There are many different types of pain that people can experience after a car accident.
In the immediate aftermath, you can experience intense pain from serious injuries. Later, there can be continued pain as you heal from strained muscles, sprained ligaments, broken bones, and contusions.
What is chronic pain? Chronic pain persists beyond the standard recovery period or occurs with a chronic health condition.
If you file a claim or lawsuit based on chronic pain after a Kentucky car accident, you will need to provide evidence of that claim to the insurance company and possibly the court system.
How Do Car Accidents Cause Chronic Pain?
A motor vehicle collision can cause chronic pain in many ways. Everyone responds to injuries differently, and what causes one person chronic pain may not cause the same thing for someone else.
These are some of the injuries that are frequently associated with chronic pain following a car accident:
Whiplash: This injury occurs when the neck is violently forced forward and backward in a collision. It can lead to neck and back pain as well as migraines.
Concussions: This is the term for when the brain is forcefully slammed against the inside of the skull. Concussions can resolve in a few weeks or they can leave long-term damage in their wake.
Spinal Cord Trauma: Whether the spinal cord is severed or not, any injury to this delicate group of nerves is incredibly serious. Spinal cord trauma is associated with extreme pain as well as partial or full paralysis of the limbs or reduced body function.
Back Injuries: Herniated discs, broken vertebrae, and other back injuries are caused by the force of the collision as well as flying debris. Back pain after an accident is sometimes treatable through surgery or physical therapy, but it can also lead to years of pain.
Nerve Damage: An accident can cause nerve damage nearly anywhere in the body. Nerve damage causes prolonged pain that can be sporadic or constant.
Chronic Pain Management
Every injury and every person is different, but there are many behaviors and treatments that your doctor or therapist may suggest for your chronic pain management. Treatments that may help you include:
- Breathing exercises and meditation
- Relaxation techniques
- Hypnosis
- Physical therapy
- Nerve blockers
- Occupational therapy
- Medications (including pain, anti-anxiety, and antidepressants)
- Biofeedback
- Acupuncture
Proving Chronic Pain Following an Accident
If you have chronic pain, you know how difficult it is to go about your life and do the things that you used to do without an issue. Chronic pain can make life incredibly challenging.
While determining how to prove chronic pain after a car accident, you will need to document everything. Working with a car accident attorney can help you prepare any documents necessary to prove your experience with chronic pain to the courts.
These are things that can help to strengthen your evidence:
Medical records
Always seek medical care after an accident. Immediately following the accident, being treated by a medical professional can help to document your injuries and their severity. This creates evidence of the injuries that are now causing you this ongoing pain. Always keep every document related to your medical treatment, including doctor’s notes, hospital discharge instructions, medical bills, and communication with your doctors and nurses.
A daily log tracking your pain
We recommend keeping a daily log that tracks your pain levels and how your pain affects your life. This log can be as simple as a few sentences or details per day, but it will go a long way to prove that you have continued to experience pain that is a direct result of your accident.
Medical expert testimony
It can be a huge benefit to your case if you can provide testimony from medical experts on chronic pain and how you are affected by it. No one knows how to prove chronic pain better than a medical expert. This expert testimony helps to validate your claim and provides compelling evidence to anyone skeptical of the effects of chronic pain on the human body.
McCoy & Sparks–Helping Central Kentucky Residents Get the Compensation They Deserve After a Car Accident
McCoy & Sparks is recognized as one of Central Kentucky’s best law firms.
We understand the reality of chronic pain and the complexities of getting compensation for this kind of injury. That’s why we protect the rights of accident victims in Central Kentucky and beyond.
You can count on us to provide empathetic and knowledgeable guidance as you navigate things that include:
- Documenting injuries
- Communicating with insurance companies
- Gathering evidence of chronic pain
- Making decisions about your legal options
You are not a number to us. You are a person in pain, and you deserve compassionate support and legal advice. The details of your injuries and accident are unique to you, and we work to provide you with what you need to get the compensation you are entitled to.
You can check out case results to see how other people in Kentucky are winning compensation for car accidents with our help.
Then, contact McCoy & Sparks, your Central Kentucky car accident lawyers, at 1-844-4KY-WINS or fill out our online form to set up a free consultation.