Personal Injury Attorney
Serious personal injuries come in all shapes and sizes. As a personal injury and wrongful death attorney, I have studied many different injuries. Recently, I was investigating a medical malpractice case arising out of an ulnar release procedure. In doing so, I came across some interesting medical literature pertaining to the causes of two common nerve injuries that affect the arms and hands: carpal tunnel syndrome and ulnar neuropathy.
It has long been accepted that carpal tunnel syndrome can result from repetitive workplace motions, like using a jackhammer, typing or turning a screwdriver. Carpal tunnel syndrome can result in significant disability due to pain, numbness and decreased mobility of the hands. Likewise, ulnar entrapment syndrome, which has some of the same symptoms as carpal tunnel syndrome, can be due to repetitive workplace motions. Ulnar entrapment is caused by entrapment of the ulnar nerve in the elbow area. While both of these conditions can be related to repetitive workplace motions, they also can be caused by one-time traumatic events leading to damage to the structures around the nerves that are affected. On the other hand, both can occur spontaneously, unrelated to any trauma or repetitive motion.
Because the causes of these nerve injuries are varied, cases involving carpal tunnel syndrome or ulnar neuropathy will be vigorously defended. The insurance defense attorneys will want to see all prior records in order to see when symptoms began and what the patient attributed the symptoms to. In addition, the insurance defense attorneys will want to take a thorough work history to determine whether any repetitive motions were involved, which might offer an explanation for the nerve damage.
Further complicating these cases is the fact that there are treatments for both conditions. Carpal tunnel surgery and ulnar release surgery can be done to restore normal function of the nerve. These surgeries are relatively routine, but complications can occur. In addition, like many surgical procedures, results are not guaranteed. When ulnar entrapment or carpal tunnel entrapment results in long-term nerve compression, nerve function may not be restored at all even with surgery.
If you have sustained carpal tunnel syndrome or ulnar entrapment syndrome as a result of either a car accident, slip and fall or repetitive workplace practices, you should contact a personal injury attorney, like Mishkind Kulwicki Law Co., L.P.A. a personal injury attorney for advice. An experienced personal injury lawyer will refer you to a neurologist for a thorough workup, including an EMG, to document the existence of nerve entrapment.
