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Dislocation Injury Compensation Claims & Settlement Values

By Ian Morris | Updated December 12th, 2022

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Dislocation injuries can be extremely painful and visibly distressing. Accounting for almost 5% of A&E attendances, the most commonly dislocated joint is the shoulder, often as a result of a fall from height or slip on a wet floor. However, other joints that can be dislocated include the jaw, elbow, ankle, knees, fingers, hips and toes.

Common causes of dislocation injuries

Dislocation injuries are commonly associated with falling or slipping. At Direct2Compensation, the majority of our dislocation claimants have sustained their injury as a result of a fall from height. For example, from a ladder or stool, or after slipping on a wet floor surface or tripping on a hazardous footpath or object on the ground.

The dislocation occurs when there is an abnormal separation of a joint, usually as a result of excessive force. Any person falling from height may sustain a dislocation to the shoulder, elbow or knee as they hit the floor. Typically, those who suffer a dislocation after slipping or tripping sustain the injury to the knee or ankle joint.

Dislocations to the fingers are often associated with faulty machinery in the workplace, and with swinging doors that are not fitted with soft close mechanisms or warning signage.

Dislocation injury symptoms

Any person who has suffered a dislocation injury will report that it was extremely painful and very distressing. They can be complex and will require the attention of medical professionals to ensure that the dislocated joint is correctly and safely returned in to the correct position.

Most dislocation injuries can be treated with pain relief and simple manipulation by medical professionals. However, in more serious cases surgery can be required in order to rectify the damage.

Common symptoms associated with dislocation injuries include:

Swelling of the dislocated joint
Loss of range of movement
Limited mobility
Loss of independence
Ligament and soft tissue damage
Weakness of the joint with recurrent dislocations possible

Who can claim dislocation injury compensation?

Any person who believes that their dislocation injury can be attributed to the negligence of others, such as an employer, business or local authority ,has a right to make a claim for compensation.

In the case that a dislocation injury was sustained in an accident at work, the injured person can seek to claim if they are able to demonstrate that the injury was caused by employer negligence.

If the employer has failed to provide the correct equipment (tasked people with working at height without providing the correct ladder or platform, for example), or provided inadequate training, it is likely an injured worker will have a valid claim for compensation.

In the case where a dislocation injury is sustained as a result of a slip on a wet floor, or a trip on a broken pavement or other hazard on the ground, claims will succeed if it can be demonstrated that the cause was due to the negligence of the shop, local authority or landowner in question.

If your injury was caused in an unprovoked assault, you may be able to claim dislocation injury compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority. Here, you would need to report the incident to the Police, cooperate fully with them and seek medical attention.

Compensation amounts for dislocation injuries

The value of a successful claim for dislocation injury compensation will vary depending on the severity of the injury, the level of recovery made and what associated costs and losses have been incurred. The amounts below are for the injury itself, but you can also claim for special damages which would include your expenses and rehabilitation therapies, for example.

In order for a full valuation to be reached, our specialist solicitors will instruct a medical expert to write a detailed report about your injury and provide a recovery prognosis. They will then obtain expert opinion to provide a value range for your claim.

Knee dislocation

In cases where the dislocation results in minor instability, wasting, weakness or other mild future disability, compensation amounts tend to be between £10,000 and £20,000.

For less serious injuries, settlement values fall between £5,000 and £10,000.

Shoulder dislocation

Serious shoulder dislocations which cause pain in the shoulder and neck, aching in the elbow, sensory symptoms in the forearm and hand, and a weakness of grip, attract compensation amounts of between around £10,000 and £15,000.

Moderate shoulder injuries where discomfort is experienced for several years fall between £6,000 and £10,000.

Where recovery is made in less than two years, settlements range from a few hundred pounds to £6,000.

Finger and thumb dislocation

Severe dislocation of a thumb will see compensation values of between around £3,000 and £6,000.

Depending on the recovery time, finger dislocations may attract a value of up to £3,000.

Neck dislocation

Severe neck dislocations that lead to chronic conditions and significant disability of a permanent nature can expect settlements of between £35,000 and £45,000, depending on how long symptoms last and treatment is required.

Dislocations which cause severe symptoms, leaving impaired function or vulnerability to further injury, have a settlement value between around £20,000 and £30,000.

More minor dislocations of the neck can expect to see between £10,000 and £20,000.

What to do next

Our expert caring staff know your rights and will be able to advise you as to whether or not the cause of your dislocation injury will give you a valid claim.

We’ll talk with you in simple terms and identify the right specialist solicitor to run your claim for compensation on a fully no win no fee basis.

You can start your claim online or , and one of our expert team will be in touch to offer help.

Alternatively, you may prefer to call us and ask some questions to find out more about your rights and whether or not you can make a claim for dislocation injury compensation. If so, simply call us on 01225 430285.

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Comments & Questions

Read on for questions and advice about claiming, plus dislocation injury claim examples...

Hi,

I work as an electrical improver and about a month back I was working in a house, while carrying work equipment I stepped awkward and dislocated my knee which left me in agony. I managed to pop it back in after a few minutes of agony. I was taken to to hospital where I had X-rays and it checked over and thankfully I had no permanent damage. But this still left me on crutches for a few days and a knee brace to support the patella while it heals. I was off work for a few weeks due to this and I’m currently undergoing therapy to build strength up in the knee. There was no risk assessment or manual handling training given with this company that I worked for so I was wondering if I’m entitled to a claim.

