Events
Event Information
Remote Event
Wed 06-May-2026, Microsoft Teams
INNEG invites you to this free lunchtime webinar exploring how prognosis, functional recovery, and long-term impairment following hand and wrist injuries can be assessed, challenged, and used strategically in personal injury claims.
Hand and wrist injuries are common in personal injury litigation, but outcomes are often disputed. Disagreements frequently arise around prognosis, functional recovery, ongoing symptoms, and the need for future treatment - all of which can materially affect valuation and settlement strategy.
This webinar will focus on how orthopaedic experts assess and explain prognosis following common hand and wrist injuries, including fractures, ligament and tendon injuries, nerve compression syndromes, and degenerative conditions. It will consider how recovery timelines, residual symptoms, and the risk of long-term impairment are evaluated in medico-legal reporting.
The session will also explore functional impact in practical terms, including grip strength, dexterity, endurance, and day-to-day limitations, and how these issues influence return-to-work opinions and future loss claims. Particular attention will be given to where expert opinion can support or undermine causation arguments and quantum.
Delivered as a 45-minute presentation followed by 15 minutes of live Q&A, this session is designed to help solicitors better interpret orthopaedic evidence and use it effectively in negotiation and litigation.
This session will help you to:
- Understand prognosis and recovery expectations following common hand and wrist injuries
- Identify functional limitations relevant to work capacity, daily activities, and ongoing loss
- Assess long-term impairment, rehabilitation needs, and indications for future surgery
- Interpret expert opinion on grip strength, dexterity, and endurance in valuation discussions
- Strengthen causation and quantum arguments using orthopaedic evidence
- Appreciate how differences in expert opinion can influence settlement strategy
Drawing on clinical and medico-legal insight, this webinar will provide practical guidance on how orthopaedic evidence is formed, how functional loss is assessed, and how these conclusions can directly shape causation arguments, valuation, and settlement outcomes in hand and wrist injury claims.
About the Speaker
Mr Rupert Wharton
Consultant Trauma & Orthopaedic Surgeon
Mr Rupert Wharton is a Consultant Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon specialising in hand and wrist surgery, with NHS consultant appointments at Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, King Edward VII’s Hospital and New Victoria Hospital in London. His clinical practice includes the management of acute hand and wrist trauma such as fractures, ligament and tendon injuries, alongside specialist elective work including arthroscopic wrist surgery, thumb base arthritis (joint replacement and fusion), tendon transfers, delayed fracture management and nerve compression syndromes including carpal and cubital tunnel syndrome. He works closely with hand therapy and physiotherapy teams to optimise functional recovery following both operative and non-operative treatment. Mr Wharton began medico-legal practice in 2023 and provides expert opinion in personal injury claims, producing approximately 200 reports per year. His reporting focuses on prognosis, functional loss, future treatment needs and the impact of injury on work and daily function. He has undertaken formal expert witness training through Bond Solon and is experienced in claimant, defendant and joint instructions.
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