Back Injury Claims
Check if you can claim compensation
If your back was injured because of something that was not your fault, at work, on the road, or in a fall, you may be able to claim compensation. We handle back injury claims across the UK and will explain your options clearly and help you understand the next steps.
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Can you make a back injury compensation claim?
You may be able to make a back injury claim if someone else was at fault. The deadline is three years, running from the accident or from the date you first connected the pain to it, which matters on back injuries because the pain does not always start on the day.
A claim is usually made againThe harder question is usually not who was responsible but whether the accident caused your pain or brought forward something already there. That is settled on your medical history rather than on the accident report, so raise it at the first call. If you are not sure whether you can claim, our team can check for you.st whoever was responsible, such as an employer, a driver, or the occupier of a building, through their insurer. Many are handled on a No Win No Fee basis. If you are not sure whether you can claim, our team can check for you.
How back injuries happen
Only one of these four is a tariff claim, which is the first thing worth knowing about yours.
Car accidents
The most common source of the claims on this page, and the only one the tariff applies to.
Get the date of your first back pain on a medical record, because duration is what the tariff bands turn on.
Passengers, riders and pedestrians
All can claim. Motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians sit outside the tariff, which usually means a higher award for the same injury.
A passenger is almost never the one at fault, so liability is rarely the obstacle in these claims.
Lifting and manual handling at work
Employers must provide safe systems, training and equipment for handling loads, and none of the tariff applies.
Repeated lifting over months can found a claim as much as one heavy lift.
Slips, trips and falls
Falls onto a hard surface or from height, where the occupier or employer was responsible for the hazard.
Ask for the incident to be written down before you leave, and photograph what caused it.
workers in Great Britain had a work-related musculoskeletal disorder mainly affecting the back in 2024/25, out of 511,000 with musculoskeletal disorders overall.
A back injury at work is valued differently
None of the road traffic tariff applies to a workplace back injury, so it is assessed against the Judicial College Guidelines with no cap on the pain and suffering figure.
The evidence is different too. Instead of a police reference and vehicle photographs, the claim turns on the risk assessment, the training record and the equipment you were given.
Types of back injury you can claim for
Where the injury sits on your spine changes the medical evidence, and often changes whether the tariff applies.
Lower back, the lumbar spine
Five vertebrae in the small of the back, and the part of the spine most people mean when they say lower back pain.
A lumbar soft tissue injury from a car accident falls inside the section 1 definition, so the tariff applies unless one of the four exceptions above does. A lumbar fracture does not.
Mid back, the thoracic spine
Twelve vertebrae, each attached to a pair of ribs, which is what makes this region different for a claim.
If a rib was fractured as well, the connected-injury exception may take the whole claim out of the tariff, so mention the rib even if it has healed. Ask for a copy of any imaging that was taken at the time.
Neck and upper spine, the cervical spine
Seven vertebrae, and the same statutory definition applies, so a cervical soft tissue injury from a car accident is a tariff claim on the same terms as a lumbar one.
Where the neck and the back are both hurt in the same accident, the tariff pays one amount for that occasion rather than one for each.
Slipped or herniated disc
The disc between two vertebrae bulges and presses on a nerve.
The date your symptoms were first written down decides more of this claim than anything else, so the first GP or A and E record matters here more than in any other back injury. If a scan was arranged, ask for the report as well as the images.
Sciatica and nerve pain
Pain, numbness or weakness running from the lower back down the leg.
Report every symptom that has persisted, including the ones you have adapted around, because the expert records what you describe to them. Say how far the pain travels and what it stops you doing, rather than only that your back hurts.
Fractured vertebrae, sometimes called a broken back
Outside the tariff, assessed against the Judicial College Guidelines, and evidenced by imaging rather than by a GP note.
A fracture alongside a back sprain also pulls the sprain out of the tariff under the connected-injury exception. Keep any letter confirming the fracture, because it is the document that settles which valuation system applies.
Spinal cord injury
Permanent loss of movement or sensation below the level of the injury. These claims cover care, adaptations and lost earnings for the rest of your life, and they run for years rather than months.
Tell us which of these describes your injury and we will tell you which valuation system you are in before you commit to anything.
Why a car accident back injury may pay less than you expect
Since 31 May 2021, a soft tissue injury to the back caused by a road accident has been valued by a fixed government tariff rather than by a judge weighing your individual case.
Section 1 of the Civil Liability Act 2018 defines a whiplash injury as an injury of soft tissue in the neck, back or shoulder. Back sits inside that definition, so a strained or sprained back from a car accident is a whiplash claim in law even if nobody has used that word to you.
A court can add up to 20% under regulation 3, but only where the injury is exceptionally severe or your own circumstances are exceptional. That is a narrow statutory test, not a negotiating position.
The tariff covers pain and suffering alone. Lost earnings, treatment and care are claimed on top and are not capped by it.
The bands run in three-month steps, so the gap between an injury lasting eleven months and one lasting thirteen is £720.
Which band you fall into is decided by the medical report, not by how you feel on the day you call. We instruct the expert and we tell them what to examine.
