More Than a Fracture: The Real Impact of Hand & Wrist Injuries in PI Claims

Hand and wrist injuries are often treated as straightforward orthopaedic claims.

However, in practice, their long-term impact can be far more significant than the initial diagnosis suggests. Even injuries that appear relatively minor can result in chronic pain, stiffness, reduced grip strength, loss of dexterity, psychological distress, and future surgical risk, particularly where tendon, ligament, or nerve damage is involved.

This creates a recurring issue in personal injury litigation. Claims are frequently assessed by reference to what was broken, rather than by what the claimant can no longer do. As a result, the true value of hand and wrist injury claims can be underestimated, especially where residual functional loss, ongoing symptoms, employment impact, hobbies, independence, and future treatment needs are not fully explored.

Hand and wrist injuries are functionally unique. They affect almost every aspect of daily life, including work, driving, writing, dressing, cooking, washing, household tasks, hobbies, and social confidence. A technically successful operation or apparently reassuring X-ray does not necessarily mean the claimant has made a full functional recovery.

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Please note that this eBook contains some graphic images.

Drawing on real medico-legal and clinical examples discussed during our webinar on hand and wrist injuries in personal injury claims, this eBook explores how prognosis, valuation, future treatment needs, and functional consequences should be assessed in practice. It examines why imaging and function often correlate poorly, why grip strength and dexterity are central to valuation, and why tendon, ligament, and nerve injuries frequently carry significant long-term implications.

It also addresses common issues that can weaken or undervalue claims, including premature settlement, over-reliance on radiological findings, failure to assess residual function, under-recognition of psychological injury, and insufficient consideration of future surgery or degenerative change.

For solicitors, these issues have direct implications for valuation, expert evidence, rehabilitation strategy, and future loss claims. Cases may be undervalued where the injury is viewed too narrowly as a fracture or surgical outcome, rather than as a lasting impairment affecting the claimant’s daily life, work capacity, independence, and quality of life.

Written specifically for those working on personal injury litigation, this guide provides a practical framework for assessing hand and wrist injury claims beyond the initial diagnosis. It is designed to support stronger case analysis, clearer expert instruction, and more accurate evaluation of damages where functional loss may carry more weight than the injury label itself.

Ultimately, the central question is not simply what structure was injured, but what no longer works as a result.

This guide was produced by INNEG and is based on key clinical and medico-legal insights shared during our webinar on Hand & Wrist Injury in PI Claims, delivered by Mr Rupert Wharton, Consultant Hand & Wrist Surgeon.