Pain Assessment

A pain assessment can be a very elusive concept to define.  We all know what it is, but can find it hard to express in words.  Descriptions of pain are usually very subjective, meaning that there is no benchmark to judge the pain by.  This can make it very difficult for someone else to understand or appreciate the amount of pain an accident victim is in.

Pain can be debilitating and dramatically reduce quality of life.  It can be linked to depression, even after only a short time, and lack of sleep can exaggerate the problem.  This can spill out into your relationships and cause breakdown of relationships.  Long-term pain is recognised as giving rise to suicide risks.

Extreme forms of pain can be classified as Chronic Pain Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Regional Pain Syndrome (also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) or Somatoform Disorder.

Psychological factors can play an important role in the development of chronic pain, which can often arise with no obvious physical explanation.  The feeling of pain is very real to the sufferer and can be worsened by intrusive and unpleasant memories of the accident.  Early treatment is important and if left untreated for more than 6 months it may be impossible to cure.

Medication can often control pain, but this is not guaranteed.  However, it can also have side-effects which can be unpleasant or stop you functioning properly in their own right.  It can sometimes be possible to cut off or block the nerve signals, but this is usually reserved for extreme cases.

Insurance companies do not like claims where there may be no underlying physical injury.  Partly this is as a result of people faking their injuries in the past to obtain increased compensation.  This is where an experienced solicitor is important.

How much?

Guideline figures for this type of injury are as follows:

1 Chronic pain syndrome £7,000 to £42,000
2 Fibromyalgia £22,350 to £42,000
3 Chronic fatigue syndrome c. £32,750
4 Regional pain syndrome £16,700 to £66,000
5 Somatoform disorder c. £30,000

Conclusion

Each accident victim's pain is likely to be different to another's and how it affects their life will also differ.  The role of a good solicitor is to identify the problem, refer the client for treatment and rehabilitation where possible and to put into words the effect the pain has had on them.  In a world of bulk claims handling it is easy to fall through the gaps and be ignored.  Do not be just another statistic or case number.

 

We are here to help 24 hours a day 365 days a year.  Either e-mail us anytime, call (01296) 662770 (Nick) or (01525) 373322 (Richard) during the normal working day or (07973) 424178 in an emergency.