Car accidents can result in a variety of injuries. It is possible for you to suffer from chronic pain long-term due to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident. If you have been in a car accident and have ongoing chronic pain, it is important to speak to an attorney right away. Attorney Johann Hall has successfully handled many personal injury cases involving chronic pain after a car accident. Contact attorney Johann Hall today for a free consultation to discuss your potential case and rights to compensation for your injuries.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is generally defined by physicians as pain that lasts three or more months. Chronic pain can have many causes. One such cause can be trauma to the body. Chronic pain can be severe, but it can also be mild. Additionally, chronic pain can come and go, or it can be felt more continuously. The pain can feel like a dull ache, soreness, shooting, burning, or throbbing.
Chronic pain can be felt in any body part, but the most common areas tend to be a person’s back or neck. When chronic pain occurs as a result of an auto accident, it will generally be due to back or neck injuries either caused directly by the accident or a pre-existing condition made much worse because of the accident. It is important to seek out medical care for chronic pain and other injuries you have suffered due to a car accident.
How is Chronic Pain Treated?
Chronic pain can be treated in a variety of ways. The treatment your doctor prescribes for you will depend on the cause of your chronic pain, the length of time you have been experiencing the chronic pain, and also the type and severity of the chronic pain you are experiencing.
Conservative Treatment for Chronic Pain
Chronic pain can be treated conservatively, and such treatment may include physical therapy or chiropractic care. Sometimes, patients are taught a home exercise program at the end of their course of physical therapy that they can perform at home as needed to ease their chronic pain. Patients may also be taught stress management and relaxation techniques. Additionally, doctors may prescribe pain medications.
Other Forms of Chronic Pain Treatment
Generally, if your doctor has tried to treat your chronic pain conservatively and is not seeing an improvement, your doctor may elect to prescribe a nerve block procedure or epidural steroid injections into the affected area. Your doctor may also decide to prescribe this type of treatment right away if your pain and injuries are severe enough to require this level of medical care.
Epidural Steroid Injections
An epidural steroid injection is typically performed with local anesthesia. These types of injections may be prescribed when a patient is suffering from chronic back or neck pain. The procedure involves an injection of steroids and anesthetics into the epidural space, which is near your spinal cord. The injection is designed to numb the nerves of your body to facilitate pain relief. The steroid portion of the injection is intended to help reduce inflammation and has the added benefit of helping the pain relief last longer.
Nerve Block Procedure
The nerve block procedure also involves an injection and is also a treatment option for someone suffering from chronic back or neck pain. This injection involves a local anesthetic being injected into the spinal area, into or around the nerve that is causing the pain. The nerve block procedure works by numbing the nerve and interrupting pain signals in the process of being sent to the brain. Nerve blocks can bring relief to a patient suffering from chronic pain for anywhere from six to twelve months.
Statute of Limitations
Because chronic pain can last for a very long time, it is important to speak with an attorney about your case. Your attorney will be able to review your medical records and determine whether your chronic pain complaints can be related to the car accident you were involved in and assess what treatment you may be able to recover medical bills for, along with other forms of compensation due to your pain and suffering that may be ongoing for your lifetime.
The statute of limitations in California for personal injuries related to an auto accident is two years from the date of injury, generally. There are always exceptions, so this is yet another reason you will want an experienced attorney to review your case.
Because chronic pain treatment may go on for several months or years, you will need an attorney to file your case in time to meet the requirements for the statute of limitations, or you may lose your right to pursue your case at all. Call attorney Johann Hall today at (707) 360-8717 to discuss your case and your potential for compensation.