Repetitive Stress Injuries
Repetitive stress injuries occur when workers perform a particular motion or repeat an activity on a regular basis over a long period of time. These injuries can occur gradually over several years, or with a sudden onset or intensification of symptoms.
In Minnesota, these types of injuries are often called “Gillette injuries,” named after the case of Gillette v. Harold, Inc., in which the Minnesota Supreme Court first recognized repetitive stress injuries as work related and eligible for compensation.
At Fields Law Firm, we understand that injuries that happen slowly over a period of time can be just as serious as dramatic ones that happen in an instant. Our repetitive stress injury attorneys have years of experience helping Minnesota workers with Gillette-type injuries, and we want to help you too. If you have questions about how your Gillette injury will affect your ability to pay the bills, give us a call.
It costs nothing to get answers to your questions –
Client Success Story
A 50-year-old woman from Princeton, Minnesota sought help from Fields Law Firm after she developed left wrist pain while working in a fast-paced production setting. Shortly after she reported the wrist pain to her supervisors, she was laid off. Distressed and without income, she sought help from Fields Law Firm. But she was reluctant to hire an attorney because she was under the impression that only people with “big injuries” need attorneys. We assured her that we help people with all sorts of injuries and that our primary concern is not how big or small an injury is, but how much it impacts a person’s ability to perform their work.
The woman hired Fields Law Firm. Our Workers’ Compensation attorneys filed a claim for wage loss and medical benefits on her behalf. We also helped her get set up with a Qualified Rehabilitation Consultant (QRC) to help her manage her medical appointments and look for new employment within her functional limitations. Eventually we were able to secure the woman a settlement for past and future wage loss as well as medical and rehabilitation benefits.
Proving Your Injury Was Caused by Your Job
To be eligible for compensation, repetitive stress injuries must be caused by the performance of ordinary job duties. Under the Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Act, employees can also get compensation if a pre-existing condition was aggravated by repetitive, minute trauma suffered while performing ordinary job duties.
Your testimony alone isn’t enough to establish a connection between your work activities and your repetitive stress injury — only medical evidence can do that. Medical evidence can be in the form of medical records, a narrative medical report written by a doctor, or a doctor’s testimony. Whatever the form, the doctor who provides the evidence must understand the nature of your daily work activities and be able to explain how your job duties caused your repetitive stress injury.
How do I determine the date of injury for a repetitive stress injury?
There are a number of possible dates of injury for repetitive stress injuries, including the:
- Date you first seek medical attention for the injury
- Date you first miss work because of the injury
- Last day you worked
A Workers’ Compensation judge will decide the date of injury based on relevant evidence.
Our Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in Minnesota Can Help
The experienced repetitive stress injury attorneys at Fields Law can help you prove the seriousness of your injury and present evidence to help you get the best possible date of injury. If you suffer from a repetitive stress-type injury, contact us for a free consultation. There’s never any cost or obligation to speak to one of our Workers’ Compensation lawyers in Minnesota about your legal rights.
