Welcome to our guide about bursitis compensation claims. If you’ve experienced bursitis, then you’ll know only too well how painful and debilitating it can be, but if it happened due to your work and you were not at fault for developing it, then it can be even more painful to take in.
Sadly, many people suffer from this painful condition affecting the joints, but few seek compensation for bursitis, even though they could do. Why? You may ask? Simply, because people are not aware they can claim compensation for bursitis, or are afraid it would cost a lot of money upfront to begin a claim. Here at Legal Expert, we want you to know that there is a chance you can claim compensation for bursitis, and that we could help.
Call 0800 073 8804 to be connected to an expert advisor who will offer no obligation advice on whether you have a claim, or to be provided a no win no fee personal injury solicitor who will be able to proceed with a claim should it be decided you have a good chance of compensation. However, before you do, it may help you to read the below informative guide we have put together for you about this condition, the personal injury claims time limit that exists in cases like these, and how and why you might be able to claim compensation for bursitis.
Select A Section
- What Is Bursitis?
- What Are The Causes Of Bursitis?
- What Are The Symptoms Of Bursitis?
- Getting Treatment For Bursitis
- Which Occupations Are More Likely To Cause Bursitis Or Cellulitis?
- How Can Bursitis Be Prevented In The Workplace?
- Is My Employer Liable For My Bursitis Injury?
- How Long Do I Have To Claim Compensation For Bursitis?
- What Can Claim In Compensation For Bursitis
- Bursitis Compensation Amounts
- Claim No Win No Fee Compensation For Bursitis
- How We Can Help You To Claim Compensation For Bursitis
- Contact Us
- Additional Resources
What Is Bursitis?
Within your body, you have sacs that are filled with fluid. These are located around the body, in order to cushion the joints. It lies between the bones and the tendons so that you are able to move around easily and rotate the joints as normal. If one of these sacs (or more than one) becomes inflamed, then this can make movement extremely painful. Any joint can be affected by bursitis, but the more common areas it is seen in are the knees, elbows, hips or shoulders.
What Are the Causes Of Bursitis?
Often, bursitis can be caused by sports, where a repetitive movement is common for some joints. However, there are other causes, some of which open the door for bursitis compensation claims. Bursitis may occur as a side effect from some kinds of medication, or as a result of some kinds of related conditions of arthritis, such as arthritis itself, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and osteoarthritis. Metabolic conditions can also cause bursitis; diabetes is just one of these. Joint deformities can also be a cause of bursitis, but so can poor posture or walking habits.
What Are the Symptoms Of Bursitis?
The warning signs that you might have bursitis are as follows:
- You may have pain in your joint. This can usually be described as a dull ache-type pain.
- You may feel that the joint is warm or tender
- It may be more painful to bear should you press on the joint or move it.
- You may see that the joint is red or swollen
It is important to be aware of the fact that the more active the joint is usually, the more painful the bursitis is likely to be. Bending the joint at all may be difficult in some cases.
Getting Treatment For Bursitis
There are a variety of treatments you might be offered for bursitis. The treatment costs could become part of your eventual bursitis compensation claims. Depending on where in the body you’re suffering it, you may be offered one, several or any of the following options:
- Rest, Ice and Elevation
- Painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
- Antibiotics – If you are thought you have an infection
- Injections of steroid
- Surgery – in extreme cases
Some people have seen relief from hot and cold compresses on the joints, and others have used splints, but your treatment plan will likely be discussed and made relevant to how active you are and how active you need to be and also will be adjusted to the results of your treatments that have been tried. If painkillers are not working, you may be offered stronger ones. If no improvement then you might have steroid injections, and so on.
Which Occupations Are More Likely To Cause Bursitis Or Cellulitis?
There are a large number of nicknames for bursitis, and many of these relate to the occupation or activity that causes them.
These are as follows:
- Beat elbow
- Beat knee
- Policeman’s heel
- Miner’s elbow
- Bricklayer’s shoulder
- Housemaid’s knee
- Tennis elbow
- Clergyman’s knee
You can see from this that policemen and woman, housemaids, bricklayers and miners are affected, but it is also prudent to note that the same actions that occur in these jobs are also common in carpet fitters, mechanics, construction workers, cleaners, and other labour and utility workers.
