Suffering a tendon injury at work can be painful and upsetting. They could include a ruptured or torn tendon, tendonitis, tenosynovitis or tendinopathy. Tendon injuries could prevent you from being able to work, socialise or participate in hobbies, making them frustrating and even costly injuries. In the guide below, we look at when and how to make a tendon injury at work claim.
We look at what tendons are and their function in the body. We cover the eligibility criteria to claim for a tendon injury at work and look at how such injuries could happen. Next we look at how tendon injury compensation amounts are calculated before looking at evidence which could support a claim. Finally, we discuss how a No Win No Fee solicitor could help you.
For more information about making an accident at work claim for a tendon injury, contact our team.
- Call 0800 073 8801 to speak to an advisor
- Start a claim online using our contact form.
- Send a message using the live chat below.
Browse Our Guide
- What Are Tendons?
- Can I Make A Tendon Injury At Work Claim?
- How Can Tendon Injuries Be Caused At Work?
- Potential Tendon Injury Compensation Amounts
- What Evidence Do I Need To Make A Tendon Injury At Work Claim?
- Claim For Tendon Injuries On A No Win No Fee Basis
- More Resources About Claiming For An Injury At Work
What Are Tendons?
Tendons are a dense type of connective tissue. They are made up of collagen fibres and connect bones and muscles. Tendons allow us to move our limbs, helping to flex or extend a limb or digit.
When a group of muscles, such as those in your leg or arm, contract, the tendon will pull on a bone to move your limb. Tendons also absorb some of the impact on muscles whilst participating in activities such as running or jumping.
Whilst there are different types of tendons, the two main types are,
- Extensor tendons: These allow you to extend a digit or other body part.
- Flexor tendons: these allow you to flex a body part, such as bending your fingers. A further example is the Achilles tendon, which is involved in plantar flexion.
You can read more about hand tendons in this NHS guide. Next, we will look at examples of tendon injury symptoms.
What Are The Symptoms Of A Tendon Injury?
What symptoms you could suffer may be dependent on the nature and severity of the tendon injury. However, they may include;
- Reduced function in the tendon (and affected joint).
- Pain and swelling. The onset of this may be gradual.
- The tendon may be sensitive or painful to touch.
- There may be a clicking sound, such as in an Achilles tendon injury.
- Stiffness.
- Thickening of the tendon.
The NHS has further information about tendon injury symptoms, such as Achilles tendinopathy.
For more information on how to claim for a lacerated tendon or other tendon injury at work, please contact our team.
Can I Make A Tendon Injury At Work Claim?
In order to make an injury or accident at work claim, you must meet the eligibility criteria. When at work, your employer has a duty of care to ensure that you can go about your job without harm. They should take reasonable and practical steps to allow you to do so. This may include providing you with personal protective equipment (PPE) or training to safely carry out manual handling activities.
Your employers’ duty of care is set out in legislation such as the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. When you contact an advisor, they will try to ascertain that you meet the eligibility criteria. To claim damages after an injury at work, you must show that,
- Your employer owed you a duty of care.
- Their negligent actions breached this duty of care.
- You suffered tendon damage or injury as a result of this breach.
Even if your employer has denied liability for your injury at work, you could still be able to make an accident at work claim if you meet the above criteria and can prove your employer’s liability for the accident.
For more information on when you could make a tendon injury at work claim, please contact a member of our team.
How Can Tendon Injuries Be Caused At Work?
There are many different ways in which you could suffer a torn tendon or other tendon damage in a workplace accident. Below, we look at some examples.
- A broken or damaged floor at work could cause someone to trip and fall over. They put out their hand to break their fall and damage tendons in their hand.
- Falling from a height, such as from unsafe scaffolding, and landing on your knee could cause you to burst or rupture a tendon in one of your knees.
- You could suffer a tendon injury whilst lifting or carrying items if there was no manual handling training at work.
- You could suffer an Achilles tendon injury if you slip on a spillage that leaked from a defective machine.
Please note that this list is not exhaustive, and just because your accident does not appear here does not mean you could not be eligible to claim compensation for a tendon injury at work. Call us to discuss your specific accident circumstances.
Potential Tendon Injury Compensation Amounts
Next, we look at how tendon injury compensation amounts are calculated. The first thing we should note is that no two tendon injury claims will be awarded the same amount of compensation. This is because each settlement is unique and will be based on how that person was injured.
When making a tendon injury at work claim, there are two types of compensation that you may be eligible to claim. The two types of damages are general and special damages. General damages cover different types of physical or psychological injury. Special damages cover expenses which are caused by the tendon injury.
