Carpal tunnel compensation claims

What are the symptoms of carpal tunnel?

The carpal tunnel is a passageway in the wrist and the bottom of this passage is made up of small bones, known as carpal bones. The carpal ligament sits at the top. The median nerve, which is the nerve that provides feeling in the thumb and middle three fingers, runs the length of the carpal tunnel. 

When the nerve is damaged or compressed, symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome may occur. Some of the tell-tale signs include:  

• Weak grip: You might find it difficult to grip objects or find that your grip is weaker than it usually is. 
• Aches or pain in your fingers, hand, or arm: Your fingers will likely be the main area affected, but it can also impact on your whole arm. Discomfort and pain in your forearm, bicep, middle three fingers, and thumb can all be symptoms of carpal tunnel. 
• Tingling or burning sensation, or pins and needles: The sensation of pins and needles running down the length of your arm, especially if your arm is in a non-compressed position, can be a sign of damage to the nerve.
• Numbness: While pain can be a key sign, numbness is also an indicator. This could get worse at night when you're no longer using your hands. 

Although these symptoms may be mild to begin with, these can increase in severity over time. 

How much compensation could I get when I make a carpal tunnel injury claim?

Carpal tunnel claim payouts in the UK depend on the individual's circumstances. Nerve damage - specifically, damage to the median nerve - is a complex form of personal injury that can be caused by a number of things over a prolonged period. 

For instance, you might have worked in an office for decades and spending time typing without being provided with wrist support by your employer could have led to your carpal tunnel syndrome. Or maybe you've worked on building sites for years and the power tools have caused lasting damage. 

These examples indicate that the circumstances change from claim to claim and what happened to you is specific to your own situation. Because of that, we can't tell you how much your claim will be worth straight away. 

However, we will work out how much you could receive along the way, and the final amount will be determined using the Judicial College Guidelines.

Your payout figure will cover key factors such as: 

• The severity of your injury.
• The emotional and physical distress that the injury has caused you.
• Whether you've had to take time off work and, if so, how much time this was, along with the loss of pay.
• Whether others have had to take time off work to aid your recovery and, if so, how long this was.
• The cost of the medical treatment that you have received and any you will require in the future.

To find out how much your claim could be worth, you can use our free carpal tunnel syndrome compensation calculator to get an estimate.

How long do carpal tunnel compensation claims take?

There's no set timeframe for how long your carpal tunnel claim will take. The duration of any claim often depends on how long it takes to compile and submit any evidence. How much your injury is affecting your day-to-day life can also be a major factor.

However long your claim takes, we'll keep you in the loop every step of the way. We'll give you updates and let you know if anything significant happens. 

How do I start my carpal tunnel compensation claim?

There are three ways to start your carpal tunnel compensation claim with us:

• Use our carpal tunnel syndrome compensation calculator to get an idea of how much your claim could be worth.
• Use our call back form to tell us a few details about yourself and your injury and a member of our team will get back to you at time that's convenient for you.
• Call us on 0800 587 0344. Our lines are open until 9pm, Monday to Friday, 6pm on Saturdays, and 5pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.

What happens if my carpal tunnel claim isn't successful?

We only press ahead with a claim if we believe it has a chance of succeeding. However, sometimes things don't go the way we expect. Therefore, we work with most of our clients on a no win no fee basis, which means that you won't pay us a penny if your claim is unsuccessful. This ensures that you can choose us to take on your claim and it will be entirely risk-free.

Additionally, you can arrange to take out After the Event (ATE) insurance to protect you financially in case you lose your claim.

Can I claim PIP for carpal tunnel?

A Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a weekly support payment that is available to claim if:

• You're aged 16 or over.
• You have trouble carrying out everyday tasks or have problems with your mobility.
• You have a long-term physical or mental health issue.
• Your illness, injury or condition is expected to last for at least 12 months after it started.

So, if you have suffered a long-term, debilitating injury to your medial nerve and now have carpal tunnel syndrome, you may find that you can claim a PIP allowance.