Back Injury Claim | How Much Compensation | Lower Back Injury | Amount (2024)

Guides/Back Injury

Back Injury Claims Compensation Amounts

The following is just a guide to the potential levels of compensation you may be owed for pain and suffering following a back injury:

TYPE OF BACK INJURY

POTENTIAL COMPENSATION

• Severe spinal cord and nerve root damage where a patient has experienced extreme pain, disability and some degree of incomplete paralysis. Other side effects may include dysfunction of the bowel or bladder

  £72,620 – £128,320

• Cases which are not considered as serious as the above, yet have certain features which make them not applicable to lower brackets. Where there has been nerve root damage, loss of sensation, lack of mobility and reduced function of the bowel and bladder.

  £59,120 – £70,490

• Disc lesions or fractured discs leading to severe pain and lack of mobility. In some cases, this might also lead to psychological damage and personality changes.

  £30,910 – £55,590

• Moderate back injury resulting from compression or crushing injuries with the possibility of osteoarthritis.

  £22,130 – £30,910

  See Also

  Tips for Negotiating an Injury Settlement With an Insurance Company

• A moderate back injury such as ligament and muscle damage, including prolapsed discs or soft tissue injuries that require surgery or spinal fusion.

  £9,970 – £22,130

• Minor back injuries involving a strain, muscle injury or prolapsed disc with pain lasting between two and five years, that do not require surgery.

  £6,290 – £9,970

• Back injuries where there is a probability of a full recovery without the need for surgery within two years of sustaining the injury.

  £1,950 – £6,290

• Minor back injuries with a short recovery period

  £1,950

Compensation amounts for a back injury vary widely. This is because the injury can have different implications in terms of future ability to work, walk or carry out day-to-day activities.

Claiming for other losses

However, the figures above give an indication of typical back injury compensation settlements awarded forinjury only. Once they have established you have a valid claim, your solicitor will be able to determine its value. They will do this by calculating the value of any associated financial losses (e.g. loss of earnings, medical expenses, or travel costs) that you will be also able to recover.

Types of back injury

SLIPPED DISCS

While the term ‘slipped disc’ is in common use, the medical term for this type of injury is more accurately a ‘prolapsed disc’ or ‘herniated disc’. A herniated disc occurs when the disc bulges or ruptures and the internal material presses on a nerve or the spinal cord. This can cause extreme pain, numbness and weakness in an arm or leg. On the other hand, many people experience no symptoms from a herniated disk. The majority of people who suffer a herniated disk do not need surgery to correct the problem.

FRACTURED VERTEBRAE

A fracture or dislocation of a vertebra can often cause bone fragments to pinch and damage the spinal nerves or spinal cord. Spinal fractures are usually the result ofworkplace accidents, sports injuries or road traffic accidents. Fractures and dislocations of the bony vertebrae can result in debilitating spinal cord damage. Depending on how severe an injury is, you may experience pain, difficulty walking, or be unable to move your limbs. Many fractures heal with treatment but severe fractures may require surgery to realign the displaced bones.

Back injury treatment

Treatments for back pain vary depending on how long you have suffered from the pain, how severe it is, and your individual needs and preferences.

TREATMENT FOR SHORT-TERM BACK PAIN

Initially, back pain is usually treated with over-the-counter painkillers and home treatments. Most people will experience a significant improvement in their symptoms within six weeks.

TREATMENT FOR LONG-TERM BACK PAIN

If you have had back pain formore than six weeks (known as chronic back pain), your GP will advise which painkillers you could take andmay recommend:

• Exerciseclasses– group classes supervised by a qualified instructor, where you are taught exercises to strengthen your muscles and improve your posture, as well as aerobic and stretching exercises.
• Manual therapy– therapies including manipulation, mobilisation and massage, usually carried out bychiropractors,osteopathsor physiotherapists(although chiropractic and osteopathy aren’t widely available on the NHS).
• Acupuncture– a treatment where fine needles are inserted at different points on the body. It’s been shown to help reduce lower back pain, although it’s not always available on the NHS.

These treatments are often effective for people whose back pain is seriously affecting their everyday life and who feel distressed and need help to cope. You should seek medical advice from your doctor to treat your back pain.

Back Injury Accidents

There is a range of different accidents that might result in a back injury. The severity of back injuries can also vary substantially. Most compensation claims for back injury occur as a result of one of the following types of accident:

BACK INJURIES AT WORK

Serious back injuries can often be suffered by those who are required to perform heavy lifting at work. Under the Manual Handling Regulations and various UK Health and Safety Laws, you may be able to make a claim against your employer if, for example, you have not had sufficient training on how to lift heavy objects, and, as a result, you sustain aback injury at work.

BACK INJURIES FROM CLINICAL OR MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE

Operations on the spine are extremely complicated. If these are not performed correctly, you may be able to make amedical negligence compensation claimagainst the NHS Trust or private hospital responsible for your back injury.

Other Types of Personal Injury Claim

Other types of back injury claims involve:

• slip and trip accidents
• sporting accidents
• criminal injury compensation claims (assaults)
• industrial disease claims
• animal accidents
• accidents abroad

Making a Back Injury Claim

If you have suffered a back injury following an accident you should immediately contact personal injury solicitors with experience, knowledge, and success in this area.You will need to start your compensation claimwithin 3 yearsof your accident. Because of this deadline, we recommend that you speak to a specialist back injury solicitor as soon as possible. They will be able to give you a better indication of how much compensation you might receive in relation to your specific circ*mstances.