People who are involved in accidents often develop chronic pain later. It can feel frustrating and helpless when you are in such suffering for an extended period, but there are steps you can take to manage your pain. Your lawyer probably does not have a medical background, but they can still offer support. Working with an experienced attorney can ensure that they advocate for you to receive the best compensation to cover your medical bills and other expenses, and have the resources to seek treatment for your suffering. If you need representation after an accident, contact a New Jersey personal injury lawyer for help.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is a long-lasting and persistent pain that continues after a standard window of healing time. It can last for weeks, months, or even years after an accident or injury. It can be complex to understand the underlying factors of chronic pain, but it is a fairly common result of injury and medical professionals deal with chronic pain patients regularly. Chronic pain is typically the result of inflammation or nerve damage and can begin immediately following your accident or remain dormant for weeks or months and appear at a later time.
Chronic pain can be all-encompassing but there are some typical examples of chronic pain that you may experience. Types of pain can include headaches, joint pain, numbness, aching in certain parts of the body, burning, and fatigue. It can also result in insomnia and a loss of range of motion.
If you experience any of these pains or similar uncomfortable sensations that persist longer than three to six months, you are likely experiencing chronic pain. But do not despair, there are a variety of ways you can attempt to alleviate your pain.
What Are the Best Ways to Manage My Pain?
Chronic pain is much more widely acknowledged by people and doctors than it once was. There are several steps you can take to try to manage your pain and live easier.
Talk to your doctor
- Your first step should always be to reach out to a trusted medical professional. Be completely open and honest with them in regards to where you are experiencing pain, when it started, how intense it is, if you have found that certain conditions make it worse, etc. They can understand your situation and provide medication that may help you. They may also decide to refer you to a specialist or order physical therapy in tandem with your medication.
Alternative treatments
- If medication does not seem to be working or if you just want to help the healing process along, there are other treatments you can look into. People suffering from chronic pain have had success with acupuncture, massage therapy, and hydrotherapy. Even yoga and meditation can have a positive effect on your journey to a pain-free life.
Keep an open mind and be willing to try new things to alleviate your pain. You never know what might work for you.