The employers failure to provide training for the work you were doing or to carry out a risk assessment prior to you being sent to complete the work in question could well be a breach of duty on the part of the employer and as such, making a claim for compensation is a valid and viable course of action.

The fact that you appear to have avoided serious long term consequences from the dislocation of your knee, you are still entitled to pursue a claim for the pain and discomfort caused by the initial injury and the impact that the injury will have on you for the few months until you are back to full strength. You can also recover compensation for any lost income or other costs you may have incurred due to this incident.

Hi, recently I was asked to clean the ceiling at work due to the business failing an inspection. I had to do this by standing on a stool which I was provided with to do the job. This is only about knee height but the ceiling is those individual tiles that you often find in old office spaces. Whilst stood on the stool I have been reaching to clean an area and fell coming down against an upright wall and dislocating my shoulder. I have been signed off work for a few weeks and my neck is currently in more discomfort than my shoulder however I’ve not had any further medical assessments other than the initial X-ray of my shoulder.

Is this my own fault or the companies as cleaning the ceiling isn’t in most job descriptions, I wasn’t given any training although not at a great height and in my opinion asked to conduct a task whereby an external company should take the time to do it not having to squeeze it in whenever there’s a quiet time of the day.

You should not see this accident as your own fault, but more of a case of the employer putting you at risk of suffering injury in an accident that was waiting to happen. It is one thing for an employer to ask a staff member to clean a ceiling, but to do so without providing the right equipment to enable you to do that job safely is employer negligence and in this scenario, I believe your employer is liable for your injuries.

It is clearly not safe to ask someone to stand on a stool to reach items of height or clean a ceiling and you should have been given a secure step ladder as a bare minimum.

We would be more than happy to help you recover compensation for the serious shoulder injury you have sustained. Whilst the hope will be that you’ll make a full recovery, the reality is that recovering from such an injury is at best, a lengthy process and likely to cause long term problems. Our specialist Solicitors will ensure that your long term injury prognosis is understood and that your claim is settled at an amount that will be appropriate to cover the injury, the pain, the long term issues it will cause and also recover any loss of wages caused by the accident at work.

I tripped over some loose vinyl flooring at work which my mangers reported but their bosses would not approve the job after being logged for 3 months as there wasnt enough budget. Upon falling i dislocated my knee cap requiring me to get checked at my local walk in centre and one week off of work. There is a witness to this incident but would i have a case for a claim as this knee cap has dislocated previously after slips and trips?

You definitely have every right to make a claim against your employer in this matter. Whilst you have previously damaged this knee, it is clear that this accident would make a valid claim for compensation.

We would very much like to pursue your claim and I would like to hear from you.

I was lone working in the stockroom at my work when my kneecap spontaneously dislocated. I was left screaming for help on the ground in and out of consciousness for 15 minutes and when no help came, was forced to pop my own kneecap back in and crawl to the stockroom door to get help as we are provided with no equipment (such as walkie talkies or personal alarms) while lone working so had no way of contacting anyone. This ended with me turning out to have a fracture in my femur and a loose bone chip in my knee as well as ligament damage from the dislocation. Is this an injury I can pursue? I’m mostly wanting compensation for loss of earnings as I was signed off for 8 weeks with only SSP. Also my return to work interview was not conducted until at least 2-3 weeks of me being back in my role. Lastly had an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon yesterday and am now on the waiting list to have MPFL reconstruction surgery to stabilise the joint.

Sadly, whilst you have sustained a very traumatic injury and been caused a substantial associated loss, you won’t be able to make a claim for compensation unless the cause of your injury can be attributed to the negligence of your employer.

In this case, you mention that your knee cap simply popped out by itself and as such, your employer is not liable for that. Even if the employer had communication equipment in place you would most likely still have had to wait a considerable time for paramedic attendance and as such, I believe your employer would be able to defend any claim here.

I was walking my dog when he got distracted to another dog in a window which made him run in front of me on his leash taking me with him resulting in my falling dislocating my elbow and having two operations and still got at least 3 more to come, I’m in severe pain, can I get compensation?

If we have understood your description of the cause of your elbow injury correctly, we cannot see how you have any viable way to seek compensation.

I was busy working helping employee to clear work section as head office was coming so I took the box of sugar and serviettes to put in cupboard, a customer call me for attention while I was busy lifting box, customer scream and me want to come up and give customer attention, my right shoulder dislocated and shoulder bone came out, was rushed to hospital and still under medical help as I had to go for operation as tissue and bone split.

Dear Na-eema

You have suffered a very painful injury whilst at work. Dislocated joints can be very problematic and painful injuries and from the experience we have gained in helping many victims of dislocation injuries, we know that the injuries can cause life long discomfort, pain or weakness.

In your situation, I am not sure where the liability would attach to your employer unless the box you were lifting was excessively heavy or if your employer did not provide you with any training as to how you should lift and move items safely. This is known as Manual Handling training and if an employer fails to provide such training, the courts within England & Wales would deem them to be guilty of employer negligence and therefore responsible for any injuries sustained through lifting and therefore liable in terms of any claim for workplace injury compensation should one be made.