Where the tariff applies, these are the amounts
| How long the injury lasts | Tariff | With minor psychological injury |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 months | £240 | £260 |
| 3 to 6 months | £495 | £520 |
| 6 to 9 months | £840 | £895 |
| 9 to 12 months | £1,320 | £1,390 |
| 12 to 15 months | £2,040 | £2,125 |
| 15 to 18 months | £3,005 | £3,100 |
| 18 to 24 months | £4,215 | £4,345 |
Reasons your claim may be worth far more than the tariff
You may be eligible to claim if your injury was caused by an employer’s, driver’s, or another party’s negligence.
Your injury lasted more than two years
Section 3 of the Civil Liability Act 2018 applies the tariff only where the duration does not exceed, and is not likely to exceed, two years.
Past that, your claim is valued against the Judicial College Guidelines, where back injury brackets reach six figures. Nothing about the injury has changed at that point. The valuation system has.
You broke something as well
Section 1(3) excludes a soft tissue injury that is part of or connected to another injury which is not itself a soft tissue neck, back or shoulder injury. A back sprain alongside a fractured vertebra or a broken rib is not a tariff claim.
List every injury you suffered, including ones that healed first, because this exception is the one people lose by staying quiet about.
You were on a motorbikeand poor conditions
Section 1(4) applies the tariff to someone using or carried in a motor vehicle other than a motor cycle. Motorcyclists and pillion passengers sit outside it entirely, and so do cyclists and pedestrians.
For the same injury and the same accident, that usually means a higher award, because the claim is valued the ordinary way instead.
The accident was outside England or Wales
Section 1(4) applies the tariff to someone using or carried in a motor vehicle other than a motor cycle. Motorcyclists and pillion passengers sit outside it entirely, and so do cyclists and pedestrians.
For the same injury and the same accident, that usually means a higher award, because the claim is valued the ordinary way instead.
How much compensation for a back injury?
Two systems produce two very different answers, and which one you are in is settled before anybody assesses how badly you were hurt.
If the tariff applies, the pain and suffering figure is in the table above and there is nothing to argue about. What remains negotiable is everything else: lost earnings, treatment, travel and care.
If it does not apply, the injury is assessed against published brackets in the Judicial College Guidelines, which separate injuries recovering within months from permanent damage and spinal cord injury. Those brackets run into six figures at the top.
A settlement is the two parts added together. On a lower back injury that stops you doing manual work, the earnings figure is frequently the larger of the two, and it is the part a payout calculator never asks about.
Bring your payslips and your sick pay records and the earnings figure becomes calculable rather than theoretical. Receipts for physiotherapy and travel do the same job for treatment costs.
The Judicial College brackets are guidance used by the courts. They are not a guarantee of the amount any individual claim is worth. Our claim checker takes a couple of minutes and carries no obligation.
Evidence that supports your claim
Most of this is easier to get in the first fortnight than in the first year, and one item on the list decides more claims than the rest combined.
Report it and see your GP. Reporting the injury to your employer or in the accident book, and getting it checked by a doctor, creates a clear record of how and when it happened.
No Win No Fee back injury claims
You can start a back injury claim without paying anything upfront. If your claim is unsuccessful, you will not pay a fee for our work, subject to the terms of your agreement.
If your claim succeeds, an agreed success fee is deducted from your compensation. Your solicitor will explain this clearly before you commit to anything.
You will see the full terms in writing before your claim begins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know before starting your claim.
Can I claim for a back injury at work?
Often, yes. Your employer must provide safe systems for lifting and handling, proper training, and the right equipment. If a back injury happened because those were missing, you may be able to claim. Making a claim is against your employer’s insurance, and you are protected by law from being dismissed for bringing one.
How much compensation can I get for a back injury?
It depends on how serious your injury is, how long it lasts, and the financial losses that follow, such as lost earnings and treatment costs. A minor strain and a lasting disc injury are worth very different amounts, so there is no reliable average. Our team can give you a clearer idea once a medical report is in place.
Can I claim if the back injury was partly my fault?
You may still be able to claim. Where responsibility is shared, this is known as contributory negligence, and compensation is usually adjusted to reflect each side’s share of the blame. It is still worth getting advice, as you could be entitled to more than you expect.
Can I claim if an accident made an existing back problem worse?
Yes, this is common. If an accident that was not your fault made an existing back problem worse, you can usually claim for that added harm. A medical report will set out what the accident caused, separate from your previous condition.
Will I need a medical examination?
Usually, yes. Most back injury claims involve an appointment with an independent medical expert who examines you and prepares a report. It sets out your injury, your recovery, and how the injury has affected you, which helps value the claim fairly.
How long do I have to make a back injury claim?
In most cases you have three years from the date of the accident, or from when you realised your injury was linked to it. For children, the three years usually starts on their 18th birthday. Different rules apply for people who lack the capacity to claim, so it is best to check your position.
Check if you can make a back injury claim
Tell us what happened and we will review your details and get back to you. We will explain your options in plain English, with no obligation to go ahead.
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Check if you can make a claim
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Other claims we handle
Don't Let Time Run Out On Your Claim
Most back injury claims must be started within three years. The sooner you begin, the easier it is to gather medical records and other evidence while everything is still fresh.
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