How Can Bursitis Be Prevented In The Workplace?
Bursitis is often caused by constant pressure on a joint. In order for bursitis compensation claims to be successful, the claimant must prove that their employer did not take steps to help prevent the onset of bursitis.
Under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act, employers are required to ensure wellbeing and safety of workers they employ, and part of this includes taking steps to prevent known conditions that can be caused by the type of work done. This can be undertaken by the employer by them:
- Ensuring regular risk assessments are completed, and reviewed
- Making sure health and safety training is provided
- Coming up with detailed procedures for carrying out tasks
- Ensuring workers take breaks regularly
- Ensuring the correct safety equipment is provided and used
- Ensuring there is safety clothing for workers
- Ensuring workers’ experience matches with the tasks they are required to do.
If repetitive working practices are said to have caused bursitis, then this opens the employer up to be held liable for a bursitis compensation claim. If bursitis is a specific risk of the job, then the employer must be seen to ensure this risk is minimised by allowing regular breaks and splitting shifts or bringing in machinery to make the job less risky.
Is My Employer Liable For My Bursitis Injury?
Where your employer has failed to monitor and minimise risks, you may have cause to make a bursitis compensation claim. Safety measure such as minimising the time spent kneeling or crawling by ensuring regular breaks, even if it makes the job take longer to complete, must be considered, particularly for those jobs known to have a risk to employees.
How Long Do I Have To Claim Compensation For Bursitis?
Normally, the personal injury claim time limit is 3 years from the date of incident for the majority of cases, but this is not necessarily the case for bursitis claims. As the bursitis may have been caused over a period of time, or you may not know it was caused by your job or the working environment initially, you have three years to claim from:
- Your date of diagnosis
- The date the bursitis is linked to your job by a medical professional
If your employer has since gone out of business, there is still a possibility you could claim compensation. We can let you know if this is the case if you call and tell us about your specific circumstances. And we can advise about your bursitis compensation claims from there.
What Can I Claim In Compensation For Bursitis
Claims for bursitis compensation are supposed to give you a certain amount of money for your condition and the pain it has caused you. But this is not all you could claim for. We mentioned earlier about loss of earnings, and it is important to know that not only can you claim for actual losses, but predicted future losses too. Travel bills can also be claimed for as well as prescription costs, hospital parking, and even a care claim can be put in if you have had to have someone come and care for you if you can’t manage daily tasks on your own.
Bursitis Compensation Amounts
It can be difficult to know how much your claim would bring you, as every claim is assessed on its own merits. However, the table we have produced below can give an idea of how much could be claimed in certain cases (in terms of average payouts). Do take a look at the guide amounts and know that we will happily instruct you further should you wish to call us about potential bursitis compensation claims. Also keep in mind how special damages could add to the compensation that you receive.
| Injury type | Average Bracket for Compensation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Knee Injuries deemed to be severe | £24,580 to £40,770 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Knee Injuries deemed to be moderate | £13,920 to £24,580 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Knee Injuries deemed to be minor | Up to £12,900 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Elbow Injuries deemed to be severe | £90,250 to £122,860 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Elbow Injuries deemed to be moderate | £18,020 to £36,770 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Elbow Injuries deemed to be minor | Up to £11,820 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Shoulder Injuries deemed to be severe | £18,020 to £45,070 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Shoulder Injuries deemed to be moderate | £7,410 to £11,980 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Shoulder Injuries deemed to be minor | £4,080 to £7,410 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Hip Injuries deemed to be severe | £73,580 to £122,860 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Hip Injuries deemed to be moderate | £24,950 to £36,770 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
| Hip Injuries deemed to be minor | £3,710 to £11,820 | Your medical assessment will form the basis of how severe your injury is deemed to be – this does not include special damages though so costs you’ve incurred could be added on |
Claim No Win No Fee Compensation for Bursitis
If you’re a little short on money, which a lot of us are, then being off work can be a nightmare, and the last thing you’re likely to be able to pay for is the cost of a lawyer to fight your accident claim. However, you won’t necessarily have to do so. There is a way in which you can engage the services of an experienced personal injury lawyer that means you don’t have to pay an initial retainer to do so, and that way is no win no fee.
