If an arm injury has set you back, we'll help you move forward
Arm injuries (those affecting the upper arm, forearm, elbow and wrist) can cause serious disruption to your life and ability to work.
If your life, or the life of a loved one, has been affected by an arm injury, we can help. If you have suffered an arm fracture, muscle tear, laceration or other arm injury in an accident that wasn't your fault, you may be entitled to claim compensation.
You can make a No Win, No Fee compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.
What to consider when claiming for an arm injury
- Typical payouts can range from £2,450 for a short-term, soft tissue arm injury to £332,820 for traumatic amputation injuries.
- You're eligible to claim whether your arm injury happened at work, on the road, in a public area, or because of medical negligence.
- There is a 3-year time limit from the injury date to start your claim.
- Your compensation will depend on the seriousness of your injury, and your financial losses and expenses. You can find out how much you can claim with our compensation calculator.
- Your claim can proceed on a no win, no fee basis.
With over 120,000 arm injury admissions every year, you are not alone
Although there is no central record of arm injuries in the UK, data compiled by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveals how common arm injuries are.
Data from the HSE reveals there are over 450,000 work-related musculoskeletal injuries a year. Arm injuries are particularly common in physical occupations, such as farming, building and construction, nursing.
120,840 people were admitted to hospital in arm injuries in 2022-23, according to an analysis of NHS England data (digital.nhs.uk).
Some arm injuries develop after prolonged exposure to workplace hazards. For example, Hard Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) affects workers who regularly use hand-operated vibrating power tools. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) commonly affect office workers and those employed in less physically demanding roles, particularly where the work is repetitive in nature.
Many more arm injuries are sustained outside of work, with two fifths of cyclists injured on Britain's roads sustaining an arm injury, according to RoSPA.
If you are looking for information on elbow and arm injury symptoms and treatment, see: elbow and arm pain (nhs.uk).
How much compensation can I claim for an arm injury?
Compensation for your arm injury is based on:
- how severe your injury is,
- the disruption caused by your injury to your daily life and work,
- the financial costs and losses you have experienced due to your injury.
Arm injury
compensation calculator
Find out how much compensation you could claim in just a few minutes.
Check your legal eligibility and see if you qualify for a No Win, No Fee claim.
Updated April 2025
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General damages are awarded for pain, suffering and loss of amenity (PSLA). Awards for general damages are set by the Judicial College (judiciary.uk) and published in their guidelines for personal injury awards.
Special damages are for financial losses and expenses you have incurred because of your accident. In addition to paying compensation for lost earnings, bonuses and overtime, special damages can cover any care costs and medical procedures you need, such as splinting or casting, pain medication, physiotherapy and surgery if needed.
Read more:
A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim
How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?
Average arm injury compensation payouts
The following arm injury payouts refer to the Guidelines for the Assessment of General Damages in Personal Injury Cases, 17th Edition by the Judicial College (oup.com).
These tables are used by solicitors or by the courts as a starting point when calculating your compensation.
Please note: these average figures represent general damages only, and do not include any element of special damages (e.g. lost wages).
Arm injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amputation | One arm below elbow | £106,690 to £121,650 |
| Forearm fracture(s) | Simple fracture to one or both forearms; | £7,330 to £21,300 |
| Amputation | One arm above elbow | £121,650 to £145,250 |
| Less severe | Less severe injury to one or both arms, with onoing disability but good prospects for recovery | £21,300 to £43,460 |
| Amputation | One arm at shoulder | Over £152,160 |
| Serious | Serious fracture of one or both forearms, with scarring and/or ongoing disability | £43,460 to £66,410 |
| Amputation | Both arms | £267,140 to £332,820 |
| Severe | Very serious impairment, disability and damage, similar to having lost the arm entirely | £106,690 to £145,250 |
Elbow injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery within 18 months | Simple fractures, cuts or injuries (e.g. tennis elbow) with no permanent symptoms | Up to £3,920 |
| Recovery between 18 to 36 months | Simple fractures, cuts or injuries (e.g. tennis elbow) with no permanent symptoms | Up to £7,210 |
| Recovery after 36 months | Simple fractures, cuts or injuries (e.g. tennis elbow) with no permanent symptoms or damage | Up to £13,970 |
| Permanent impairement of function | Injuries with permanent symptoms, where surgery is not required | £17,360 to £35,520 |
| Permanent disabling injury | A severe injury with serious ongoing disability | £43,460 to £60,840 |
Finger injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Amputation | Amputation of the little finger | £9,590 to £13,580 |
| Relatively minor injury | Finger fractures that recover in under 6 months, and/or injuries with tenderness, pain in cold weather, or scarring | Up to £5,270 |
| Amputation | Loss of part of the little finger | £4,380 to £6,500 |
| Amputation | Amputation of the ring or index finger | Around £27,730 |
| Index finger fracture | Fracture fully heals, but with ongoing pain, disability and an increased risk of osteoarthritis | £10,110 to £13,570 |
| Amputation | Loss of terminal phalanx of ring or middle finger | £4,380 to £8,740 |
| Amputation | Amputation of the terminal phalanges of the index and middle fingers | Around £24,200 |
| Serious injury | to ring or middle finger | £11,450 to £18,130 |
| Amputation | Total or partial loss of index finger affecting your grip or dexterity | £13,500 to £20,790 |
| Amputation of fingers | Where your grip is severely weakened and/or you are unable to use your hand | £68,680 to £100,680 |
| Finger fractures | Fractures that cause deformity, affect sensation, and/or have a long term affect on your grip and ability to use your hand | Up to £40,760 |
Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Occasional symptoms that have a modest impact on your daily life and work | £3,320 to £9,590 |
| Moderate | HAVS attacks occur mostly in cold weather, and/or symptoms that have required your job role to change | £9,590 to £18,600 |
| Serious | HAVS attacks occur throughout the year, and have a significant effect on your life and work | £18,600 to £35,100 |
| Severe | Persisting symptoms affecting both arms, requiring you to change jobs | £35,100 to £42,640 |
Hand injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) injuries to one or both hands | A fracture or break recovering within 6 months, and/or with scarring, tenderness and pain in cold weather | Up to £5,270 |
| Moderate injuries to one or both hands | Moderate crush injuries, penetrating wounds, or deep cuts | £6,280 to £14,730 |
| Moderate/serious injuries to one or both hands | Serious crush injury that causes impaired function andthat cannot be resolved with surgery | £16,040 to £32,170 |
| Serious injuries to one hand | Amputation of fingers and/or part of the hand, or a serious hand injury causing a reduction of grip, dexterity and cosmetic damage | £32,170 to £68,680 |
| Serious damage to both hands | Permanent cosmetic damage and loss of function to both hands | £61,880 to £93,820 |
| Total or effective loss of one hand | A severly crushed or amputated hand and fingers | £106,690 to £121,650 |
| Total or effective loss of both hands | Both hands rendered permanently unusable | £156,070 to £223,550 |
Shoulder injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Soft tissue injury | Soft tissue injury with recovery in under 1 year, causing considerable pain | £2,720 to £8,750 |
| Clavicle fracture | Injuries causing some pain and disability, e.g. a displaced, fractured clavicle | £5,710 to £13,580 |
| Moderate | Soft tissue injury with recovery in under 2 years, and/or limited shoulder movement or frozen shoulder | £8,750 to £14,160 |
| Serious | Including dislocation of the shoulder and damage to the lower part of the brachial plexus, shoulder, neck and elbow pain, rotator cuff injury, leading to weakened grip and restricted movement | £14,160 to £21,300 |
| Severe | Serious shoulder/brachial plexus injury resulting in significant disability; | £21,300 to £53,280 |
Thumb injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Thumb fracture with recovery in under 6 months, and/or with scarring, tenderness or pain in the cold | Up to £5,270 |
| Dislocation | Severe dislocation of the thumb | £7,040 to £8,630 |
| Moderate | Including arthrodesis of the interphalangeal join, damage to tendons or nerves, impairment of sensation and function | £10,730 to £13,970 |
| Serious | Injuries that impair your grip and dexerity, including partial amputation, nerve damage, and fractures requiring wires | £13,970 to £18,600 |
| Very serious | Including a severed and reattached thumb, an amputation through the interphalangeal joint, and thumb injuries that severly affect the thumb's function | £21,750 to £38,840 |
| Loss of thumb | Complete effective loss of use, or amputation of the thumb | £39,410 to £60,840 |
Vibration White Finger (VWF)
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lesser | Occasional symptoms in some fingers, with a moderate impact on your life and work | £3,320 to £9,590 |
| Moderate | VWF attacks in cold weather, and symptoms that have required changes to your job | £9,590 to £18,600 |
| Serious | VWF attacks throughout the year, with a significant impact on your life and ability to work | £18,600 to £35,100 |
| Severe | Ongoing symptoms affecting both hands, and which significantly affect your daily life and ability to work | £35,100 to £42,640 |
Work-related Upper Limb Disorder (WRULD)
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Complete recovery within a few months | £2,450 to £3,920 |
| Moderate | Symptoms resolving in the course of up to three years | £9,590 to £11,930 |
| Serious | Continuing, but fluctuating symptoms affecting one arm | £16,530 to £18,130 |
| Severe | Continuing disability affecting both arms, affecting your ability to work and requiring surgery | £24,310 to £25,650 |
Wrist injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Lesser | Relatively minor soft tissue injury or displaced fracture, with a full recovery within 12 months | £3,920 to £5,260 |
| Moderate | Uncomplicated Colles' fracture | Around £8,250 |
| Moderate | Fracture or soft tissue injury with complete recovery | £6,750 to £11,480 |
| Serious | Some permanent disability, persistent pain and/or stiffness | £13,970 to £27,180 |
| Severe - Some useful movement retained | Significant permanent disability, with largely restricted movement | £27,180 to £43,460 |
| Very Severe - Complete loss of function | Complete and permanent loss of wrist function | £52,830 to £66,410 |
Can I claim for PTSD or other psychological trauma?
