After a car accident, you may be forced to struggle with ongoing recovery, sometimes for years, and sometimes indefinitely. For an unfortunate minority of car accident victims, full recovery may not be possible. You may be stuck dealing with chronic pain for decades following the initial accident.
What are the best s
trategies for learning how to cope with this ongoing chronic pain?
What Is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is physical pain that persists indefinitely. It may or may not be related to a specific physical injury. It may be constant or periodic. It ranges from mild to severe and can come in a variety of different forms, such as feeling like stabbing, burning, or pinching.
Unfortunately, there’s still a lot that medical experts don’t understand about chronic pain. There are cases where it’s a permanent after effect of significant nerve damage. There are also cases where it doesn’t seem to have any physical underpinning. But in any case, chronic pain can be psychologically devastating and physically miserable to deal with.
Although there are many solutions that are capable of mitigating the experience of chronic pain, many patients are forced to deal with it for the rest of their lives, without ever truly eliminating it. For this reason, many chronic pain management strategies focus on coping with the pain, instead of only minimizing it.
Why You Should Seek Legal Counsel
A good personal injury lawyer can help you in your journey after a car accident, guiding you in building a case, negotiating a favorable settlement, and going to trial if you can’t reach a favorable settlement. There are many forms of compensable damage in a car accident, including property damage, medical bills, lost wages, and importantly, pain and suffering.
If you may suffer from chronic pain for the rest of your life, the subjective experience of going through that is compensable. No amount of money is going to make the pain go away or undo what was done to you – but it can help you find and utilize coping strategies that can help you learn to live with the pain.
The sooner you find a lawyer, the better – and make sure you trust their advice as you develop a strategy for how to move forward with your legal claim.
How to Cope With Chronic Pain
These are some of the best strategies for learning how to cope with chronic pain after a car accident:
- Talk to doctors and specialists. You should always talk to doctors and specialists to get a variety of opinions on your chronic pain. As we’ve already alluded, chronic pain isn’t a subject that’s perfectly understood in the medical community, and having different perspectives can be valuable for experimenting with different possible solutions.
- Follow all applicable recommendations. Whenever a doctor or medical provider makes a recommendation, follow it. This may include experimenting with a variety of different chronic pain management techniques.
- Consider taking medications. Certain types of medication can dull or alleviate the pain, at least temporarily. You may be able to get a prescription for something that can manage your pain, or you can rely on over the counter (OTC) pain medications.
- Get plenty of exercise. In many cases, exercise is a reasonable remedy for mild chronic pain. Physical exercise stimulates blood flow, circulates endorphins, and helps you relieve stress. Provided your medical providers approve, get as much exercise as you can.
- Get plenty of rest. It’s also important to have designated periods of rest. Get plenty of sleep at night and don’t push yourself when your chronic pain flares up.
- Find ways to distract yourself. Healthy distractions can take your focus away from the pain. Find pastimes and hobbies that you can get lost in.
- Socialize with loved ones. Being around friends and family members that you love can also help you cope with the pain. Surround yourself with loved ones as much as possible.
- Join a support group. Chances are, there are support groups relevant for managing chronic pain in your area. Consider joining one and participating actively.
- Consider therapy. It’s also a good idea to regularly talk to a therapist, especially if you suffer from long-term chronic pain.
- Take it one day at a time. Try to focus on getting through one day at a time.
Chronic pain after a car accident ranges from mild and temporary to severe and permanent. No matter where you fall on the spectrum, you deserve to have the best quality care and access to coping strategies that can help you learn to live with the pain.
With the help of a good lawyer, and an excellent team of medical providers, you should be able to get the compensation you deserve and get access to the strategies and tactics that can help you feel better, even if they only mitigate the pain.
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