Shoulder Injury Claim Calculator: Average Compensation Payout Amounts

In this article we set out: what a shoulder injury claim is; the muscles, nerves and bones of the shoulder that might suffer injury and the most common types of accident which give rise to shoulder injuries.

We thereafter explain how your shoulder injury compensation is calculated by your solicitor and detail average payout examples of how much compensation you can claim for all manner of shoulder fractures, dislocations, strains and pain.

We start with a quick reference table of current compensation payout amounts.

Table Of Shoulder Injury Claim Payouts In 2023

Our table gives a quick guide as to the compensation payouts you might expect for pain and suffering for your shoulder injury claim. Symptoms lasting up to two years – are the same for all accident types except for certain types of road accidents occurring on or after 31 May 2021, which are subject to a tariff scheme of road accident whiplash payments.

Be aware – pain and suffering is only one type of loss you can claim for, known as general damages. You can also claim financial loss and expense, known as specials damages.

What is a shoulder injury claim?

A shoulder injury claim is a claim for compensation for pain and suffering (and consequential financial loss) for injury to your shoulder, including damage to the bones, muscles, ligaments and nerves that make up and surround the shoulder joint. To make a claim someone (whether an individual, a business or other body) must be considered legally at fault, negligent or in breach of a statutory duty.

The person at fault cannot be yourself alone, as you cannot make a claim against yourself. A lawyer is however best consulted to establish fault, as in many cases you might not realise legal fault for your shoulder injury claim lies elsewhere.

For example – you may suffer injury in a trip and fall on the pavement due to raised flagstone. The council might be considered at fault for the accident for not maintaining the pavement correctly.

What are the parts of you shoulder that can be injured in an accident?

There are three essential parts of your shoulder which can be injured in an accident for which you can make a shoulder injury claim for compensation, which include:

The bones in your shoulder

The main bone which is known as your “shoulder blade” is called medically “the scapula“. The shoulder joint includes two other bones – one in your upper arm called the humerus and the other being your collar bone (medically known as the clavicle).

see our arm injury claim and broken collarbone articles – setting out the amounts of compensation you can claim for injuries to the humerus and clavicle, including fractures and broken bones..

The rotator cuff

The rotator cuff is an essential part of the shoulder which joins your upper arm to your shoulder and contains muscles, tendons and ligaments.

The brachial plexus

The brachial plexus contains a collection of nerves, which run from the spine and divide in the brachial plexus – so the nerves can pass into the neck in one direction and into your arms in the other. The nerves originate from the lower cervical spine and from the upper thoracic spine.

Whiplash in car accidents will often include an injured brachial plexus with resultant tingling in your fingers and shoulder pain.

What are the common types of shoulder injury claim?

Your shoulder can be injured in many different types of accident, but some of the most common include:

Car accident RTA’s

Car crashes can lead to extreme forces passing through your body, as your spine is whipped forwards and backwards by the force of your head as your upper body is restrained by a seatbelt.

A condition known as whiplash can develop, which affects your neck, cervical spine and also your shoulders.

The nerves running through the brachial plexus can be damaged as can the muscles and tendons which make up the rotator cuff.

Signs of whiplash include stiffness in the shoulders and neck as well as tingling in the hands. Remember – nerves run through the brachial plexus from the spine into the arms and through your neck.

Watch out – whiplash lasting less than 2 years caused in a car accident which occurred on or after 31 May 2021 have reduced compensation payouts as set out by a road accident whiplash payment tariff.

Lifting and loading work injury claims

Manual handling in the workplace invariably puts a lot of pressure on the shoulder. Heavy loads and repetitive lifting can lead to injury to the muscles and tendons that make up the rotator cuff.

See our accident at work article, which sets out the claims process for work injury claims – from start to finish.

Slip, trip and fall accidents

In a slip, trip and fall type of accident – whether it be a pavement trip, a slip in a supermarket or a fall whilst on holiday – it is a natural instinct to protect your fall using your arms. As you crash to the floor -your shoulder will take the full weight of your fall, which can lead to broken bones, a torn rotator cuff and damaged nerves in the brachial plexus.

What are the different types of compensation you can claim for shoulder injury?

If you have suffered a shoulder injury following an accident, which is considered to be the “legal responsibility” or “legal fault” of another – you should be able to claim shoulder injury compensation, which will include: pain and suffering for the physical injury itself and financial losses which follow as a direct result of your injury (lost income, medical expenses, travel expenses, rehabilitation costs, etc).

Examples of compensation payout amounts for shoulder injury claims

The examples given below are approximate compensation amounts for your “pain and suffering” only as a result of a shoulder injury claim which settles in 2023:

Minor muscular and tendon shoulder injuries

Symptoms lasting up to 3 months

Injuries to the muscles, tendons and ligaments in the shoulder (rotator cuff injuries) with pain which is fully resolved within 3 months, you should injury claim payout will be worth up to £2,500.

Symptoms lasting between 3 months and a year

Should the symptoms last between 3 months and a year. You can expect to recover a shoulder injury claim payout of between £2,500 – £4,400.

Symptoms between 1 and 2 years

If your injuries last between 1 to 2 years – you could expect an average claim payout to be calculated between £4,400 – £7,900.

Watch out: Our road accident compensation article sets out how the compensation payout amounts changed from 31 May 2021 for certain types of shoulder injury suffered by drivers and passengers in a car or other motor vehicle with symptoms lasting up to 2 years.

Frozen shoulder compensation calculator

See our frozen shoulder compensation article for full details on what a frozen shoulder is – with respective compensation payout calculations.

Fractured collarbone / clavicle

We have set out in a separate article – what your collarbone is and the amounts of compensation you can claim for collarbone injuries.

Serious shoulder injury average compensation payouts

Dislocations to the shoulder, fractures to the shoulder blade and injured nerves in the brachial plexus causing pain in the arms and neck. Rotator cuff injuries requiring surgery, but leaving ongoing shoulder pain symptoms.

These types of severe shoulder injury – will lead to average compensation payout amounts of between: £13,000 – £19,000

Most severe shoulder injury claims

If your shoulder injury is associated with a neck injury and serious damage to your brachial plexus – you can expect a shoulder injury claim payout of between £19,000 – £48,000.

Summary of shoulder injury claim compensation amounts

In this article you have seen all the parts of your shoulder that can be injured with quick reference table of average compensation payouts – followed by more detailed calculations for all manner of severity of shoulder injury.

Specialist Solicitor Free Help

See our specialist solicitor free help – you can ask an online question, have your claim assessed or arrange a specialist solicitor callback to discuss your shoulder injury compensation claim.