Workers' Compensation Attorney in Atlanta

CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME

Each year, thousands of Georgia workers are diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. These workers typically have jobs that require them the do repetitive work with one or both hands for most of the work day, for example, line workers at automobile manufacturers, data entry workers, clerical workers and other machine operators. Atlanta's workers' compensation attorneys at McAleer Law can guide you through the complexities of dealing with such a devastating injury and explain what workers compensation benefits you may be entitled to and help you understand under what circumstances you may be returned to work.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common nerve entrapment syndrome. It is initially characterized by numbness, tingling sensations, and pain. As the symptoms become more severe, there may be no feeling in the tips of the lateral four fingers. The muscular ball of the thumb also develops weakness and, if the problem is not corrected, paralysis of these muscles may ensue. A syndrome is an aggregate of signs and symptoms, which together define the disease. The symptoms listed above most often are caused by the entrapment and subsequent pressure on the median nerve in the carpal tunnel. The carpal tunnel is a nonelastic tunnel formed by the distal ends of the radius and the ulna, the carpal bones, and the strong ligament called the transverse carpal ligament.

Women are more prone to have symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome than are men. This is partly accounted for by the fact that the tunnel is usually relatively smaller in women than in men. Pregnancy with its accompanying tissue fluid retention is often the cause of the syndrome. A mass or bleeding in the space may also cause the symptoms. Obesity as a causative factor is shared equally between the sexes. However, the most common perception of carpal tunnel syndrome is that it is caused by a person's work. More specifically, that it is caused by repetitive motions while on the job or by vibration from hand tools such as pneumatic hammers. This is not always the case.

Atlanta Workers' Comp Attorney for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The syndrome is often the sum of many anatomical variables. Because it is disabling for many people in various occupations, compensation is often sought. Insurance companies are quick to inaccurately judge many injured workers and conclude that the symptoms are mimicked or intentionally overstated during physical examination and this naturally leads to litigation in the workers compensation arena. This has often made the carpal tunnel syndrome the focal point of contentious debate.

The principal nerve affected in carpal tunnel syndrome is the median nerve, a terminal branch of the brachial plexus. The first symptoms of median nerve compression are usually loss of some sensation in the skin supplied by the median nerve. Weakness in the muscles of the thumb usually follows as the condition becomes more severe. The median nerve has a long course from the brachial plexus, where it begins, to its termination in the tips of the lateral 3 1/2 fingers. It can become entrapped or compressed at several sites along this course. Often the first sign of carpal tunnel syndrome is a tingling or numbness in the fingers innervated by the median nerve.

Surgical carpal tunnel release is a common and often effective treatment for carpal tunnel syndrome. You have rights under workers' compensation and they deserve to be represented by a legal professional such as that of an Atlanta workers' comp lawyer.

Contact an Atlanta workers' comp attorney if you have been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome. to learn about your.