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General information only — not legal advice. Published by Edward & Amaury Solicitors, solicitors regulated by the SRA (no. 800525). How that affects what you read.

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Repetitive Strain Injury Claims

England & WalesLast reviewed 18 September 2026

RSI, or a work-related upper limb disorder, is pain and damage to muscles, tendons or nerves from repetitive work. You may have a claim if your employer failed to assess and reduce the risk, for example by not providing proper workstation set-up, breaks or task variety.

What Employers Should Do

Direct Answer: Employers must assess and reduce risks from repetitive tasks and display screen work, including workstation set-up, breaks or changes of activity, training and equipment, and must act when a worker reports symptoms.

Claims commonly allege no assessment was done, unsuitable chairs or keyboards, excessive uninterrupted repetitive work, unrealistic targets, or failure to adjust duties after the worker reported pain. HSE guidance on musculoskeletal disorders describes accepted good practice.

Proving It Was Work-Related

Because RSI symptoms can also arise outside work, the medical expert considers your job tasks, duration, timing of onset and any other causes such as hobbies or health conditions. Contemporary records of pain reported to your employer or GP strengthen a claim.

Compensation

Compensation reflects the severity and duration of symptoms, effect on work and daily life, any loss of earnings, and the cost of treatment. Some conditions resolve with treatment and changes to work, while others become chronic and can end a career.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is RSI?

A general term for pain and dysfunction in muscles, tendons and nerves from repetitive movement or prolonged awkward posture, often called a work-related upper limb disorder.

Can I claim for carpal tunnel syndrome caused by work?

Yes, if work tasks caused it and your employer failed to take reasonable steps to prevent it, supported by medical evidence linking the two.

What if I use a computer at work?

Employers must assess display screen workstations and provide breaks or changes of activity. A failure to do so, followed by upper limb symptoms, can support a claim.

Does reporting my symptoms matter?

Yes. If your employer knew of symptoms and did nothing, that is often central to breach, and records of your report are valuable evidence.

What if my old employer no longer exists?

You may still be able to claim. Employers' liability insurance can often be traced through the Employers' Liability Tracing Office, and a dissolved company can sometimes be restored to the register so that its insurer can be pursued. Do not assume the claim is lost.

How long do I have to bring a RSI claim?

Generally three years from your date of knowledge: when you first knew you had a significant condition and that it might be work-related. It is not always the date of exposure, which is often decades earlier. A court has a limited discretion to allow late claims, but do not rely on it, and take advice as soon as you have a diagnosis.

Can I claim on a no win no fee basis for a work-related illness?

Usually, yes, if a solicitor thinks the claim has reasonable prospects. A Conditional Fee Agreement means you pay no solicitor fees if the claim fails, and if it succeeds a success fee capped at 25% of general damages and past losses is deducted from your damages. Disease claims need medical and occupational hygiene evidence, so ask how those costs are covered.

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Where this applies: This page covers England and Wales. The rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland are different.

Sources for this page

Every rule stated above is based on the primary sources below. Each link goes to the legislation, court rule or regulator itself so you can check it. Last verified 18 September 2026.

  1. Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, s.58 (conditional fee agreements)

    The provision that makes CFAs lawful and enforceable. CFAs derive from this section, not from LASPO.

  2. Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013, arts. 4–5 · in force from 1 April 2013

    Art. 4 caps the success fee at 100% of base costs. Art. 5 caps what may be taken from damages in personal injury at 25% of PSLA plus past pecuniary loss, net of CRU, at first instance.

  3. Civil Procedure Rules, Part 44 (incl. rr.44.13–44.17, QOCS)

    Qualified one-way costs shifting and its exceptions. Rule 44.14 was amended with effect from 6 April 2023.

  4. Limitation Act 1980, s.11 (personal injury actions)

    Three years from the date of the accident or the date of knowledge. Property damage such as a damaged vehicle is a separate claim with a longer six-year period under s.2.

  5. Limitation Act 1980, s.14 (date of knowledge)

    The three-year period can run from the 'date of knowledge': when you first knew the injury was significant and attributable to the act or omission alleged to be negligent. Central in delayed-diagnosis cases.

  6. Limitation Act 1980, s.33 (discretionary exclusion of time limit)

    A court can allow a personal injury claim to proceed out of time where it is equitable to do so. It is a discretion, not a right, and should not be relied on.

  7. Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2792)

    Employers must assess display screen workstations, provide breaks and eye tests and reduce risks of upper limb and postural problems.

  8. HSE — Musculoskeletal disorders

    HSE guidance on work-related upper limb disorders, back pain and other musculoskeletal conditions and how employers should prevent them.

  9. Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969

    Most employers must hold employers' liability insurance covering injury or disease to employees, so that a successful claimant can be paid.

Who wrote and checked this page

Written and published by
Edward & Amaury Solicitors (Edward & Amaury Ltd, company no. 12195443), regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under no. 800525.
Legal review
Checked for England & Wales by Edward & Amaury Solicitors — Solicitors regulated by the SRA (no. 800525) (verify on the regulator’s register).Review is recorded against the firm. The individual reviewer is not named on this page.
Review dates
Last reviewed 18 September 2026. Next review due 18 March 2027.

Fee rules change. California’s medical malpractice fee limits changed on 1 January 2023, and the QOCS rules in England and Wales changed on 6 April 2023. If you spot something out of date, tell us — we publish corrections.

Think you have a claim? Find out for free.

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Where this applies: This page covers England and Wales. The rules in Scotland and Northern Ireland are different.

Sources for this page

Every rule stated above is based on the primary sources below. Each link goes to the legislation, court rule or regulator itself so you can check it. Last verified 2 August 2026.

  1. Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, s.58 (conditional fee agreements)

    The provision that makes CFAs lawful and enforceable. CFAs derive from this section, not from LASPO.

  2. Conditional Fee Agreements Order 2013, arts. 4–5 · in force from 1 April 2013

    Art. 4 caps the success fee at 100% of base costs. Art. 5 caps what may be taken from damages in personal injury at 25% of PSLA plus past pecuniary loss, net of CRU, at first instance.

  3. Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, ss.44–46 · in force from 1 April 2013

    Ended recoverability of success fees and ATE premiums from the losing party. Did not create or regulate CFAs.

  4. Civil Procedure Rules, Part 44 (incl. rr.44.13–44.17, QOCS)

    Qualified one-way costs shifting and its exceptions. Rule 44.14 was amended with effect from 6 April 2023.

Who wrote and checked this page

Written and published by
Edward & Amaury Solicitors (Edward & Amaury Ltd, company no. 12195443), regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under no. 800525.
Legal review
This page has not yet been through independent legal review. It is written from the primary sources listed below, which you can check directly.
Review dates
Last reviewed 2 August 2026. Next review due 2 February 2027.

Fee rules change. California’s medical malpractice fee limits changed on 1 January 2023, and the QOCS rules in England and Wales changed on 6 April 2023. If you spot something out of date, tell us — we publish corrections.