Last Updated 5th August 2025. 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 personal injury compensation for bursitis, even though they could do so. Why, you may ask? Well, people are often unaware that they can claim compensation for bursitis, or are afraid of the expense of hiring a solicitor. Here at Legal Expert, we want you to know that if there is a chance you can claim compensation for bursitis, we can help on a No Win No Fee basis.

If you’re ready to take your first steps towards claiming compensation, please reach out to our advisors by:

• Calling 0800 073 8804
• Using our ‘contact us’ page
• Messaging the live pop-up on your screen

Select A Section

1. Can I Claim For Bursitis After A Car Accident?
2. Can I Claim Compensation For Bursitis After An Accident In Public?
3. Am I Able To Claim For Bursitis After An Accident At Work?
4. How Can Bursitis Be Prevented In The Workplace?
5. How Long Do I Have To Claim Compensation For Bursitis?
6. Evidence To Support A Bursitis Compensation Claim
7. What Can I Claim In Compensation For Bursitis
8. Bursitis Compensation Amounts
9. What Is Bursitis?
10. What Are The Causes Of Bursitis?
11. What Are The Symptoms Of Bursitis?
12. Getting Treatment For Bursitis
13. Claim No Win No Fee Compensation For Bursitis
14. How We Can Help You To Claim Compensation For Bursitis
15. Contact Us
16. Additional Resources

Can I Claim For Bursitis After A Car Accident?

You can claim for bursitis after a car accident if it can be proven that your injury was caused by a road user failing to uphold their duty of care towards you. A duty of care means a legal responsibility for another’s safety and wellbeing, and it works a little differently on the roads, as you’ll see in the next 2 sections.

Every road user must navigate in ways that avoid causing harm to themselves and others. As part of this duty of care, that also means abiding by both the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Highway Code.

If a road user breaches their duty of care towards you, resulting in a bursitis, you might be eligible to make a claim. For example, if you were cycling along a road and a driver hit you after they ran through a red light at a junction, causing damage to several joints on the impact side of your body.

Can I Claim Compensation For Bursitis After An Accident In Public?

Yes, you can claim compensation for bursitis after an accident in public, but you’ll again need to show how it was caused by a duty of care being breached. In this instance, parties in control of the public space have a responsibility as occupiers to keep visitors reasonably safe.

That duty towards visitors, established by the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1957, is met by taking practical measures like carrying out regular maintenance.  As an example, the management at a hotel failed to repair a broken paving slab on their outdoor terrace. No warning sign had been placed, and the slab hadn’t been cordoned off. You subsequently tripped on it, badly damaging your knee.

Am I Able To Claim For Bursitis After An Accident At Work?

As with the 2 previous sections, you may be able to claim for bursitis after an accident at work if you can show how your injury resulted from a breach of duty. Employers owe their staff a duty of care via the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. This act legally requires them to take reasonable steps to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of their employees.

This will vary between workplaces; the safety standards in an office will not necessarily be as strict as those on a construction site. So, if your employer failed to provide you with suitable protective gloves, and you suffered bursitis from a hand injury in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you could be entitled to seek compensation.

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.

Employers are required to ensure the well-being and safety of their workers, 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:

• 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 that workers’ experience matches the tasks they are required to do.

If repetitive working practices are said to have caused bursitis, then this opens the employer up to being held liable for a bursitis compensation claim. If bursitis is a specific risk of the job, then the employer must minimise risks by allowing regular breaks, splitting shifts, or bringing in machinery.

How Long Do I Have To Claim Compensation For Bursitis?

Normally, the personal injury claim time limit is 3 years from the date of the incident for the majority of cases, but this is not necessarily the case for bursitis cases. As the bursitis may have been caused over a period of time due to your working environment initially, you have 3 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.

Evidence To Support A Bursitis Compensation Claim

Bursitis compensation claims require claimants to provide proof of their injuries and how they sustained them. Many different types of evidence can strengthen your case, including:

• A copy of your medical records- this can confirm that you suffered from bursitis and how it worsened over time.
• Photos of your workplace- you can provide images of your work environment that show your employer did not take measures to reduce the risk to your physical well-being.
• Copies of written correspondence between you and your employer- if you have raised any complaints with your employer regarding the safety of your work environment, this may support your personal injury claim.
• A diary of your bursitis symptoms- this can show how your condition developed and how long you suffered from it.
• Contact details of other people who worked with you or saw the working conditions. They could be called on later to provide a witness statement confirming your employer’s liability.
• Bank statements or payslip- you will need financial evidence if you wish to recover the costs associated with your injury.

If you’re not sure what evidence would be appropriate for your case, get in touch with an advisor today. Our enquiries team can further explain the process of bursitis injury claims and how you can support your potential personal injury claim.

