Chronic Pain
When it comes to personal injury law, pain can be classified as acute or chronic. Car accident injuries can cause one or both kinds of pain. Acute pain is often triggered by the nervous system and can generally be resolved easily. However, if the pain persists, this is known as chronic pain.
If your pain is a result of someone else’s negligence or an intentional action, you can seek compensation. The law defines chronic pain as pain that lasts for more than 12 weeks. The pain may be in a specific area of the body or in multiple areas. To get compensation for the damages you have suffered, our personal injury lawyers will be glad to assist you.
Chronic pain can be the result of an injury caused by another party as a result of negligence. Some common scenarios include motor vehicle accidents and slip and falls.
There is a timeline for making claims for chronic pain injuries. This is why you need a qualified lawyer to assist you. We have a team of experts who will review your case during your free consultation. This will help us determine all the options that are available for you. Our personal injury lawyers will work on your case to secure the maximum compensation.
What is Chronic Pain?
Alberta Health Services defines Chronic Pain as follows: Chronic pain is typically described as pain lasting longer than three months. It can occur anywhere in the body and may vary from mild to excruciating.
Chronic pain is not considered a “minor injury” under Alberta’s Minor Injury Regulation. This is significant. It means that damages (i.e. pain and suffering) for accident victims with chronic pain are not limited by the government’s “cap” on minor injuries. The minor injury cap in Alberta is currently about $5,202 when adjusted for inflation.
What Causes Chronic Pain?
The cause of chronic pain is not always clear. It may occur because brain chemicals that usually stop pain after you recover from an illness or injury are not working right. Or damaged nerves can cause pain. Chronic pain can also occur without a known cause.
Many people involved in car accidents develop chronic pain and do not fully recover. Not everyone fully recovers from their injuries from a car accident.
Symptoms of Chronic Pain
Common symptoms of chronic pain include:
- – Mild to very bad pain that does not go away as expected.
- – Pain that is shooting, burning, aching, or electrical.
- – Soreness, tightness, or stiffness.
What Other Problems Can Chronic Pain Cause?
If you have pain for a long time, it can make you feel very tired and may lead to depression. It usually will impact your sleep. It can get in the way of your usual social and physical activities. You may have so much pain that you can’t go to work or school. The emotional upset may make your pain worse. And your body’s defence system (immune system) may get weak, leading to increased infections and illnesses.
How is Chronic Pain Diagnosed?
Typically, if our client suffers from chronic pain, we would have them assessed by a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating chronic pain.
It is essential that this is done, as the insurance companies will typically require an expert report to admit that an injured party has chronic pain. This is because a person with chronic pain is entitled to much higher damages.
How is Chronic Pain Treated?
You can use home treatment for mild pain or pain that you have now and then. Exercising and getting enough sleep may help reduce chronic pain. Many doctors recommend using over-the-counter pain medicines such as acetaminophen, aspirin, or ibuprofen may also help. Some clients try complementary therapies such as massage and yoga.
We always encourage our clients to speak to their doctor if your pain does not go away or if it gets worse. You may need to try different treatments to find what works for you. Medicines you take by mouth, shots of numbing medicine, acupuncture, nerve stimulation, and surgery are used for some types of chronic pain. Stronger medications are usually the last line of treatment for those suffering from debilitating chronic pain.
It is important to make a clear treatment plan with your doctor. The best plan may include combining treatments.
Living with chronic pain can be hard. Counselling may help you cope. It can also help you deal with frustration, fear, anger, depression, and anxiety. In addition, Alberta has several Chronic Pain Clinics which specialize in treating Albertans with Chronic Pain.
Unfortunately, some of our clients never fully recover, and always have some pain. But in most cases, chronic pain can be managed so that you can get on with your life and do your daily activities.
Legal Costs of Chronic Pain Injuries
Before hiring any lawyer to pursue your chronic pain claims, it is imperative to ensure that they are reputable and have the relevant experience. Whereas there are many lawyers in Calgary, not all of them focus exclusively on personal injury law.
We are committed to making your life easier when it comes to chronic pain. Such injuries affect many aspects of your life and, as such, you will need to recover many types of damages. Whatever losses you have suffered, they should be part of the settlement that you receive.
The money awarded as damages should, as much as possible, compensate you for the physical and psychological pain that has been caused. The damages are meant to compensate the victim not only for expenses and loss of income, but also for having to endure the pain as a result of injuries.
Get Rightful Compensation for Chronic Pain
When you have pain that has persisted for a while, this may lead to loss of wages and interference with normal activities. We are experienced lawyers for chronic pain compensation and we are here to help you out. We get paid only when you get paid, so you pay nothing out of pocket for fees or expenses. Contact us today and have peace of mind knowing that we will aggressively defend your rights.
