You transition a 200-pound patient from bed to wheelchair, feeling that familiar sharp pain shoot through your lower back. Or perhaps you've noticed your wrists aching after countless hours of charting, lifting, and repositioning patients throughout your 12-hour shifts. As a Rhode Island health care worker, these overexertion injuries aren't just occupational hazards—they're compensable job-related medical conditions that entitle you to specific benefits under state workers’ comp law.
Our skilled team at Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum, Attorneys at Law, knows how challenging health care worker strain injuries can be in such a demanding industry. We’re ready to help you pursue not only the quality care you deserve but also the justifiable workers’ compensation that helps you recover successfully.
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How Do Health Care Workers Suffer Strain Injuries?
Due to the physical nature of patient care, there are numerous opportunities for overexertion injuries. In 2025, findings released from an occupational study stated that “The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that health care recorded the highest number of nonfatal recordable injuries and illnesses…compared to other sectors, with an incidence rate of 6.1 per 100 full-time employees”—and “ergonomic hazards” ranked as one of the top three issues.
If you’re a certified nursing assistant, registered nurse, or another type of health care professional, you routinely face difficult physical situations that could eventually require you to seek medical attention yourself. Here’s what many of our clients in the health care field experience.
Patient Transfer Injuries
When moving patients from beds to restrooms, wheelchairs to examination tables, or helping patients ambulate, health care employees often twist their bodies while lifting substantial weight. A patient becomes significantly heavier when they can’t assist with transfers, forcing you to bear the full weight while maneuvering in awkward positions. These transfer situations represent the most common source of health care worker strain injuries.
Repositioning and Routine Care Injuries
It’s necessary to assist bedridden patients to prevent bedsores, adjust them during medical procedures, or help them change positions for comfort. These repetitive lifting motions—performed dozens of times per shift—create cumulative stress on the spine, shoulders, and supporting muscles.
Emergency Lifting Situations
When patients fall or require immediate assistance, workers face additional risks during unplanned lifting scenarios. Unlike planned transfers, emergency situations don't allow workers time to use proper body mechanics or obtain lifting assistance, resulting in acute back injuries, shoulder strains, and other overexertion injuries.
Repetitive Strain from Daily Tasks
Health care workers who spend hours charting, administering medications through IV pumps, or performing repetitive patient care tasks often develop carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, and other cumulative trauma conditions. These repetitive strain injuries develop differently but are equally compensable under Rhode Island workers' compensation law.
What Workers' Comp Benefits Are Available for Health Care Worker Injuries?
The same dedication you show your patients should be reflected in how you're treated after a workplace injury. Our job at Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum Attorneys at Law is to help effectively structure your claim with proof of your job-related condition so your employer’s insurance company provides you with the following benefits.
Complete Medical Coverage
Medical benefits cover all reasonable and necessary treatment related to your workplace injury. This includes, but isn’t limited to:
- Emergency room visits immediately after your injury
- Diagnostic imaging such as MRIs or X-rays
- Physical therapy sessions
- Pain management treatments
- Any surgical interventions required for recovery
Rhode Island law requires employers to provide these benefits without dollar limits, ensuring health care workers receive appropriate treatment.
Wage Replacement During Recovery
Health care workers who can’t perform their regular duties due to lifting injuries, repetitive strain conditions, or other job-related medical issues receive weekly payments equal to 62% of their average weekly wage. These temporary disability benefits continue until you can return to work or reach maximum medical improvement, providing financial stability during your recovery period.
Compensation for Lasting Impairments
If your strain injury results in permanent restrictions that affect your ability to perform certain patient care tasks, you may receive additional compensation based on the degree of impairment and its impact on your earning capacity. Permanent partial disability benefits compensate health care workers for lasting effects that limit their future work capabilities.
Career Transition Support
The state’s workers' compensation program also provides vocational training, education assistance, and job placement services for workers who cannot resume their former positions due to workplace injuries. Vocational rehabilitation services are available if overexertion injuries prevent your return to previous health care duties, helping you transition to suitable alternative employment.
Why Health Care Professionals Need Legal Representation After Suffering a Job-Related Medical Problem
You give so much of yourself every day to care for others—and you deserve experienced legal advocates who understand both the physical demands of patient care and the intricacies of the law. Insurance companies often challenge health care worker strain injury claims, arguing that lifting issues result from preexisting conditions or that repetitive strain conditions developed outside of work.
At Kirshenbaum & Kirshenbaum, our Rhode Island workers’ compensation attorneys are committed to protecting your well-being, striving to secure the medical treatment and wage replacement benefits you need after an overexertion injury. As one of our clients said, “Even though workman’s comp is very confusing, Arianna Stubbs has been more than patient with me. She will work hard for you and get what you deserve.”