What to Do About Chronic Pain After an Accident
Personal injury cases often result in very serious injuries. This can include things like back pain, neck injuries, broken bones, and the list only continues. Once you have healed from the initial injury, you may think that you can get back to life as usual.
Unfortunately, some victims’ lives will never be the same again because of their injuries. One of the reasons that this might happen is because of chronic pain at the site of the injury or even near the site. In fact, chronic pain is one of the most common reasons that people miss work after they have otherwise recovered from an accident.
Thankfully, Florida law allows you to recover for anticipated future pain as well as future medical treatment in a personal injury case. A Boca Raton personal injury attorney can help you craft your request for damages so you can adjust these issues, and avoid potential future money problems related to your injury.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain appears after the initial injury has healed. It can be a dull, aching pain, or it can be a sharp pain that happens when you move a certain way or perform certain activities. It is often related to a problem with the nerves.
Basically, your nerves overact and continue to send signals that there is pain long after the injury has occurred. There is often no visible sign of injury or pain, but you can still feel it. It can last weeks, months, or even years after the accident occurs.
Doctors define chronic pain different ways. Some state that the pain is chronic if it lasts for over a certain period of time. Others state that if the source of the pain cannot be definitively pinned down, then it is considered chronic pain.
Damages for Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is extremely difficult to prove. Doctors may be reluctant to diagnosis you with chronic pain when they cannot tell where the pain is coming from or why it is there. In fact, some people, even medical professionals, may accuse you of “making up” the pain. This is unfortunate and does not help you progress toward a pain-free life at all.
There are a few tactics that you must use to recover for damages for your chronic pain:
- Keep mentioning your pain to your doctor at every visit if is still bothering you: If they see the complaint suddenly disappear or waver, then the other party may try to argue that your chronic pain “isn’t real”.
- Take medications as prescribed for chronic pain: Some medications will help you pain, but some won’t. Continue taking your medications as prescribed and then talk to your doctor if you think something is or is not working. If you stop taking your medications, then the other party may assume that you do not really need them.
- Ask your doctor about the likelihood of continuing pain: Your doctor can explain your pain symptoms to you and “guess” as to whether your symptoms will continue or will eventually get better. This estimation process is important in requesting damages. Read more about how current back pain can possibly predict future pain here.
- Work with your Boca Raton personal injury attorney to decide what else you should be doing: Each case is different, so what you need to do to show your chronic pain may be different than someone else. Your Boca Raton personal injury lawyer will have some important recommendations to help you with the legal side of your case.
Why You Need a Boca Raton Personal Injury Attorney
Chronic pain can be debilitating. In some cases, it may even prevent you from working at all. You also may not be able to enjoy the hobbies and extra activities that you once enjoyed doing. You should mention all of these things to your Boca Raton personal injury attorney so he or she can get a clear picture of how your chronic pain is affecting your life.
