Georgia Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Individuals who are affected may be unable to work at their current job or be forced to reduce their work hours in order to promote recovery and healing. As a result, a person’s financial well-being and security might be negatively impacted — on top of the physical pain that affects your quality of life.

At the law firm of Westmoreland, Patterson, Moseley & Hinson, our Macon injury attorneys can help secure the maximum workers’ compensation benefits available to you and your family. For the last 50 years, we’ve represented hundreds of injured workers near Macon and throughout the state of Georgia. We can help you take the right steps and negotiate on your behalf. We have the experience, knowledge and commitment to see your claim through to the end. We’ll secure the best possible outcome.

The carpal tunnel is a narrow passageway of bones, ligaments and nerves at the base of your hand (in other words, your wrist). The median nerve, which allows you to sense feelings in most fingers (all except for your little fingers) and controls small muscles at the base of your thumb, passes through this small passageway.

Over time, this compression can lead to pain, weakness, tingling or numbing in your hand or wrist. Repetitive, forceful and prolonged use of your hands or wrists in an awkward (non-ergonomic) position can increase the risk of being diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. Prolonged exposure to vibrations can also cause median nerve compression.

When it comes to CTS, early diagnosis and treatment are key to reduce permanent damage to your median nerve.

Doctors can run specific tests (such as an X-ray, electromyography, ultrasound, bloodwork, Tinel’s test, Phalen’s test and a physical examination) to find the root cause of your pain and determine whether median nerve compression is the culprit.

In many cases, the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome creep on gradually and worsen over time. Usually, the dominant hand is affected first and symptoms appear at night, which may cause you to wake up in pain.

While a traumatic accident (such as a wrist fracture or sprain) can cause swelling that leads to carpal tunnel syndrome, in most cases CTS symptoms begin gradually. What makes matters more complicated is the fact that often no single cause can be identified. Instead, a handful of contributing factors may be to blame for median nerve compression. Some common examples of contributing factors in the workplace that cause CTS include:

In addition, certain biological and health factors increase a person’s risk of developing CTS. Women, particularly pregnant and menopausal women, are more likely than men to experience carpal tunnel syndrome. In addition, certain chronic illnesses and health conditions have been linked to higher rates of median nerve compression, such as diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, obesity, thyroid disorders, kidney failure and lymphedema.

In serious cases, surgery may be required to treat carpal tunnel syndrome. CTS surgery is one of the most common surgical procedures in the United States. Usually, surgery is minimally invasive and doesn’t require an overnight stay; however, it may take days, weeks or even months to fully recover and get back to normal. During this time, a person’s job duties may need to be modified, or they may need to change jobs altogether depending on the nature of their work and the severity of their condition.

The 2 main types of carpal tunnel surgery are:

If doctors catch your carpal tunnel syndrome early enough, they may be able to provide recommendations on non-surgical treatment options you might consider, including: