If a soft tissue injury has left you in pain, we can help you make a claim
Soft tissue injuries, such as sprains, strains, and muscle tears, are a common result of accidents at work and on the road. Although soft tissue injuries may not always be immediately felt, they can cause lasting pain, limit your mobility and can have long-lasting effects on your ability to work and enjoy daily activities. Soft tissue injuries may require physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and time off work to heal fully.
If your injuries were caused by someone else's actions or negligence, you may be entitled to claim compensation. You can make a No Win, No Fee soft tissue compensation claim with the help and support of a personal injury solicitor.
Key points when making a soft tissue injury claim
- Soft tissue injury compensation can vary from £220 for whiplash recovering within a few months to over £14,000 for a frozen shoulder.
- You can make a claim whether your injury was work-related, road-related, happened after a trip or fall in a public place.
- You can also claim compensation if an existing injury was misdiagnosed or poorly treated, and your injury worsened or became harder to treat.
- You can make a claim within 3 years of your accident.
- Compensation varies according to your injury's severity, and the financial losses or expenses you've incurred. Use our compensation calculator to estimate your claim.
- You're eligible to claim under a no win, no fee agreement.
What is a soft tissue injury?
Soft tissue injuries affect ligaments, tendons, muscles, nerves, and cartilage. One of the most common types of soft tissue injury is whiplash, which is a neck injury caused by a sudden and forceful back-and-forth movement of the neck, often occurring in car accidents.
Sprains, strains, contusions, tendonopathy, bursitis, lacerations, ruptures, crushing, and compression injuries are also typical soft tissue injuries. They can occur as a result of nearly any type of physical trauma.
With over 120,000 admissions for soft tissue injuries each year, you are not alone
123,000 patients were admitted to NHS hospitals in 2022-23 with soft tissue injuries (digital.nhs.uk).
According to the British Orthopaedic Foundation (BOA), soft tissue injuries and conditions account annually for an estimated:
- 300,000 inpatient hospital visits
- 1m outpatient visits
- 3m A&E visits
In many cases, soft tissue injuries are sustained in preventable accidents caused by third-party negligence. If you have suffered a soft tissue injury that was not your fault you may be entitled to make a compensation claim.
If you decide to make a soft tissue injury claim, your personal injury solicitor will take you through every step of the claims process. Your solicitor will be with you until you win your claim and get the compensation you need to move forward.
If you are looking for information on whiplash symptoms and treatment, see: whiplash (nhs.uk).
How much compensation can I claim for a soft tissue injury?
Your claim for a soft tissue injury will be based on:
- how significant your illness is,
- the effect of your illness on your everyday routine and your job,
- any financial losses or costs you have incurred due to your illness.
Soft tissue injury
compensation calculator
Find out how much compensation you could claim in just a few minutes.
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Updated October 2024
Compensation Calculator v3.1
Average soft tissue injury general damages compensation table
The following soft tissue 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).
Back injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | A back sprain, disc prolapse, soft tissue injury or minor fracture that fully recovers without surgery | £2,720 to £13,870 |
| Moderate | A disc lesion, prolapse, fracture or soft tissue injury leading to chronic conditions, including pain, mobility issues, impaired sexual function, psychological effects, a risk of arthritis, spondylolisthesis, and nerve root irritation | £13,870 to £30,800 |
| Severe | Severe spinal cord damage, nerve root damage, disc lesions, fractures and soft tissues leading to serious chronic conditions | £43,020 to £178,590 |
Chest injuries
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rib fracture or soft tissue injury | Serious pain and/or disability for several weeks | Up to £4,380 |
Leg injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Short-term and minor soft tissue injuries | Up to £13,140 |
Neck injury
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Minor (relatively) | Soft tissue injury | £2,720 to £8,750 |
| Serious | Severe fractures, dislocation, soft tissue damage, ruptured tendons, and/or chronic disability | £50,450 to £62,120 |
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 |
| Moderate | Soft tissue injury with recovery in under 2 years, and/or limited shoulder movement or frozen shoulder | £8,750 to £14,160 |
Whiplash
| Severity | Example | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery in under 3 months | Up to £220 | |
| Recovery in 3 to 12 months | £220 to £1,200 | |
| Recovery in 1 to 2 years | £1,200 to £3,830 |
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 | Fracture or soft tissue injury with complete recovery | £6,750 to £11,480 |
Can I claim for PTSD or other psychological trauma?
Psychiatric harm is less obvious than physical injury, but the consequences can be just as difficult to deal with.
According to our 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey shows that 29.03% of potential claimants sustained a psychological injury, 70.97% of which related to a physical injury.
Soft tissue injuries often cause anxiety about healing time, re-injury, and they can affect confidence in physical activities.
A specialist solicitor will consider psychological harm when calculating your compensation. Psychiatric injuries are recognised in the official guidelines for compensation, and the cost of treatment and other mental health support should be included in your compensation award or settlement.
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.
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 is compensation awarded to cover any financial losses and expenses you incur as a result of your soft tissue injury or negligent medical treatment. These damages aim to put you back in the financial position you would have been in, had your injury not occurred.
Special damages will also cover your medical treatment expenses, that might include X-rays, CT and MRI scans, and physiotherapy.
Read more:
A complete list of recoverable losses in a personal injury claim
How is compensation calculated if I have multiple injuries?
Should I accept an early offer of compensation?
Due to the short-term nature of soft tissue injuries, accepting a compensation offer from an insurance company at the earliest opportunity can be tempting. However, in the early days after an accident, it is difficult to accurately assess the full extent of injuries and how they might develop.
By accepting an early, no-fuss offer - known as 'third party capture' - the claimant may be settling for less than they may have been entitled to.
For this reason, it is usually recommended to first seek advice from an expert personal injury solicitor to ensure the best possible outcome.
Read more:
Should I accept a pre-medical offer in an injury claim?
Am I eligible for soft tissue injury compensation?
You can start a compensation claim for a soft tissue injury, if:
- you were injured within the last 3 years, and;
- someone else was to blame, and;
- they had a legal responsibility to prevent foreseeable harm.
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.
Can I claim compensation if I was partly at fault?
The law concerning liability (or blame) for an accident is complex, and varies depending on the situation.
In our 2024 Personal Injury Claimant Survey, 13.99% of respondents believed they were partly responsible for their injuries, or were uncertain.
When fault on both sides caused a claimant's injuries, this is called 'contributory negligence'. In these situations, compensation may still be payable on the basis of a split liability agreement.
Read more:
Can I claim if I feel I was partly responsible for my accident?
How long after a soft tissue injury do I have to start a claim?
In most cases, you have up to 3 years from the date of your accident or injury to start a claim.
For an injured child, the three-year limitation period begins on their 18th birthday, giving them until they are 21 to start a claim.
Common types of soft tissue claim
The most common example of a soft tissue injury is whiplash, usually sustained in a road traffic accident. All road users owe a duty of care to all other road users.
However, soft tissue injuries can happen in any environment, including:
Work-related soft tissue injuries
A further example would be a laceration affecting soft tissue caused by defective machinery in the workplace.
In this case, employers are responsible for providing a safe workplace, including regular checks on work machinery.
Employers are required by health and safety legislation (primarily the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974) to safeguard their employees. Employers owe a duty of care to their employees.
Other injuries often seen in work-related claims include: sprains to the lower back, knee and upper arm; and cumulative trauma disorders, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS).
Read more:
How do I make a work injury compensation claim?
Back injury compensation claims
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) injury claims
Knee injury compensation claims
Sports-related soft tissue injuries
In addition, a sporting injury, such as a torn ligament, could be claimed for if another person was responsible for ensuring a player's safety at the time the player was injured, such as a referee or umpire, and the player was injured as the result of the official's negligence.
Similarly, if an individual sprained their ankle after tripping on an unidentified hazard in a public place, such as a supermarket, they could claim against the owner or occupier of the premises.
Read more:
How do I make a sports injury claim?
What factors affect the soft tissue injury claims process?
The process for claiming varies based on how your soft tissue injury occurred. Click the icons to find out more.
Can I make a no win, no fee soft tissue injury claim?
Yes. With no win, no fee, you can claim soft tissue 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
We are open until 9pm this evening.
or arrange a callbackSources
BOA Homepage (reviewed: 01/08/2024)
Bursitis - NHS (reviewed: 30/07/2024)
Whiplash - NHS (reviewed: 31/07/2024)
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.