Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) Claims

Repetitive strain injuries build up gradually from repeated movements, sustained awkward postures, poorly set-up workstations, or vibrating tools. Because there is no single accident, workers often don’t realise they can claim — but where your employer failed to assess and manage an obvious repetitive-strain risk, you may be entitled to compensation.

Common Conditions

• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Tendonitis and tenosynovitis in the wrist and forearm
• Tennis and golfer’s elbow (epicondylitis)
• Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff tendon problems
• Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and vibration white finger
• Chronic work-related upper limb disorders

Common Causes

• No display screen equipment (DSE) or workstation assessment for regular screen users
• Repetitive assembly, packing, picking or keyboard work with no job rotation or breaks
• Repeated overhead reaching or lifting, such as stocking high shelves or overhead assembly
• Tasks or workstations that force a sustained, unnatural arm or wrist posture
• Heavy use of vibrating tools without monitoring exposure under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005

Employers must assess repetitive-task risks and take reasonably practicable steps to reduce them — job rotation, ergonomic equipment, adjusted work rates and better task design. That doesn’t make every employer with repetitive work liable: the question is whether an obvious risk was properly assessed and managed, or simply ignored. The same applies to injuries while working from home.

Shoulder Impingement

Shoulder impingement happens when the rotator cuff tendons are squeezed or irritated as they pass through a narrow space in the shoulder, usually through repeated overhead or awkward arm movement. It causes pain, especially when lifting the arm above shoulder height, and can worsen if the cause isn’t addressed. Treatment usually starts with physiotherapy and changing activity; persistent cases may need injections or surgery such as subacromial decompression, which is relevant to the value of the claim. If your employer says it is just wear and tear, your solicitor will investigate whether the specific demands of your role materially contributed.

Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome

HAVS is a recognised industrial disease caused by regular use of vibrating tools such as grinders, drills and breakers where exposure was not properly assessed, limited and monitored. See our hand-arm vibration syndrome guide for more.

Time Limits for Gradual Conditions

Because these conditions develop over time, the three-year limit usually runs from your “date of knowledge” — when you knew, or reasonably ought to have known, that the condition was significant and linked to your work — rather than when you first felt symptoms. You don’t need to have had surgery to claim.

Evidence That Helps

• A description of the specific repetitive tasks, postures and tools in your role
• Medical records showing when symptoms started and how they progressed
• A diagnosis supported by clinical examination, and sometimes ultrasound, MRI or nerve conduction tests
• Any DSE, repetitive-task or vibration risk assessment — or evidence that none existed
• Colleagues who developed similar symptoms doing the same work

Frequently Asked Questions