Fact Checked Types Of Injuries Covered Under Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation
Last updated on July 31, 2025
Injuries can happen in any career, from health care workers in the patient room to forklift operators in a factory. All types of injuries occur (from the severe to the mundane): occupational workplace exposure; occupational neck, back, shoulder, knee or hip injuries through repetitive motion; slip and fall; workplace facilities; or injuries from heavy lifting and twisting. When you have experienced a work-related injury or have questions about the law, that is when you need an attorney experienced in workers’ compensation law.
At Domer Law, S.C., we literally wrote the book on Wisconsin workers’ compensation law. We have helped thousands of injured workers, and we can help you, too. Our father-son team of attorneys will relentlessly pursue compensation for you. Contact the work injury lawyers at Domer Law, S.C., today for a free consultation.
How Is A Work Injury Defined Under Wisconsin Law?
“To be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, an employee must sustain an injury arising out of employment. ‘Injury’ means mental or physical harm to an employee caused by accident or disease. Injury can be physical or mental. Physical injuries can be directly caused by an accident (a trip or fall breaking an arm, for example) or by an accident causing precipitation, aggravation and acceleration of a preexisting condition beyond normal progression. Physical injuries can also be caused by occupational exposure (not a single accident) and are then categorized as an occupational disease.” – Tom Domer and Charles Domer, from “Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation Law”
Common Work Injuries Covered In Wisconsin
Workplace injuries can range from repetitive stress injuries like occupational back injuries with surgery or knee injuries that require knee replacement surgery to serious bodily injuries like paralysis or even death. Some common causes of work injuries include:
- A slip-and-fall or trip-and-fall
- Lifting and reaching
- Pulling and pushing activities
- On-the-job motor vehicle injuries
- Machine malfunctions
- Lifting or catching falling patients
- Ladder or scaffolding falls
- Chemical, smoke, viral, or dust/silica exposure
- Any kind of repetitive motion
We also help professional athletes who have been injured as a result of their sport through the challenges of their workers’ compensation claim.
Traumatic Injuries
Traumatic injuries as those resulting from a specific, identifiable accident or event that occurs during your workday. These injuries happen suddenly and typically have a clear cause that can be pinpointed to an exact moment in time. Falls from heights, cuts from machinery, fractures from equipment malfunctions, burns from chemical spills and sprains from lifting accidents all fall into this category.
In Wisconsin’s diverse industrial landscape, we see traumatic injuries across all sectors. Construction workers face risks from scaffolding collapses and tool-related accidents. Factory employees encounter dangers from heavy machinery and conveyor belt incidents. Even office workers experience traumatic injuries through slip and falls in parking lots or stairwells. Many workers drive as part of their duties (delivery drivers, over-the-road truckers, sales), and motor vehicle accidents suffered while on the job are covered under Wisconsin law. The immediate nature of these injuries often makes them easier to document and prove for workers’ compensation claims.
Occupational Diseases
This terminology can be a misnomer, as occupational disease claims also include repetitive lifting injuries. Broadly defined, this category of injuries is the manifestation of a worker’s job duties over a period of time (which can be as little as a few hours of repetitive/awkward motions and as long as 30-40 years in a specific job or field). It is more difficult to prove claims for these injuries because you cannot point to one specific event as the cause. The result is that denied claims are more common for this type of injury.
If you have lower back or neck injuries, knee, hip, or shoulder injuries requiring joint replacements, or other repetitive stress issues, our lawyers can help. We even resolve cases in which preexisting conditions are involved.
Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs)
Repetitive strain injuries develop gradually over time due to repetitive motions, awkward postures or sustained force applied to specific body parts. Unlike traumatic injuries, RSIs are often less obvious but equally debilitating. Tendonitis from repetitive assembly line work, need for shoulder replacement from constant/repetitive stocking, and chronic back pain from frequent lifting all represent common RSIs we handle.
Wisconsin’s workforce faces unique RSI challenges. Manufacturing employees suffer shoulder and back injuries from repetitive assembly tasks. Office workers develop neck problems from prolonged computer use. Health care workers experience back strain from patient lifting and transfers. These injuries can be particularly challenging because they develop slowly and may not immediately appear work-related. A worker needs a physician to support that their repetitive strain was a material, contributory, causative factor in the onset or progression of their condition—a standard most physicians are willing to support.
Psychological Injuries
We also represent workers who suffer psychological injuries resulting from traumatic workplace events or chronic workplace stress. Post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression potentially can qualify for workers’ compensation coverage under specific circumstances. However, Wisconsin maintains stricter criteria for psychological injury claims compared to physical injuries. (Note that certain first responders—like police officers and firefighters have different standards for PTSD claims).
These cases require careful documentation and professional legal guidance to establish the connection between workplace conditions and psychological harm. We work closely with mental health professionals to build compelling cases for our clients.
Aggravation Of Preexisting Conditions
Many workers think they do not qualify for worker’s compensation benefits if they have a pre-existing condition. This is not the case. We often have to educate injured workers that a pre-existing condition does not defeat a claim—the worker’s compensation law is set up in favor of the injured worker.
Specifically, if your work injury aggravates or accelerates a preexisting condition, you may still qualify for workers’ compensation benefits in Wisconsin. For example, if you have a prior back injury that becomes significantly worse after a workplace fall, the aggravation can be covered. Similarly, pre-existing arthritis that worsens due to repetitive work tasks may qualify for benefits.
For example, even if a worker might have need a knee replacement at some point in their life, if a workplace trauma aggravates a pre-existing knee condition and requires the worker to undergo a knee replacement sooner than they otherwise would have, the claim is likely compensable—allowing the injured worker to pursue the claim.
These cases present unique complexities because we must demonstrate how workplace activities specifically contributed to the worsening of your condition beyond its natural progression.
What If Your Injury Is Not “Obvious”? Proving Your Claim.
Not all work injuries result from clear-cut accidents with obvious causes. We understand the challenges workers face when proving less obvious claims like repetitive strain injuries, occupational diseases or psychological injuries. Insurance companies often scrutinize these claims more heavily and may initially deny coverage.
Medical evidence plays a crucial role in establishing these connections. We help gather comprehensive medical documentation, work with treating physicians to establish causation and coordinate with medical professionals who can provide testimony linking your condition to workplace activities. Our approach involves building a thorough case that demonstrates how your work duties directly contributed to your injury or illness, even when the connection may not be immediately apparent to insurers or employers.
Contact A Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation Injury Law Firm
Attorney assistance with these claims can help overturn an insurance carrier’s denial. If you are suffering from a workplace injury, you need a lawyer who knows these injuries and the medical treatments involved and understands how workers’ compensation law works. You need Domer Law, S.C.
If you have suffered an injury or are being treated for an injury, focus on healing, not on fighting for your claims. Let us help. Located in Milwaukee and Waukesha, we assist injured workers throughout Wisconsin. Call 414-279-2647 or contact us online.