Despite the name, the degenerative joint injury known as “tennis elbow” does not always come from sports-related impacts or motions. Anyone whose job requires manual labor—especially individuals who perform repetitive lifting, pulling, or pushing tasks—is at risk of developing tennis elbow over the course of their career.
If you sustained serious elbow damage as a result of the repetitive tasks you performed over years of working the same job, you may qualify for compensation for the tennis elbow injury and personal losses you have suffered or will suffer. To give yourself good odds of a favorable case result, though, you should strongly consider consulting with a skilled lawyer before trying to pursue a claim by yourself.
What is Tennis Elbow?
Lateral epicondylitis—colloquially known as “tennis elbow”—is a condition that stems from repeated overuse of the tendons that connect the forearm muscles to a bony part of the elbow, or the condyle. Individuals suffering from this condition often experience significant pain in the elbow that sometimes radiates into the forearm or even up to the wrist, which hinders their ability to perform tasks that require a firm grip, like holding a cup or using a doorknob.
There is no strict age range for when someone may experience tennis elbow, but it is most commonly seen in people between 30 and 50 years of age work who play racket sports without proper technique in their strokes. This condition is also correlated with employment in jobs that require repetitive forearm or elbow motions such as plumbing, painting, construction, cooking, and sometimes extended use of a computer mouse.
Mild cases of lateral epicondylitis often respond well to over-the-counter pain medications, ice compression, and a break from the activity that caused the condition. Unfortunately, more severe cases can produce debilitating discomfort and may even require surgery to correct. It is the latter type of case that may justify financial recovery under certain circumstances.
Possible Grounds for Financial Recovery
In addition to injuries stemming from one-time workplace accidents, the workers’ compensation insurance policies that most companies in the state maintain for their employees also cover injuries that develop over time due to repetitive on-the-job motions. Accordingly, if a person is suffering from tennis elbow severely enough to require professional medical intervention can prove that their working conditions likely caused their injury, they may be able to recover for medical expenses and lost wages through their claim.
It is rarely possible to recover for other damages through an injury lawsuit for tennis elbow, as employers with workers’ comp insurance are immune from traditional civil liability for workplace injuries. However, litigation may be an option if an employer engaged in gross or wanton negligence when it came to enforcing safety rules and ergonomic working procedures, or if a plaintiff’s tennis elbow stemmed from conditions they encountered while working outside of workers’ comp coverage.
Contact an Attorney to Discuss Possible Compensation for Tennis Elbow
Recoverable compensation for tennis elbow in an injury claim may include not only applicable medical bills, but also the full value of lost work income as well as additional compensation for subjective pain and suffering. A qualified workplace accident lawyer could discuss the possibilities for a particular situation during a private meeting. Call today.