If you have experienced psychological issues in addition to physical symptoms, you are not alone.
Our 2025 Personal Injury Claimant Survey found that 29.03% of claimants reported a psychological injury, with 70.97% of these relating to a physical injury.
Arm injuries can result in anxiety about the ability to perform tasks requiring manual dexterity, depression linked to chronic pain, and PTSD.
Your solicitor will help ensure that any psychological harm you have suffered as the result of another party's negligence is recognised and included in the calculation of your compensation award or settlement. In addition, you can also claim for mental health treatment costs that may not be readily available on the NHS.
Our compensation calculator can estimate your compensation for psychological injuries. Or you can call us on 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor.
Am I entitled to make an arm injury claim?
Yes, you can claim for an arm injury, if:
- you were injured within the last 3 years, and;
- another person was responsible, and;
- that person owed a duty of care to prevent foreseeable hazards.
Use our injury claim calculator to find out if you can claim. Or you can call 0800 376 1001 to speak to a specialist advisor. Find out in minutes if you have a claim.
Am I still eligible to claim if I was partially responsible?
Determining legal responsibility for a claimant's injuries can involve myriad factors.
In our recent 2025 Personal Injury Claimant Survey, 13.99% of respondents believed they may have been partly (or wholly) responsible for their injuries.
The legal term for cases where an injured person was (to some extent) responsible for their injuries is 'contributory negligence'. If there is fault on both sides of a claim, it is possible to pay reduced compensation on a split liability agreement.
Read more:
Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?
How long do I have to claim arm injury compensation?
An injury claim will usually need to be made within 3 years of the date or your accident or injury.
For injured children, a claim can be started by a parent or guardian at any time before they turn 18. Thereafter, the injured individual has until their 21st birthday to make a claim on their own.
What are the chances of my arm injury claim being successful?
To make a claim successfully for an accident or illness, your solicitor must prove that another person or organisation (the defendant) is legally responsible (liable) for your injuries.
If your solicitor can demonstrate that the defendant is liable, and that your injuries resulted from their negligence, it is likely that your claim will succeed.
If the defendant denies liability, then the predicting the outcome of a claim can be more complex, see:
How likely am I to win a personal injury compensation claim?
What arm injuries can I claim compensation for?
If another party caused your injury, and they owed you a duty of care, you can claim compensation for any arm injury, including:
- A fractured or broken humerus, radius or ulna
- A ruptured bicep or other muscle injury
- Tendon and ligament damage
- Overuse elbow and wrist injuries (like RSI)
- Nerve damage (like Vibration White Finger)
How we have helped others claim arm injury compensation
Our personal injury solicitor panel has an excellent track record of winning the best possible compensation for arm injuries, including:
- lifting injuries, including those resulting from inadequate training
- broken bones and sprains resulting from falls, slips or trips
- carpal tunnel, RSI and other work-related injuries
- sports injuries
- cycling and other road traffic accidents
What factors affect the arm injury claims process?
The claims process is influenced by how your arm injury occurred. Click the icons below to find out more.
FAQs
How long does an injury claim take?
What are my chances of winning my claim?
Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?
How long do I have to make an injury claim?
Can I make a no win, no fee arm injury claim?
Yes. With no win, no fee, you can claim arm injury compensation without financial risk. If your claim isn't successful, you pay nothing. If you win, you only pay a pre-agreed percentage of your compensation.
Get expert advice now
Interested in talking to an injury specialist about your claim?
- Calls are FREE
- Confidential consultation
- No obligation to claim
- No Win No Fee solicitors
Call 0800 376 1001
or arrange a callbackSources
Elbow and arm pain - NHS (reviewed: 31/07/2024)
Health and safety statistics - HSE (reviewed: 29/07/2024)
Author:
Gaynor Haliday, Legal researcher
About the author
Gaynor Haliday is an experienced legal researcher and published author. She has had numerous articles published in the press and is a legal industry commentator.