In most cases this injury will not have been caused by a car accident however there is a significant proportion that is a direct result of motor vehicle collisions. Road traffic accidents are a major cause of traumatic injury and represent more than half of all cases handled by personal injury solicitors. If you have been injured in an accident and you want to make a compensation claim for personal injury and loss just complete the contact form, email our offices or use the chronic pain solicitors helpline. Our accident compensation claim solicitors offer free advice without further obligation. If we deal with your claim it will be on a no win no fee basis, compensation is paid in full and you do not have to fund or finance your car accident compensation claim.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Australia suffer from chronic pain, defined as pain lasting longer than six months. It can be an excruciating or nagging pain; it can be episodic pain or continuous pain; it can be just an inconvenient pain or it can be a debilitating and incapacitating pain. The goal of therapy is to control the pain so that the patient can function at work and at home and can function in society.
Chronic pain can take a physical and emotional toll on the patient who has it. Pain can be draining and can cause a person to be chronically fatigued and depressed. Suicide in the face of chronic pain is not out of the question because of untreated depression and inadequately treated pain.
The cause of chronic pain can include damage to nerves which yield chronic pain. There can be chronic phantom pain with an amputation. Arthritis can cause chronic pain as can chronic abdominal diseases. Headaches and migraines can cause chronic pain and there can be pain that is long lasting due to back injuries or extremity injuries. Nerves can be chronically inflamed, such as in trigeminal neuralgia, which can cause excruciating pain in the face from nerve problems. Tendonitis can be chronic and sinus pain can be chronic. Carpal tunnel syndrome of the wrists can cause chronic wrist and hand pain. Pain can affect just about any aspect of the body and can be due to a functional or structural situation.
Chronic pain is made worse by things like anxiety, stress, anger, fatigue and depression. These decrease the bodys natural painkiller response so that the pain feels much worse than it would if you didn't have these things going on with the pain. It becomes a nasty cycle of pain causing stress and depression which, in turn, worsens the pain all over again. It can even get so bad that it depresses the bodys immune system and makes you more prone to sicknesses and infections, including cancer.
The symptoms of chronic pain are mild, moderate or severe pain that is episodic or continuous but that lasts for six months or more. Pain can be described as a burning pain, aching pain, a sharp or a shooting pain. The pain can be uncomfortable, sore, tight or stiff and can interfere with function. Along with the pain, you can see sleeplessness, fatigue, weak immune system, increased need to rest, emotional symptoms that contribute to the pain and an inability to do the activities of daily living because of the pain.
The difference between chronic pain and regular pain, besides duration, is that chronic pain often is not related to the need to be alerted to injury. In other words, pain is intended to tell you something about what is going on in the body and what you should do to avoid pain. Chronic pain is there whether or not you need to do something to decrease it.
The diagnosis of chronic pain depends on a careful history and physical examination. Sometimes nothing can be seen at all that defines the pain because it is the nerve itself that is damaged. An electromyogram can be done to see what is going on within the nerve itself. Chronic pain is difficult to diagnose without a good history by the patient of what is going on.
The treatment of chronic pain is complex. It can include pain medications to control pain, including narcotic pain medications. It can include local electrical stimulation to the affected area. This is called a TENS unit and it uses electrical wires that control the pain to the affected area and is attached to a device you wear that turns on a low electrical current, blocking pain signals. Acupuncture and massage can help the situation. Brain stimulation is possible in severe cases. Some people need surgery to correct a problem causing the chronic pain, such as with carpal tunnel syndrome. Antidepressants can help the perception of pain. Psychotherapy can improve the perception of pain and decrease anxiety and depression. Biofeedback has been known to help chronic pain.
The prognosis of chronic pain depends on the individuals level of commitment and on their mental health as they deal with the chronic pain. If the cause of the pain is uncovered, the prognosis is much better.
If you have suffered physically, mentally or financially, you should consider making an accident compensation claim. For telephone advice at no cost from specialist personal injury solicitors just call the helpline. Our chronic pain solicitors will assess the strength of your claim and will advise you on your potential award of compensation without any further obligation.
LAWYER HELPLINE: ☎ 1800 339 958The author of the substantive medical writing on this website is Dr. Christine Traxler MD whose biography can be read here