Pain Management For Personal Injury Or Worker's Compensation Claimants
What is pain management?
Pain management is often required whenever injuries involve serious injuries such as herniated discs, ruptured discs, bulging discs, facet syndrome, and other serious neck and back injuries. Pain management normally is provided after conservative treatment such as physical therapy or chiropractic has failed. It is usually a last attempt to relieve the pain before a surgical evaluation is recommended. Pain management often includes prescription pain medications and injections such as trigger point injections, epidural injections, nerve blocks, etc. Experienced personal injury attorneys and worker's compensation attorneys can be excellent sources for knowing more about the medical providers that have good reputations for providing outstanding treatment to their patients.
Are there any dangers to long term narcotic pain medications?
1. Erectile dysfunction/reduced libido is common;
2. Sleep disorders requiring medication to fall asleep and then to remain awake are common;
3. Chronic constipation on some days followed by uncontrollable diarrhea on other days is common;
4. Many drug regiments are “off label” and not FDA approved for your diagnosis;
5. Long term use of narcotics can lead to an increase in pain due to “pain rebound”;
6. Indigestion and acid reflux issues are common;
7. Accelerated aging is common;
8. Depression is common;
9. You may never work again; and
10. A reduction in your life expectancy is likely.
Are there lower risks to pain management injections than long term use of narcotics?
Many doctors prefer the use of injections in the long term pain management since there is no risk of addition with injections. There are risks and complications with injections, but long term use of narcotics for pain can result in addictions and dependencies which can ruin lives and hurt the long term health of the patient. Injections when required often increase the value of personal injury and worker's compensation claims since it is evidence that the injuries are causing so much pain that the injured victim is seeking painful injections to help deal with the uncontrollable pain.
How do you know what treatment you should have?
It is normally a good idea to seek out second opinions before deciding on evasive medical treatments. Asking questions and research the known risks on your own is a good idea. You an also ask your worker's compensation attorney or personal injury attorney their opinion when deciding on which doctors to treat with.
How can you get the medical treatment when you have a personal injury case even if you do not have health insurance?
Experienced personal injury lawyers are able to recommend doctors who will treat on a doctor lien. A doctor lien is an agreement that the doctor will provide the treatment, but will not seek payment for the treatment received until the claim is settled or litigated. Doctor liens do not remove the patient's obligation to pay for the medical treatment regardless of the outcome of the personal injury claim, but it does delay when payment is due. Attorney Richard Griffin of The Griffin law Firm, P.C. has also been able to use medical funding companies when his personal injury claimants require extensive pain management, neurological evaluation and treatment, and even surgeries such as spinal fusion surgeries. The medical funding company pays the surgeon, the hospital, the anesthesiologists, and other charges at the time the surgery is provided. Then the medical funding company is assigned the right to be paid for the full medical procedure from the future settlement or verdict.
What is the procedure for getting the medical treatment you need in a worker's compensation claim:
In Georgia, worker's compensation claimants are usually allowed to select a doctor from their employer's Posted Panel Of Physicians. The worker's compensation claimant is also allowed one free change of authorized treating physicians to another panel doctor. Sometimes seasoned worker's compensation lawyers can invalidate the Posted Panel if it is not properly posted and explained or if it does not include the required medical doctors. Attorney Richard Griffin has been able to invalidate many Posted Panels for his worker's compensation clients which then allows them to go to a doctor of their choice. If the worker's compensation claimant has received income benefits in the last 120 days, then they are allowed to select any doctor of their choice for a one time independent medical examination (IME). As long as the medical treatment is authorized, then the worker's compensation insurers should be paying for the medical treatment, the prescriptions, and for the worker's compensation claimant's mileage to and from the doctors or pharmacy.
How can you get a free legal consultation for your personal injury, wrongful death, worker's compensation, or social security disability claim?
You can call Attorney Richard Griffin at 866-847-6545 or use the following link to submit your personal injury, wrongful death, worker's compensation, or social security disability case for a free evaluation: [FREE CASE EVALUATION]
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