Repetitive Strain Injury - Compensation For Strain Injuries

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is also known as Occupational Overuse Syndrome or (OSS). It is a term given to a range of conditions which are characterised by the painful discomfort in overworked muscles, tendons or other soft tissues caused usually by poor work processes and unsuitable working conditions involving repetitive or forceful movements or the maintenance of constrained or awkward postures.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when numbness and tingling occurs in the fingers and hand. It comes from pressure on the median nerve in the wrist.

Tenosynovitis is witnessed as a pain and swelling of the tendons that often occurs in the hands and wrists.

Epicondylitis similarly is a pain and tenderness felt of the muscles and tendons of and around the elbow.

Static Muscle Strain occurs when muscles are used to keep part of the body still and stiff for long periods causing stiffness and pain in the muscles around the shoulders neck and forearms.

In the early stages, the pain from Repetitive Strain Injury may be slight. If action is taken immediately, no damage is likely to occur. If no action is taken, the condition may worsen. Change within the workplace is imperative to prevent permanent damage.
Work that requires fast repetitive movements, fixed postures held for long periods or repeated forceful movements may hold the risk of Repetitive Strain Injury.

Contributing Factors:
  • The poor design of equipment or workstations . If workbenches are too high or too low; equipment or badly designed tools that require excessive force to utilize or are inappropriate to the job where some other tool would be more efficient; poor workstation layout that requires bending, twisting or stretching to perform a single task; chairs, desks or benches which are not suited to the worker's height.

  • Repetitive movement . Using the same joints and muscle groups over and over, too often, too quickly and for too long a time span.

  • Awkward work postures and movements . Working for long periods in a standing position can cause sore feet, general muscular fatigue, low back pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders.
Other risk factors that arise from poorly organised work systems and processes include:
  • Unpredictable workflows and ones inability to control the volume of work.

  • Urgent deadlines which may require long shifts or overtime to meet.

  • Lack of training and not providing a period of adjustment for employees returning from a period of absence.

To receive the maximum damages on your Personal Injury Claim talk to the professionals at Concise Reporting by contacting us here or if you wish to go into more detail for your claim click here.