CHRONIC PAIN INJURY
While accidents caused by negligence can lead to any number of injuries, a chronic pain injury can be especially difficult to manage. If you’re suffering from chronic pain that was caused by another person’s negligence, you need experienced legal counsel.
The National Institute of Health (NIH) defines chronic pain as any pain that lasts for more than 12 weeks. Acute pain serves the important role of alerting sufferers to a physical problem that needs medical attention. However, chronic pain is a different story. Chronic pain often results from a precipitating injury, and is frequently accompanied by other health problems such as:
- fatigue
- sleep disturbance
- decreased appetite and
- changes in mood
Because chronic pain often limits a person’s ability to move freely, it can lead to:
- decreased flexibility
- decreased range of motion, strength, and overall stamina
In turn, this can cause a person to have problems carrying out tasks and pleasures of daily living, which can result in depression and anxiety.
A chronic pain injury can negatively affect your life in a variety of ways that continue to compound upon each other. Attorney Provinzano understands how these types of injuries can impact a person’s life.
Chronic Pain is Unique to Each Individual Person
A chronic pain injury follows no set pattern. NIH relays that pain is a very subjective experience and that there are no tests with which to measure or locate pain with real accuracy. Instead, your own personal assessment is critical. Your pain history, which will define your pain on the continuum from sharp to dull, from constant to on-and-off, and from burning to aching, is the best indicator of the source and degree of your chronic pain. Moreover, many victims of chronic pain experience increased levels of depression and anxiety, which tend to exacerbate the chronic pain itself.
Treatment of Chronic Pain
When it comes to treatment of chronic pain, the goal is to reduce your pain level and improve your function level so that you’re able to resume your daily activities and move forward with your life. There are a variety of methods that can be employed to help manage chronic pain, which include, but are not limited to: massage therapy, physical therapy, the use of medication, injections, nerve blocks, ect.
Possible Damages from Chronic Pain
Chronic pain isn’t so much a symptom of something as it is a condition on its own. There are medical expenses involved in the treatment of chronic pain that can include care and treatment from your doctor, specialists, and physical therapists, prescription medications, pain therapy, and psychological therapy.
There are also, however, a variety of other damages associated with chronic pain. Chronic pain can cause you to be out-of-work and suffer lost wages. Further, it can decrease your level of enjoyment in your career and your motivation to seek advancement. Ultimately, chronic pain can cause you to experience serious setbacks relative to employment.
The emotional damages associated with chronic pain may, however, be the most difficult component of the condition.
If another person’s negligence has caused you to suffer from chronic pain, you need an experienced attorney on your side. Contact us at 570-822-5771 for a free consultation and case evaluation.
