Personal Injury and Workers Comp

Overview

Nearly any part of your body is vulnerable to pain. Acute pain warns us that something may be wrong internally, and warns us of severe damage happening to our bodies. Chronic pain can make daily life much more difficult and your favorite hobbies harder to enjoy. Many people with chronic pain can be helped by better understanding the causes, symptoms, and treatments for this pain and how to cope with and effectively treat and manage the pain. The management of chronic pain in patients with multiple health issues is complex, usually requiring specific medical interventions, simultaneous psychological treatment, as well as physical therapy.

If you have experienced an injury at work and have been unable to find relief, we are here to help. Regardless, do not continue to perform heavy labor if you are struggling with an injury, as you will only worsen the condition. Chronic pain is a different kind of condition that requires attention and treatment, or it will only become more critical.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is different than typical pain experienced on a daily basis. Your body is unable to manage this type of pain effectively due to the fact that there is a deep underlying cause, which results in pain for weeks, months, or even years after the injury. Doctors often define chronic pain as any pain that lasts for 3 to 6 months or more.

Chronic pain can have real effects on your day-to-day life and your mental health as well, but with the right treatment plan you can better manage and live with this pain. If over the counter drugs are not providing you with sufficient relief, your doctor may prescribe stronger medications such as muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety drugs, and stronger painkillers. While these will help, they are only a temporary aid that will only help with mild forms of chronic pain.  A limited number of steroid injections at the site of a joint problem can reduce swelling and inflammation. An epidural might be given for spinal stenosis or lower back pain in order to better target the source if chronic pain.

Treatments

Sometimes, a group of nerves can be solely responsible for causing consistent pain in a certain area. These nerve pods cause a lot of pain to a specific organ or body region but can be blocked with local injection. The injection of this numbing substance is called a nerve block. Although many kinds of nerve blocks exist, this treatment cannot always be used. Often blocks are not possible or may be deemed too dangerous by your doctor.

Your doctor can advise you as to whether this treatment is appropriate for you and if it will be tolerated well by your body. Another option is known as trigger point injections. This is a procedure used to treat painful areas of muscle that contain knots of muscle that form when muscles do not relax. During this procedure, your physician will inject a local anesthetic that sometimes includes a steroid into the affected area. With the injection, the trigger point is made inactive and the pain is alleviated. Usually, a brief course of treatment will result in temporary relief depending on how well the steroids work.

If you have been involved in a severe accident recently and are struggling to find a way to effectively manage your pain, contact us today to learn about our various treatment options that can help you lead a normal and pain-controlled lifestyle.