Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Industrial Disease & Accidents at Work Compensation
You're working at your desk, trying to ignore the tingling or numbness you've had for months in your hand and wrist. Suddenly, a sharp, piercing pain shoots through the wrist and up your arm. Just a passing cramp? More likely you have carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist.
What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurs when the median nerve, which runs from the forearm into the hand, becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve controls sensations to the palm side of the thumb and fingers (although not the little finger), as well as impulses to some small muscles in the hand that allow the fingers and thumb to move. The carpal tunnel - a narrow, rigid passageway of ligament and bones at the base of the hand -houses the median nerve and tendons.
Sometimes, thickening from irritated tendons or other swelling narrows the tunnel and causes the median nerve to be compressed. The result may be pain, weakness, or numbness in the hand and wrist, radiating up the arm.
Although painful sensations may indicate other conditions, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common and widely known of the entrapment neuropathies in which the body's peripheral nerves are compressed or traumatized.
What are the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Symptoms usually start gradually, with frequent burning, tingling, or itching numbness in the palm of the hand and the fingers, especially the thumb and the index and middle fingers. Some carpal tunnel sufferers say their fingers feel useless and swollen, even though little or no swelling is apparent. The symptoms often first appear in one or both hands during the night, since many people sleep with flexed wrists.
A person with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) may wake up feeling the need to "shake out" the hand or wrist. As symptoms worsen, people might feel tingling during the day.
Decreased grip strength may make it difficult to form a fist, grasp small objects, or perform other manual tasks. In chronic and/or untreated cases, the muscles at the base of the thumb may waste away. Some people are unable to tell between hot and cold by touch.
What are the causes of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is often the result of a combination of factors that increase pressure on the median nerve and tendons in the carpal tunnel, rather than a problem with the nerve itself. Most likely the disorder is due to a congenital predisposition - the carpal tunnel is simply smaller in some people than in others.
Other contributing factors include trauma or injury to the wrist that cause swelling, such as sprain or fracture; over-activity of the pituitary gland; hypothyroidism; rheumatoid arthritis; mechanical problems in the wrist joint; work stress; repeated use of vibrating hand tools; fluid retention during pregnancy or menopause; or the development of a cyst or tumor in the canal. In some cases no cause can be identified.
Who is at risk of developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?
Women are three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), perhaps because the carpal tunnel itself may be smaller in women than in men.
The dominant hand is usually affected first and produces the most severe pain. Persons with diabetes or other metabolic disorders that directly affect the body's nerves and make them more susceptible to compression are also at high risk. Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) usually occurs only in adults.
The risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is not confined to people in a single industry or job, but is especially common in those performing assembly line work - manufacturing, sewing, finishing, cleaning, and meat, poultry, or fish packing.
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tZEFLiExGTNqUUMz
Date Posted : 23/02/2011
My dad got around £10k for having it in his right hand/arm. He retired but still has the condition to deal with.
sue
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CTS Symptoms
Date Posted : 15/02/2011
I had carpal tunnel 5 years ago. The doctor wouldnt confirm if it was work related or not - i think this is the norm due to the many causes of the problem. I had the smae symptoms too - which again, i think are the most common.
Even though ive had this for a long time, i still put in a claim for compensation back in august which has now been concluded. Mine is due to working in a factory - very repetitive and even though i still have the symptoms, i feel i was right to claim.
Bill
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CTS Symptoms
Date Posted : 31/01/2011
Women are three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, perhaps because the carpal tunnel itself may be smaller in women than in men. The dominant hand is usually affected first and produces the most severe pain. Your symptoms are very common. I trust that because you are on a Claims Forum - that is something that you want to do?
In my experience, it is very difficult to get your GP or Consultant to pinpoint the cause of your symptoms (some do though) and it is up to you to decide if it is work related. This may help...
http://bit.ly/e9bqhp
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Diagnosed years ago
Date Posted : 31/01/2011
i thought it was all about trying to prove that the employer had been negligent? Surley if the employee is still working for them, it does not matter when they were diagnosed. The fact that they are still doing that job will be grounds to pursue a claim?
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CTS Symptoms
Date Posted : 29/01/2011
I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome two weeks ago. My main symptoms are pins and needles and a general ache in my wrist and lower arm. My Consultant will not tell me the specific cause of this - I believe it is work related. What should i do next? Are my symptoms common?
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Families of Merseyside asbestos victims secure landmark court ruling
Date : 10 Mar 2011
TWO families have won groundbreaking legal claims to compensation for their Merseyside relatives’ exposure to asbestos.
In separate cases, relatives of Huyton mother-of-two Dianne Willmore and Eastham-based Enid Costello were awarded damages after convincing courts their deaths were related to “low level” asbestos exposure.
Last night, legal experts said the Supreme Court ruling could pave the way for similar claims nationwide.
Mrs Willmore, 49, was awarded £240,000 damages after convincing a High Court judge in July, 2009, that her time as a pupil at the former Bowring Comprehensive School, in Huyton, caused her incurable lung cancer.
Source : www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk
Link : http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/liverpool-news/regional-news/2011/03/10/families-of-merseyside-asbestos-victims-secure-landmark-court-ruling-92534-28311231/
Virgin lounge masseuses sue airline after developing RSI
Date : 10 Mar 2011
Beauty therapists Jayne Evans, 40, and Michelle Hindmarch, 35, each developed chronic muscular strain – including pain in their shoulders, upper back and wrists – after giving intensive shiatsu massages at the airline’s Terminal 3 “Clubhouse” lounge at Heathrow.
Their barrister, Theodore Huckle, told the High Court that both women were “devastated” at being forced to abandon their careers as a result of their injuries.
Muscular aches and pains mean the women cannot carry out a range of household tasks including peeling carrots or “taking the Sunday roast out of the oven”, the court heard.
Mrs Evans, who still works for Virgin Atlantic on the administrative side, is seeking £327,000 compensation from the airline for exposing her to the risk of injury, while Mrs Hindmarch is claiming £235,000 in damages.
Source : www.telegraph.co.uk
Link : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/8366027/Virgin-lounge-masseuses-sue-airline-after-developing-RSI.html
Company fined after exposing workers and the public to asbestos
Date : 08 Mar 2011
A refurbishment company has been fined after workers and the public were exposed to asbestos in a Leicestershire village
Shengxuan Company Ltd was converting a shop in Borough Street, Castle Donington, into a restaurant on 16 June 2010.
Part of the work involved converting an integral garage into a storeroom but in doing so, workers disturbed asbestos-containing materials. This was then put in a skip by the workers, who were unaware of its presence or its risks.
Source : www.hse.gov.uk
Link : http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2011/coi-em-16111.htm