Living with chronic pain
Pain resulting from soft tissue damage is a part of nearly every accident. Most of the time the pain resolves within a few weeks or months. However, when it doesn't, it can have a detrimental effect on your life.
Chronic pain can be quite challenging to deal with because it typically does not show up on an MRI, x-ray, or ultrasound. Often people suffering from chronic pain are told by insurance company doctors that the pain is "all in their head" and that there is "no objective evidence" of impairment. Despite the pain, they are told to return to all their pre-accident activities. Not surprisingly, people with chronic pain often go on to develop depression.
What it is and how it will affect you
"Soft tissue" refers to muscles, ligaments, tendons, nerves, organs, or parts of your spine. Injuries to soft tissues can often result in severe pain, but can take days or even months for the full extent of the injury to make itself apparent. Moreover, it does not always take a high-impact accident to cause serious and sometimes permanent damage.
Chronic pain can compromise your ability to:
- Work or advance at work as you previously expected
- Take care of yourself and family
- Concentrate and perform mentally
- Continue with hobbies, sports, and social life
- Maintain relationships
- Sleep
- Maintain your psychological health
Talk to us. We will help you deal with your insurance company if they claim that your pain is unrelated to the accident, or that it is the result of a pre-existing condition, or simply deny that it exists.