The impact of any upper limb injury can be considerable because we require the use of our arms and hands for almost all day-to-day activities; such as personal care, household chores, working, using a computer, driving etc.

The term ‘upper limb injury’ refers to injuries to the shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists and hands (including fingers and thumbs). These can range from sprains and ligament damage, to broken and fractured bones, and amputations. If the injury was not your fault, you can make an upper limb injury claim and receive the compensation you deserve.

Common upper limb injuries include:

• Hand or wrist fractures: can result from the force from a sports injury, a fall or from a road traffic accident. A fracture can result in significant loss of movement in the hand and wrist.

• Hand or wrist sprains: A sprain is the result of the stretching or tearing of ligaments. It can involve pain, swelling, loss of mobility and bruising in the hand and wrist.

• Carpal tunnel syndrome: This is very common amongst office workers and people who have jobs which involve repetitive hand movements. It causes a compression of the median nerve in the wrist, leading to pain, numbness and pins and needles.

• Tennis elbow: Involves pain and discomfort in the forearm, due to repeated bending and flexing of the muscles.

• Rotator cuff syndrome: The tearing of muscles and tendons around the shoulder. This can be caused by heavy lifting and pulling.

• Limb Amputation: If you have suffered catastrophic injuries this may result in amputation.

Where the injury is minor, say a soft tissue injury such as a sprained wrist or strained shoulder, then recovery could be relatively quick, perhaps lasting no more than a few weeks or months and causing little disruption.

A more serious injury, such as a broken hand, wrist or elbow, may require surgery, immobilisation in plaster, and a course of physiotherapy before a full recovery is achieved. Even without complications the recovery period could be lengthy, say several months to a year, and may require a period of absence from work.

A life-changing injury, such as a limb amputation, will require specialist intervention and treatment. In addition, there may need to be adaptations to your home, your car and your place of work as a result.

The length of time it takes to settle upper limb injury claims depends on 3 factors; whether the other party admits they were at fault, the severity of your injuries, and the amount and complexity of your losses and expenses. A straightforward upper limb injury claim can be settled within 3 months, but more serious upper limb injury claims may take longer.