On Fri, 27 May 2005 20:29:52 GMT, "Siggy"
wrote:

It is certainly possible. One of the most common causes is repetitive work
such as typing on a computer, etc but repetitive gripping - such as turning
a screwdriver or allen wrench can absolutely cause carpel tunnel. My hands
go numb for about a week after working on a project that has a lot of
screws.

Having said that, this does sound fishy if he refuses to follow the company
medical guidelines. I wonder if such refusal would improve your chances of
winning a denied claim case?

Robert

"Tom Gardner" wrote in message
...
One of my mechanics is claiming carpal tunnel. I always thought
repetitive motion was to blame. He does general repair and maintenance
and set-ups, usually with nothing more than a set of Allan wrenches and a
8" crescent. I'm a little leery after he declared bankruptcy a few years
ago after applying for and maxing-out numerous credit cards to get all the
building materials and rehabbing three houses, go on dive and ski trips
and buy his then girlfriend a $10k diamond ring. In fact, he wanted to be
paid under the table for the process...I refused. He's lawyered up and
refuses our medical protocol. It's rumored that he has another job lined
up. I just smell a scam. I know, management is always trying to screw
the worker but I value, reward and love my people...he's always been just
a "Them" but he's been treated with kid gloves because he IS bright and
resourceful but always needed constant motivation. I've always tried to
maximize someone's strengths and minimize their weaknesses.

Does anybody have any experience with carpal tunnel syndrome? Is it
common to be caused by a mechanic's work? Gee, do you think rehabbing
three houses could have been more strain than his job? Or, his Wet-bike?


Carpal tunnel can also be treated if caught early without surgery.
Braces, physical therapy, and changing how you do the process that
caused it in the first place have a very good success rate at fixing
the problem. And doing lots of work as long as it's varied probably
won't cause it. Something as simple as curling your wrists while
sleeping can cause carpal tunnel syndrome. Using an air nailer all day
long can too. But hard work that doesn't repeatedly stress your wrists
won't do it. So all that house work may or may not be the cause. If
the guy really is suffering. A few years ago I went through the nerve
conduction test for carpal tunnel and even though both wrists were
eligible I only had the left one done because the right one could be
kept from getting worse by watching what I do. The nerve tests are a
pain, literally, but do show to a large extent how the signals
traveling through the nerves are affected. The doctor who tested me
was able to tell me where, and to what degree, comparatively, the
effect was showing up in my fingers. This was without knowing ahead of
time which fingers were the problem and which wrist was the worst. My
carpal tunnel was caused by a non repetetive injury that was not work
related but the results were the same. Just saying you hurt is not
good enough. Unlike many soft tissue injuries nerve-conduction tests
can provide non-subjective test results. Insist that this guy get
them. One part of the test involves stabbing a needle into the heel of
your thumb. Then you are told to tighten the muscle as hard as you can
while the doctor moves the needle around in your clenched muscle. So
maybe you could tell this guy about the test. Good luck. It really
****es me off when someone fakes an injury because then it tends to
make everybody suspect. Not to mention that getting money for a fake
injury is stealing. If the guy is faking I hope you can file some sort
of charges against him.
ERS