Workers comp carrier in Ohio denied my repetitive strain injury claim after 4 years on the assembly line saying it is 'idiopathic and not work-related.' BWC initial claim filed but how do I actually win the C-86 motion for allowance?

I work at a Tier 1 automotive supplier outside Lima, Ohio. I have been on the same engine block sub-assembly line for 4 years and 2 months, running an air-impact gun in my right hand approximately 1,200 to 1,400 cycles per shift, 5 days a week, 10 hour shifts with mandatory overtime most weeks. In January 2026 I started having sharp pain shooting from my elbow down to my thumb and index finger. By March the grip strength in my right hand had dropped to where I could not hold a coffee mug for more than a few seconds. My primary care doc referred me to an orthopedic hand specialist who diagnosed me with lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow) plus moderate carpal tunnel syndrome on EMG/NCV studies. Both conditions documented as consistent with high-repetition forceful gripping and vibration exposure.

I filed a Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) claim through the state of Ohio FROI-1 in April. My employer is self-insured and uses a TPA called Sedgwick. Sedgwick denied my claim within 21 days saying the conditions are "idiopathic, multifactorial, and not the result of injury or occupational disease arising out of the course of employment." They cited my age (47), my body weight, the fact that I play guitar as a hobby, and a 2019 ER visit for a wrist sprain from a softball game as alternative causes. They produced a paper-only "medical review" from a Cleveland-based physician who never examined me and who is paid by Sedgwick on a per-review basis.

I filed a C-86 motion with the Ohio Industrial Commission asking the hearing officer to find the claim compensable. My hearing is scheduled in 6 weeks. My treating orthopedic surgeon has provided a written opinion that the conditions are "more likely than not" caused by my work activity, citing AMA Guides and the specific biomechanical demands of my job. I have 4 years of personnel records showing the same job code, the same line, and the same daily cycle counts. My union steward has helped me document the exposure but he is not a workers comp specialist.

What does an effective C-86 hearing strategy look like in Ohio? Specifically: (1) is it worth retaining a workers comp attorney for a contested allowance hearing given the 33 percent contingency, (2) does video of my actual work activity help or hurt at hearing, (3) how do I attack the Sedgwick paper-only medical review under Ohio law, and (4) if I lose at the District Hearing Officer level what does the appeal to Staff Hearing Officer and Industrial Commission actually involve? I have been off work on personal sick leave for 7 weeks and my short term disability runs out in 5 weeks. I need this claim allowed.