Many manufacturing workers in Arizona suffer repetitive stress injuries after a long term of employment in any manual labor position. And while many repetitive motion disorders are factory related, they are not necessarily restricted to manufacturing scenarios. Any job that requires constant motion responsibilities can result in damage to body parts that experience the most movement. Construction workers are a prime example. Many construction workers commonly suffer back injuries along with arm and hand injuries due to constantly using those particular body parts. And unlike other injuries in some cases, there often is no particular accident that can lead to a workers’ compensation injury claim.

Connecting the repetitive motion injury to employment

The biggest issue with repetitive stress injuries is realizing that they often can be counterclaimed as not being work-related. Many people are very active away from work, and when there is no associated work accident or an accident on personal time, employers can easily claim the injury is the fault of the claimant. Even though workers’ compensation is a no-fault claim situation, employers and their insurance companies will often attempt to deny coverage.

Proving a claim

The worker still must prove through evidence that the injury is due to overworking a particular body part. The number of years on the job and prior reports of problems can help establish that relationship. In addition, seeking medical attention when there is a flare-up is also positive information that can be used in convincing the workers’ compensation board when employers are contesting repetitive motion injury claims.