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 coupled with the most common types of accident which give rise to shoulder injuries.
Thereafter, we explain not only how your shoulder injury compensation is calculated by your solicitor, but also detail average payout examples of how much compensation you can claim for all manner of shoulder fractures, dislocations, strains and pain.
Our article commences with a quick reference table of current compensation payout amounts.
- Shoulder Injury Claim Calculator: Average Compensation Payout Amounts
- Table Of Shoulder Injury Claim Payouts In 2025
- What is a shoulder injury claim?
- What are the parts of your shoulder that can be injured in an accident?
- What are the common types of shoulder injury claim?
- What are the different types of compensation you can claim for shoulder injury?
- Compensation payout calculator for shoulder injury claims
- Summary of shoulder injury claim compensation amounts
- Specialist Solicitor Free Help
- Table Of Shoulder Injury Claim Payouts In 2025
Table Of Shoulder Injury Claim Payouts In 2025
Our table gives a quick guide as to the compensation payouts you might expect for pain and suffering for your shoulder injury claim.
Pain and suffering compensation is known as general damages. However, you can also claim financial loss and expense, known as specials damages.
| Shoulder Injury | Claim Payout |
|---|---|
| Symptoms up to 3 months | £3,000 |
| Symptoms 3 months – 1 year | £3,000 – £5,500 |
| Symptoms 1 – 2 years | £5,500 – £10,000 |
| Serious shoulder injury Dislocations Fractured shoulder blade Brachial plexus nerve injury Rotator cuff surgery | £16,000 – £24,000 |
| Severe shoulder injury As serious shoulder injury, plus Associated neck pain Serious brachial plexus damage | £24,000 – £60,000 |
| Frozen shoulder | See frozen shoulder |
| Fractured collarbone | See fractured clavicle |
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.
Road Accident Shoulder Injuries With Symptoms Up To 2 Years
Compensation amounts for whiplash type shoulder injuries lasting up to 2 years may differ than those set out in our table.
See our road accident whiplash tariff article for more details of how much you can expect and when the whiplash tariff applies.
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. To succeed with a claim – someone (whether an individual, a business or other body) must be proven to be legally at fault, negligent or in breach of a statutory duty.
You Cannot Claim Against Yourself
The person at fault cannot be yourself alone. as you cannot make a claim against yourself. You might. however. have contributed to your injuries and still be able to claim.
However,
To establish legal fault you should consult with a solicitor. In many instances – you might not realise where legal fault for your shoulder injury truly lies.
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 Do Shoulder Injuries Include?
Your shoulder is a complex body part. Therefore, shoulder injuries can include damage to the bones, muscles, ligaments and nerves that make up and surround the shoulder joint
What are the parts of your 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 medically called “the scapula“.
Whereas, the shoulder joint includes two other bones. One in your upper arm (called the humerus) and the your collar bone (medically known as the clavicle).
Our arm injury claim and broken collarbone articles – set out the amounts of compensation you can claim for injuries to the humerus and clavicle. Including both fractures and broken bones..
Rotator cuff
The rotator cuff is an essential part of the shoulder that not only joins your upper arm to your shoulder, but also contains a number of muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Brachial plexus
The brachial plexus contains a collection of nerves, which run from the spine, which divide in the brachial plexus. These 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. Because nerves run through the brachial plexus from the spine into the arms and through your neck.
Reduced Compensation Payouts For Whiplash
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 tariff article.
Lifting and loading work injury claims
Manual handling in the workplace invariably puts a lot of pressure on the shoulder. Both 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 – 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. This can not only lead to broken bones and dislocated joints, but also a torn rotator cuff and damaged nerves in the brachial plexus.
Examples Of Trip And Slips Causing Shoulder injury Claims
For example – you might experience a pavement trip, a slip in a supermarket or a fall of a ladder at work.
What are the different types of compensation you can claim for shoulder injury?
Shoulder injury claims can include compensation for both:
- Pain and suffering for the physical shoulder injury itself (plus any associated psychological injury).
- Financial losses and expenses which follow as a direct result of your shoulder injury. For example – lost income, medical expenses, travel expenses, rehabilitation costs, etc.
Compensation payout calculator for shoulder injury claims
The examples given below are approximate compensation amounts you can claim for your “pain and suffering” only as a result of your shoulder injury.
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. Symptoms will generally be fully resolved within 3 months. The resultant shoulder injury claim payout will be for calculated up to £3,000.
Symptoms lasting between 3 months and a year
Should the symptoms last between 3 months and a year. Generally, you can expect to recover a shoulder injury claim payout of between £3,000 – £5,500.
Symptoms between 1 and 2 years
If your injuries last between 1 to 2 years. Your resultant average claim payout twill generally be calculated between £5,500 – £10,000.
Change For Whiplash Payouts For Accidents From 31 May 2021
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 coupled with respective compensation payout calculations.
Fractured collarbone / clavicle
It is very common to fracture a collarbone in an accident. Therefore, 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
Examples of serious shoulder injury claims, include:
- Dislocations to your shoulder.
- Fractures to the shoulder blade.
- 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 generally result in average compensation payout amounts calculated between: £16,000 – £24,000
Most severe shoulder injury claims
If your shoulder injury is associated with a neck injury and serious damage to your brachial plexus – your resultant shoulder injury claim payout will generally be calculated between £24,000 – £60,000.
Summary of shoulder injury claim compensation amounts
In summary – you have not only learnt all the parts of your shoulder that can be injured in accident, but also seen our 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 not only ask a question and have your claim assessed, but also speak direct or arrange a specialist solicitor callback to discuss your shoulder injury compensation claim.