What Can I Claim In Compensation For Bursitis

Claims for bursitis compensation can cover your condition and the pain it has caused you. But this is not all you could claim for. Please continue reading to find out all you need to know about compensation.

Bursitis Compensation Amounts

Bursitis compensation amounts can reflect your injuries, their impact on your day-to-day life, and, any associated financial loss. This compensation can be paid out under 2 heads of claim:

• General damages encompass the physical harm as well as any psychological impacts of your injury.
• Special damages cover the financial losses caused by your injuries. We’ll look at this in more detail below.

In order to determine potential compensation for general damages, solicitors can use your medical evidence in conjunction with the Judicial College Guidelines (JCG). This publication sets out guideline compensation brackets for a range of injuries. We have used JCG brackets, except for the top entry, in the table below.

Compensation Table

We must emphasise that this information is intended as guidance only.

Special Damages

As we said above, financial harm may be compensated under special damages. Examples of such costs include:

• Loss of income, including future earnings and pension contributions..
• Medical bills for private treatments (such as surgery to drain or remove the bursa), prescriptions, and occupational therapy.
• Transport, ranging from hospital parking fees to bus tickets to clinic appointments.
• Domestic care and support from family and professionals to help manage day-to-day tasks.
• Aid equipment, such as braces, canes, and compression bandages. 
• Ergonomic home modifications, like supportive chairs and tables. 

Keep hold of any documentation (payslips, tickets, purchase receipts) as proof of any losses you have incurred, as special damages need evidence in order to be claimed for.

You can find out more about claiming in your particular circumstances by speaking to our advisors today.

What Is Bursitis?

Bursitis is the inflammation of the fluid sacs (bursa) in your joints. The bursa functions like the shock absorbers in a vehicle, providing a cushion for joints and enabling smooth movement. The swelling of these sacs can restrict this movement and be extremely painful. 

If you’d like further guidance on how bursitis might lead to a compensation claim, please reach out to our advisory team today.

What Are The Causes Of Bursitis?

Often, bursitis can be caused by sports, where repetitive movements are 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 of certain medications 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 source of bursitis, but so can poor posture or walking habits.

Our advisors are available 24/7 if you’d like to share the specific circumstances of what led to your bursitis. They can also provide you with a free, sensitive assessment of your case to help determine if you could make a claim.

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 that the more active the joint is, the more painful the bursitis is likely to be. Bending the joint at all may be difficult in some cases.

No matter what symptoms you have, you may be able to claim compensation if your bursitis was the result of an accident that wasn’t your fault. Get in touch today to see if you can get started with a claim.

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, you may be offered one, several, or any of the following options:

• Rest, ice and elevation
• Painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
• Antibiotics – If it is believed that you have an infection
• Injections of steroid
• Surgery – in rare cases

Some people have seen relief from hot and cold compresses on the joints, and others have used splints. Your treatment plan will be tailored to your level of activity and adjusted based on the results of your previous treatments. If painkillers are not working, you may be offered stronger ones. If there is no improvement, then you might have steroid injections, and so on.

Claim No Win No Fee Compensation For Bursitis

If you’re off work due to your bursitis, you may have worries about whether or not you can pay for a lawyer to fight your accident claim. However, our experienced personal injury solicitors work under the terms of a Conditional Fee Agreement. This type of No Win No Fee contract ensures you won’t pay any upfront or ongoing solicitor fees. You won’t even have to pay your solicitor these fees if your claim is lost.

Our solicitors do receive a success fee when their clients win as payment for their services. While this fee comes out of the compensation, the percentage that can be taken is legally limited by legislation. So, if you win, you’ll have peace of mind from the outset that you’ll get the bulk of the compensation.

How We Can Help You To Claim Compensation For Bursitis

Here at Legal Expert, we know personal injury law very well indeed. Our solicitors have spent years building up their experience and learning more and more about the field. That gives them 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 advisors 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, you’ll be greeted by an advisor who 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 assess whether you have a valid bursitis compensation claim.

We will explain the process from start to finish to you, ensuring that you are aware of all the steps involved in making a claim. If you are ready at this point to get started, we will provide you with one of our expert personal injury solicitors. However, our advisors will never push you into making a claim at any point. Their advice is free, and it does not come with any type of obligation to use our service. 

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. Take your first steps towards compensation by contacting our advisors via:

• Calling 0800 073 8804
• Our ‘contact us’ page
• The live pop-up on your screen

Why not give us a try and join thousands of successful claimants who 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.
• Bursitis – NHS – Learn about the condition here.
• Health and Safety information – Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on the conditions that may adversely affect employees.

Thank you for reading our guide about bursitis compensation claims.