Whether you work in the finance, construction or hospitality industry, you have likely developed a repetitive motion injury. Repetitive motion injuries, which many also call repetitive stress injuries or cumulative trauma injuries, occur when a person puts stress on certain tendons, muscles or bones via overuse or repetitive motions. This strain causes extreme pain, discomfort or injury. Common injuries of this nature include tendonitis, carpal tunnel and bursitis. According to FindLaw, these types of injuries account for approximately 20 percent of all workplace injuries. If you sustained a repetitive motion injury, you may wonder if you can file a California workers’ compensation claim for it. The answer is yes, absolutely.

To recover compensation for your repetitive motion injury, you must be able to prove that your work duties and/or the conditions in your workplace caused or aggravated your condition. For instance, if your doctor recently diagnosed you with posterior cervical dorsal syndrome, or “Computer Back,” and if you hope to recover for the management of headaches, joint dysfunction and impaired breathing that are characteristic of the condition, you would need to show that you work at a computer all day. Proving cause is fairly easy if your particular line of work is associated with certain conditions.

In addition to proving cause, you must also show that your condition did not exist prior to obtaining employment with your current company. If your condition is a preexisting one, you may be able to recover for the aggravation of your injury.

The content in this post is for your informational purposes only. It should not be construed as legal advice.