Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
Doctors have probably asked you to rate your pain on a scale from one to ten, but how can you be sure that what you consider severe pain is the same as what someone else considers severe pain? Even if it may be impossible to know for sure what other people are feeling, it is frustrating when other people do not believe you about your symptoms. Your employer let you take a leave of absence from work after you got injured, but only because it is illegal to refuse an eligible employee’s request for FMLA leave due to an illness or injury. Your family makes a lot of snide comments about how your arm hurts too much to do the dishes but not too much to crochet a baby blanket for your granddaughter. You take it in stride, but what you cannot tolerate is the car insurance company accusing you of exaggerating your injuries. Getting compensation for invisible injuries, such as complex regional pain syndrome, after an accident is a challenge, but a Jacksonville car accident lawyer can help you get the money you need.
How Bad Is Complex Regional Pain Syndrome?
Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) happens when a traumatic injury, such as a fracture or sprain, damages nerves in the affected body part. It can occur in the arm, leg, hand, or foot. Nerves repair themselves very slowly, so after the acute injury seems to have healed, you continue to experience pain in the part of the body controlled by the injured nerves, sometimes much more severe pain than you would expect from an injury that apparently healed quickly. In addition to pain, CRPS can cause numbness, tingling, weakness, skin changes, and abnormal hair and nail growth and sweat production in the affected body part.
CRPS can interfere with your ability to work and engage in other ordinary activities. It does not usually require hospitalization, and treatment centers on managing symptoms while you wait for the nerves to heal. Treatments may include physical therapy, steroids, and over-the-counter pain medications.
How Do You Prove That You Have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome?
Even though CRPS is not a life-threatening injury, it can still lead to costly medical bills. Insurance companies are notoriously stingy when it comes to paying for medical bills arising from car accidents, even though it is ostensibly their job to pay. They will try to attribute your symptoms, especially non-specific symptoms like pain, to causes other than the accident, such as previous injuries or old age. The best proof of the cause of your injuries is your medical records, if insurance companies are willing to hear you out. A car accident lawyer can help you persuade insurance companies to give you a fair settlement for accidental injuries that cause chronic pain.
Contact Douglas & Douglas About Car Accident Cases
A North Florida personal injury lawyer can help you if you are suffering from chronic pain after getting injured in a car accident. Contact Douglas & Douglas in Jacksonville, Florida for a free consultation.
Source:
ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/complex-regional-pain-syndrome