In the table below, we look at figures (apart from those in row one) taken from the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). The JCG is a resource used by solicitors and other parties. It contains guidelines on how much may be awarded for different types of injury.
| Injury | Severity | Notes | Damages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multiple serious or severe tendon injuries plus special damages. | Serious or severe types of injury | Multiple forms of injury which are serious or severe. | Up to £250,000+ with special damages. |
| Neck injury | Severe (a) (iii) | Injuries causing a ruptured tendon. This could cause chronic and significant disability. | £55,500 to £68,330 |
| Achilles tendon | Most serious (a) | The tendon has been severed as well as the muscle. This may cause swelling, cramp and restricted movement. | Around £46,900 |
| Achilles tendon | Serious (b) | There has been a complete division of a tendon which has been successfully repaired. There is some residual weakness. | £30,500 to £36,720 |
| Achilles tendon | Moderate (C) | There has been a partial rupture or other significant tendon injury. | £15,370 to £25,710 |
| Achilles tendon | Minor (d) | Ankle injuries resulting in some tendon damage. | £8,870 to £15,370 |
| Knee injury | Moderate (b) (i) | Injuries which cause minor instability or other mild forms of disability. | £18,110 to £31,960 |
| Hand injuries | Serious injuries to middle or ring fingers (k) | Serious tendon injuries which cause deformity, stiffness and loss of grip strength. | £12,590 to £19,940 |
| Hand injuries | Moderate thumb injury (u) | An injury causing damage to the tendon or nerves. | £11,800 to £15,370 |
| Elbow injuries | Moderate or minor (c) | Full recovery after three years with nuisance symptoms after this. | Up to £15,370 |
Special Damages
As highlighted above, tendon injury compensation claims could also include damages for the wider impact the injury has had on you. As part of your personal injury claim, you could include damages for;
- Loss of earnings and income. In order to claim for this, you will need to provide evidence such as copies of your bank statements or wage slips.
- The cost of medical treatment, such as physiotherapy or medication, which is unavailable through the NHS in a timely manner or at all.
- The cost of adapting your home or your vehicle.
- Care costs, such as care in the home.
- The impact of the injury on your social life and your ability to participate in activities, such as any hobbies.
When you contact a personal injury solicitor, they will assess your individual case. They can then work to estimate how much tendon injury compensation you are owed.
For more information on how much your tendon injury at work claim could be awarded, please contact our team.
What Evidence Do I Need To Make A Tendon Injury At Work Claim?
An important part of the tendon injury at work claim process is being able to prove that you were injured because of your employer’s negligence. Your accident at work compensation claim will need to show how the accident happened and how your employer was responsible.
Evidence which could help you to make an accident at work claim for a tendon injury may include;
- Medical records, such as the results of an x-ray or MRI scan. These may show the tendon injury you suffered.
- Video footage which shows how your tendon injury happened, such as CCTV footage showing the accident taking place.
- Photos which show the tendon injury, if there are any visible symptoms or signs. The symptoms of an Achilles tendon injury may include swelling, which you can photograph.
- The contact details for anyone who witnessed the accident take place. Their statements could help to support your personal injury claim for a tendon injury and can be taken in the future.
- A copy of your workplace accident report. This is an important part of proving personal injury claims for accidents at work. It should include details related to the accident, such as information on how the injury occurred.
For more information on how to prove personal injury claims and to learn more about proving your tendon injury claim, contact our team.
Claim For Tendon Injuries On A No Win No Fee Basis
If you have suffered a tendon injury in a workplace accident, you could claim compensation with a No Win No Fee solicitor. If you claim on a No Win No Fee basis, your solicitor will offer to handle your tendon injury claim through a Conditional Fee Agreement or CFA. Your CFA should state that,
- You will not have to make any payments prior to claiming or until your claim is successful.
- There will be no solicitors fee payable if your claim is unsuccessful.
- If you win your claim, you will need to pay a percentage of your settlement to your solicitor as a success fee. The maximum percentage is legally capped.
For more information on how to make a tendon injury at work claim with a No Win No Fee solicitor, please contact our specialist team.
- Send a message to our team using our live chat and claim compensation.
- Phone 0800 073 8801 to speak to one of our advisors.
- Use our contact form to start your claim.
More Resources About Claiming For An Injury At Work
Below, we have included further guides related to making a tendon injury compensation claim.
- If you slipped on stairs at work and suffered an achilles tendon or other tendon injury, check how to claim in this claims guide.
- If your injuries were caused by understaffing at work, check whether you could claim compensation.
- Check how to claim if you were injured while working on a roof in this article.
Further resources
- Find out more about Achilles tendinopathy in this resource from the NHS.
- Learn more about Statutory Sick Pay in this government resource.
- Find out about reducing risks on stairs in this Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Thank you for reading our guide to making a tendon injury at work claim. For more information on how one of our personal injury solicitors could help you, please contact our team.
