Sprains and strains matter for two reasons. They are claimable in their own right, and they are frequently the documented starting point that makes a later degenerative claim — osteoarthritis, spondylosis, internal derangement — provable. A single line in a PM 105 recording a rolled ankle on exercise can be the entry that carries an entire claim twenty years on.
Why sprains and strains dominate ADF records
Load carriage, uneven ground, obstacle courses, PT on hard surfaces, vehicle mounts and dismounts, and the simple volume of physical work make ligament and muscle injury near-universal in service. What varies is whether it was recorded. Members routinely self-managed, saw the RAP or the unit physio without a formal entry, or reported it once and never again.
What the Statement of Principles requires
DVA measures every claim against a Statement of Principles (SoP) — a legally binding instrument setting out the only factors that can connect a condition to service. These are the pathways that most often apply, in plain language; the full instrument is linked below.
Significant physical force through the joint
Experiencing a significant physical force applied to or through the affected joint at the time of clinical onset — the rolled ankle, the wrenched shoulder, the fall under load.
Significant physical force through the muscle or tendon
The equivalent factor for strains: force applied to or through the affected muscle or tendon at onset or at clinical worsening.
Inability to obtain appropriate clinical management
Where service prevented you getting the treatment that would have allowed the injury to heal properly — a factor that applies far more often than veterans expect.
This is the plain-English version. Read every factor of the Sprain and strain Statement of Principles exactly as the Repatriation Medical Authority wrote it.
How DVA approaches the impairment assessment
An isolated sprain that healed attracts little or no impairment on its own. Its real value is usually evidentiary: it dates the injury and establishes the mechanism for the degenerative condition that followed. Where instability, chronic pain or restricted range of motion persist, those are measured directly and rated.
The evidence that decides it
Most initial liability decisions currently take DVA around 145 days on average, and roughly a third of that is the Department waiting on information. Lodging complete is the single biggest thing within your control.
- Service medical records, including RAP and physio entries, showing the injury and its mechanism
- Any imaging performed at the time or since
- Civilian GP records showing recurrence or ongoing management
- A statement describing how the injury happened and what duties you were performing
Questions veterans ask about Sprain and Strain
It was never recorded at the time. Can I still claim?
Often, yes. The mechanism can be established from your role, unit and duties along with later records showing the consequences. It is harder than a documented injury, but it is not a bar.
Is it worth claiming a sprain that healed years ago?
Frequently, yes — because acceptance of the sprain is often what makes a later osteoarthritis or spondylosis claim provable. Leaving it off can quietly cost you the bigger claim.
Related conditions
Untreated or repeatedly re-injured sprains and strains are the usual origin of the degenerative conditions veterans claim decades later. These should be assessed together.
Ready to look into a Sprain and Strain claim?
Book a no-obligation consult and we will go through whether your circumstances meet the SoP factors, what evidence would strengthen your case, and what to expect next.
This page is general information, not medical, legal, or financial advice. Statement of Principles factors, thresholds, and program details are current as at the update date above but can change — always confirm against your own determination letter and the current SoP instrument. For medical concerns, speak with a qualified health professional; for legal advice, a solicitor experienced in military compensation law.
