With the political climate currently putting significant doubt on the future state of the NHS, those living with painful conditions are facing a potential lack of treatment and support. This means that it could be more difficult for those with repetitive strain injuries and carpal tunnel to get the help that they need, and this is concerning for those with these painful work-related conditions.
What is a repetitive strain injury?
A repetitive strain injury is an injury that occurs from repeated overuse of a particular set of muscles, nerves and tendons. Repetitive strain injuries can tend to occur most often in the upper limbs and forearms. Repetitive strain injury compensation can be important to claim to help you to get the treatment that you may need to deal with your symptoms. Some of these symptoms can include:
- A burning, aching or shooting pain
- Tremors, clumsiness and numbness
- Fatigue or lack of strength
- Weakness in the hands or forearms. It is often difficult to perform even simple tasks
- Difficulty with normal activities that involve having to grip things
- Severely cold hands, particularly in the fingertips
Some of the early signs of repetitive strain injury include soreness, tingling or pain in the neck, arms, wrists, fingers or shoulders. The symptoms might be worse when you carry out a particularly repetitive task.
What is carpal tunnel?
More specific than a repetitive strain injury, it might be the case that you actually need to begin a carpal tunnel claim. Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that causes tingling, numbness and pain in the hands and arms. This is due to the median nerve – a major nerve to the hand – being compressed inside the wrist.
The syndrome can generally get worse over time, so it is important that you address your symptoms as soon as you notice them, so you can receive the right treatment. The symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome include:
- Weakness in the thumb and difficulty gripping
- Aching in the fingers, hands or arms
- Numbness in fingers or the whole hand
- Tingling or pins and needles
The symptoms in sufferers can often get worse at night because many people have a tendency to sleep with their wrists bent.
What can you do to avoid repetitive strain injuries?
Repetitive strain injuries can be painful and disruptive to living a full life. To try and avoid their employees developing these injuries from their working environment, employers must make sure that certain things are carried out. These duty-of-care requirements include:
- Ensuring a safe working environment free of avoidable hazards.
- Clearly defining how a job should be correctly carried out and undertaking risk assessments.
- Providing communication channels for employees to raise any safety concerns that they may have.
- Providing areas in which workers can rest.
- Ensuring that workers do not work excessive hours that can lead to repetitive strain injuries.
Personal injury solicitors can be a crucial help in getting the right compensation that you may need for your repetitive strain injury. With the right financial support, you’ll surely be able to get back to leading your normal life.