YOU DESERVE THE BEST MEDICAL CARE
You are probably paying what you consider to be very high rates for automobile insurance. In fact, in Alberta there are harsh penalties for not carrying car insurance. When you are involved in an automobile accident, you owe it to yourself to fully avail yourself of all the protection that your policy offers. Since your health is very precious to you, after any kind of traumatic episode, you should be thoroughly checked out by appropriate medical professionals.
Serious Injury
Serious injuries such as being knocked unconscious, broken bones, severe gashes and lacerations should be taken care of immediately, above all other considerations. Once your condition has stabilized, you can then take care of other business: selecting the best doctors to treat you, getting your car fixed, handling the various details of the accident, etc.
The many ramifications that a serious injury will have on your life will especially necessitate the advice, counsel and direction of an experienced personal injury lawyer. Complex issues like permanent disability, prolonged loss of earning capacity, future medical complications, structured settlements, post-traumatic stress disorder, etc. are best negotiated by an expert.
Whiplash
Most auto accidents do not involve serious, permanent injuries. They do, however, create trauma and stress and pain to millions of people every year. The most common injuries sustained in the majority of accidents are those to the head, neck and back. The impact of being rear-ended by another car -- even at relatively low velocities -- is sufficient to strain and injure these parts of the body which are connected to a very delicate spinal cord.
Every year several hundreds of thousands of victims, who are involved in automobile accidents, suffer from a painful and debilitating condition commonly referred to as whiplash. These injuries (which have been the butt of many a joke), are very real -- and have been known to cause years of suffering when improperly diagnosed, mistreated or ignored. When your automobile is struck from behind, the head is suddenly and forcefully flung backward beyond its normal extension, then just as abruptly it recoils forward. Damage occurs to soft tissues in the neck -- mid-back, and lower back; which could affect ligaments, muscles, nerves, blood vessels, vertebrae and discs. In most cases the only evidence of the injury is the victim's complaint; for such soft tissue damage usually does not show up on x-rays. Symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, stiffness, numbness, impaired vision; as well as pains in the neck, arms, and lower back may show up immediately, or even days or weeks later. There is no correlation between the severity of damage to your car and the severity of pain resulting from a whiplash injury. Even more acute damage can result in a neck sprain, torn ligaments, pinched nerves, injury to the esophagus or jaw, concussion, and/or stretched vertebrae.
That is why it is so important: (1) not to give a premature opinion or statement about your condition at the time of the accident; (2) to be checked out by doctors who specialize in soft tissue injuries; and (3) to hold off settling with any insurance company until all symptoms have surfaced, all injuries have been treated, and all damage has been repaired. A study of 10,000 whiplash victims by the Mayo Clinic showed that while 80% of patients with cervical sprains fully recovered within a year, the remaining 20% developed scar tissue, calcium deposits, premature arthritis, and other degenerative changes in neck ligaments.
The Bayda Ludwar Law Firm has dealt with many victims of motor vehicle accidents that have sustained whiplash type injuries. They know which specialist they should and should not attend on. They can also access previous reported decisions where the specialist has testified and can determine if any bias exists on the part of the medical doctor. Likewise, if appropriate, they often can locate appropriate physicians that are prepared to provide objective detailed medical reports that insurance companies are prepared to accept.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Medical professionals who specialize in diagnosing and treating victims of accidents are usually more experienced and better equipped to handle such traumas than are general practitioners or family doctors.
Patients are first interviewed, giving their past medical history. Then x-rays are taken to see if there has been any damage or fracture to the spine and neck. Depending on the findings and the nature of complaints about painful areas, there are a number of specialists who might be consulted, either for further diagnosis or treatment.
A radiologist can interpret the x-rays to best decide which other specialists the patient should be seeing. He or she can also detect fractures, sprains, slipped discs, etc.
An orthopaedist or orthopaedic surgeon is a doctor who specializes in diagnosing, treating, and healing broken bones, hairline fractures, chipped vertebrae, etc. He or she is also concerned with injury to joints, muscles, and ligaments as they relate to motion of the skeleton.
A neurologist is an expert who specializes in diseases and injuries to the nervous system. A bump to the head may cause an injury as serious as a brain concussion. A sprain could result in pinched nerves which leave the patient with symptoms of numbness or tingling in the joints or extremities. Even straining the back might compress nerves or sensitive vertebrae.
A psychologist can help accident victims recover from feelings of fear, anxiety or depression. Some, who were in especially traumatic accidents, suffer symptoms of nausea, sleepless nights, nervousness, or breaking out in sweat when stressed or reminded of the intensity of the accident. This condition is called post traumatic stress disorder, and it has been known to linger for quite some time.
Physiotherapy is a healthcare profession directed at evaluation, maintaining and restoring physical function. A physiotherapist is uniquely educated and trained to provide a comprehensive assessment and treatment program for whiplash and other injuries. Physiotherapists use a range of treatments to speed up the repair of damaged muscles and soft tissues and to restore mobility. Depending on the nature and severity of the injury, physiotherapists may use a variety of hands-on treatments such as mobilization and/or manipulation, exercises, massage, ice and/or heat applications and relaxation therapies. The focus of the physiotherapist's treatment plan is to help you return to normal activities as quickly as possible.
A chiropractor is a specialist who is able to diagnose, treat and heal soft tissue injuries. Along with a diagnostic radiologist, a skilled chiropractor can discover from x-rays areas of stretched or compressed vertebrae, torn ligaments, strained muscles, bulging discs, subluxations and other soft tissue injuries. Various modalities involving heat and massage are used. A chiropractor is also skilled in the manipulation of the involved joints to help restore full mobility.
When the spinal or joint injury is especially traumatic -- or if these areas do not heal in a normal manner, further diagnosis may be required by some remarkable hi-tech instruments. Both video fluoroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are tools which allow doctors, in a non-intrusive process, to explore inside the body with three-dimensional real time images.
These days it is not enough for a doctor to be only a good healer. He or she must also be skilled enough to write a credible, factual medical report capable of justifying their program of diagnosis, treatment and healing -- to be submitted to the insurance companies for payment.
Bayda Ludwar Law Firm refers their clients to medical professionals who are not only skilled as doctors, but also accurate and convincing in supporting medical claims for settlement or litigation purposes. If you have any concerns about injuries or medical treatment following an automobile accident, please call the Bayda Ludwar Law Firm at (403) 670-0055 for a free initial consultation.