to alleviate the injury but did not do so, you may be entitled to seek other damages as well. It is always best to talk to a workers compensation attorney. So that you better understand your legal options and rights our team of workers’ comp lawyers offer free consultations.
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