Each year, approximately 2.5 million people are injured in vehicle crashes. Nearly 70 percent who visit the emergency room still feel pain six weeks later. Neck and back pain, muscle soreness, and whiplash are all common injuries people may suffer on a chronic basis following an auto accident.
Our bodies and spines weren’t built to sustain these types of injuries.
Acute pain is when you experience suffering for a short period of time and then it goes away. Chronic pain, on the other hand, can be debilitating for months and even years. You may think your injury has healed, but the pain can continue in the form of headaches, neck and back issues, arthritis, neurogenic and psychogenic pain.
If you seek medical attention immediately following the accident, you’re less likely to suffer from chronic pain. But even that’s no guarantee.
During impact, you may not have suffered any broken bones. But the truth is that bones often heal much faster than soft tissue injuries such as strains and sprains to the neck or back. Some of these types of injuries can require long periods of physical and occupational therapy, injections, pain management, lengthy hospital stays, future medical procedures, and long term nursing care. All the while, you may have to take off work or get a new job.
Some people’s situation may result in having to switch careers because they can no longer meet the physical demands of the job they had before the accident.
Other catastrophic accidents may result in serious chronic pain issues such as permanent scarring, fractures, TBI, spinal cord injuries, and paralysis.
If you or a loved one are living in chronic pain due to a vehicle accident, it’s vital that you continue with proper medical care, seek psychological counseling, and have a lawyer you can trust to help you through this difficult journey.