Repetitive Strain
Repetitive strain injuries are types of industrial diseases, as they often develop as a result of your employment conditions.
A claim for compensation can be made against your current or former employer(s) and there may be more than one employer who is responsible.
What are Repetitive Strain Injuries?
The term repetitive strain injury (RSI), or work-related upper limb disorder (WRULD), as they are now more commonly known, covers a wide range of conditions which may often be caused or made worse by work. They were first recognised many years ago but have become more widely understood and recognised by the courts in the last 15 years. This has made a big impact on claims for compensation.
There are predominantly two types of repetitive strain injuries (RSI):
Blue collar (factory related)
These injuries mainly involve factory workers who perform repetitive tasks in often difficult postures on manufacturing and production lines.
This work, such as packing and sorting, can sometimes result in aches and pains to the arms, wrists, shoulders, fingers or thumbs.
White collar (office related)
These injuries can be a result of carrying out certain repetitive tasks within an office environment, including secretarial and repetitive IT work, such as data inputting and typing. They can also result in aches and pains to the upper limbs, as above.
The condition can either be a specific (diagnosed) RSI condition, or a non-specific RSI condition (a diagnosis by the doctor due to general aches and pains of the upper limbs), made worse by work.
Examples of specific RSI conditions include:
- Golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis)
- Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis)
- Tenosynovitis
- Bursitis
- Cervical spondylosis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- De Quervain's disease
- Frozen shoulder
- Rotator cuff
- Trigger finger
In recent times the term RSI has become more commonly used in the workplace and this has led to confusion for many people about whether their current or past job has caused/exacerbated their condition or not. It is therefore necessary to seek a doctor’s diagnosis of the exact cause of the complaint, as sometimes there can be evidence of pre-existing injuries which do not relate to work and a claim would be invalid.
However, we recommend that in all cases you speak with our industrial diseases experts, as they will be able to advise you whether you may be eligible for compensation.
If you think any of the above apply to you, simply complete the claim form now, call 0845 6445135, or request a call back to arrange a free consultation.