For a long time now, people strapped for cash have not had to spend out extortionate amounts on getting a lawyer. All that needs to be done is a CFA (Conditional Fees Agreement) which is signed by you and the lawyer you choose. They promise to work on your case, and you promise to pay them a percentage of your eventual compensation payout should it be successful. There isn’t anything to pay upfront. A compensation calculator could provide you with a reasonable estimate of what you may be able to claim for.
If for some unknown reason the compensation isn’t forthcoming and your case is not won, then you would not be left liable for a legal bill, as the condition of the agreement that you sign with the lawyer was that you pay them out of the compensation. If there is no compensation then you don’t have to pay. We feel this is only fair, and you can be sure that your chosen lawyer is not going to waste time on a case they don’t think will end in compensation as they want to get paid too!
How We Can Help You To Claim Compensation For Bursitis
Here at Legal Expert, we know the law, and we know personal injury law very well indeed. We have spent years is building up our experience and learning more and more about the field of personal injury law case-by-case. We have a base of knowledge and experience to draw on that we feel is truly second to none. We also handpick each and every member of our experts to ensure they not only offer a level of customer service that we can be proud of, but also that they can be honest, sympathetic and professional all at the same time.
When you call us, as we hope you will, you’ll be greeted by an advisor that cares about the outcome of your case. They will listen to your story in detail, and ask the relevant questions to draw out any specifics that we need to know in order to make a decision on whether we feel that you have a bursitis compensation claim that would end up with you getting a payout. We will explain the process from start to finish to you, ensuring that you are aware of the personal injury claims time limit, how no-win no fee works, as well as answering any questions you might have about how we provide you with a lawyer, whether you will have to have a medical assessment, and much much more.
If you are ready at this point to start making a claim, we will then provide you with a personal injury lawyer would experience in this area of the law. If you are not ready, then we will not push you into making a claim at any point. Our advice is free and it does not come with any type of obligation to use our service. Sometimes clients call us ask the relevant questions and then go away to have a think about whether they’d like to make any bursitis compensation claims. Sometimes clients are ready to go ahead straight away. Either way, we won’t begin until you are ready, and we don’t force you to take our advice.
Contact Us
Wherever you are in the UK, and however severe the bursitis you’re suffering is, we want you to know we’re here to help you. Simply calling 0800 073 8804 could be the first step towards getting you compensation to offset costs you’ve had to bear from your time off work, or child care you’ve had to pay for when you’ve been unable to take care of your children through the condition. If your employer is liable, and you’ve suffered the pain of bursitis, that call could be the best decision you make today. Why not give us a try and join thousands of successful claimants that rate our service highly.
Additional Resources
You might want to do a little extra reading to find out more about the condition, health and safety at work and more. If you do, some of the resources below might help!
Work-related illness – A more general guide to work accidents and illness
Do I have to go to court? – If you’re wondering about this, the page here should help.
RSI injuries – Learn about RSI claims from employers
Bursitis – NHS – Learn about the condition here
Health and Safety information – This outlines conditions that offer a significant effect on health.
Bursitis Compensation Claims FAQs
What are the long-term effects of bursitis?
Chronic pain and limited movement are amongst the potential long-term impact of suffering bursitis.
Is bursitis covered under workers compensation?
This could be covered by you claiming workers compensation if the injury occurs at work.
Is bursitis a work-related injury?
Not only could bursitis a work-related injury, but it’s very common due to repetitive strains of work tasks.
How bad can bursitis get?
It could cause great pain, with hip bursitis particularly reducing your mobility.
What happens if bursitis is left untreated?
By leaving it untreated, you could suffer chronic pain, as well as muscle atrophy.
What vitamin is good for bursitis?
Examples of vitamins that could help with bursitis include alternative therapies, Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin C.
Can you get disability for bursitis?
This could allow you to receive disability benefits if your condition meets the necessary requirements.
Can a bursitis burst?
It can be burst by a blow or a fall, though this could cause internal bleeding for the fluid-filled sac.
Thank you for reading our guide about bursitis compensation claims.
