Sanitation worker’s repetitive trauma injuries merit award
The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission held that a claimant sustained repetitive trauma injuries in the form of carpal tunnel syndrome arising out of and in the course of his employment and found the claimant entitled to prospective medical treatment pursuant to Section 8(a) of the WCA.
A laborer’s carpal tunnel syndrome injury, caused by constant heavy lifting, may warrant benefits as a compensable repetitive injury.
The claimant asserted he sustained carpal tunnel syndrome due to his 10 years of work for the city as a sanitation laborer. His duties included picking up garbage carts and dumping the carts into a truck. The claimant also lifted loose material including couches, refrigerators, and stoves in the garbage truck for removal. He had a previous neck problem requiring surgery and has controlled non-insulin-dependent diabetes. He began to notice numbness in the thumb, index and middle fingers and pain the wrist of his right hand. His symptoms were most prevalent at work. His neck surgeon opined that the numbness in the hand was “more likely related to his carpal tunnel syndrome than his neck.” The Commission awarded benefits, finding that work-related repetitive trauma in the form of bilateral carpal tunnel, right worse than left, was fully supported by the claimant’s testimony and the medical records.
The Commission noted that the claimant’s job required heavy lifting and the use of both hands on a constant basis. He testified to performing these repetitive forceful activities every day for 10 years. The employer presented no evidence to the contrary on the issue of forceful repetitive work duties
