Vibration White Finger
We can help you claim compensation
If you have suffered a Vibration White Finger injury as a result of the type of work you do, you may be able to make a claim for personal injury compensation.
Many British miners have been awarded compensation after they developed Vibration White Finger, a condition caused by working with vibrating machinery such as chain saws and drills. Other sufferers of vibration white finger include lumberjacks, grinders, car mechanics, road workers, welders and all others who regularly use hand-held power tools. The condition is a form of Raynaud's Disease, an illness which mainly affects women, usually with mild symptoms.
How we can help if you have Vibration White Finger
The Claim Solicitors are a leading personal injury solicitor firm in the UK and have won compensation claims for thousands of people who have been injured in a variety of circumstances. Our approach is to provide a friendly and efficient service to make the process of claiming compensation as straightforward as possible.
No costs and no risks
We can act under a no win, no fee agreement which means that you can pursue your claim knowing that if you lose you will not have to pay us, or your opponent's solicitor's costs. If your claim is successful we recover our legal costs from your opponent. In short, there is nothing to lose by pursuing a personal injury compensation claim with The Claim Solicitors.
If you have sustained a Vibration White Finger injury as a result of the nature of your work and would like to make a claim for personal injury compensation or if you would like to discuss in confidence any matter related to a personal injury claim, please call our claim team on 0800 197 32 32 or complete the claim assessment opposite.
What is Vibration White Finger?
Vibration White Finger is caused by a restriction in the blood supply to the extremities, usually the fingers and toes. It can also affect the ears and nose. These parts of the body initially turn white and dead-looking and then become inflamed. An attack may be accompanied by significant pain, numbness or a tingling sensation.
This is due to an intermittent lack of blood supply to the fingers. The condition is usually not severe and only causes minor discomfort. But it can lead to skin ulcers and even gangrene and it can be progressive over a period of several years. VWF is triggered by continuous use of vibrating hand machinery, but some forms of primary Raynaud's have no trigger. The disease can also be genetically inherited, however, in these cases, the attacks are usually mild. Secondary Raynaud's is less common and more severe. It is linked to underlying diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
What triggers attacks?
- Prolonged exposure to the cold is a major trigger for the disease.
- Smoking and stress are also thought to be factors and the disease can be caused by a reaction to beta blocker drugs.
- People who work with vibrating machinery are more likely to develop VWF, which can become irreversible.
Symptoms include:
- Tingling and numbness in the fingers which often continues after the machinery has been switched off
- One fingertip temporarily turns white and may start to ache
- The finger turns white with increasing frequency
- Other fingers begin turning white, but the thumb is not usually affected. After several fingers turn white, the disease is probably irreversible
- The person suffers increasingly frequent painful attacks at any time.
- Eventually, the person may lose their fingers. This only happens in extreme cases, for example, when people are working with vibrating machinery in very cold conditions, but it is more common in the forestry industry among people working with chainsaws.
If you believe that you may have a problem with vibration white finger and would like to claim compensation for your injury, then you need to do the following straightaway:
Consult your doctor. Most doctors now accept that VWF is a genuine physical problem and do take it seriously. If your not satisfied with his or her response then see another doctor until you are satisfied.
Stop whatever activities are causing the pain. This is obviously something that is much easier to say than do, as often these activities form a major part of someone's working life. However, by trying to work through it, the problem will just get worse. Vibration white finger is very treatable in the early stages, but even a short delay in seeking rest and treatment can put back recovery by weeks, months or even years.
Useful links
HAVS Screening Limited - www.whitefinger.co.uk
Patient - www.patient.co.uk
