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Complex Regional Pain Syndrome After a Kalona Car Accident
Car accidents can be painful experiences, especially when serious trauma is involved. In most moderate accidents, injuries heal over time with little to no lasting effect. For some Kalona drivers, however, the pain from the initial injury never fully goes away and can even increase over time. This type of chronic pain may be a condition known as Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS.
What Is CRPS?
CRPS is a type of chronic pain that develops in a previously injured limb and continues even after the original injury has healed. For people who develop CRPS after a car accident, it usually begins with a broken bone, fracture, strain or sprain, or lesion. In about 90 percent of cases, a trauma is the cause, although some people develop CRPS for no identifiable reason.
There are two forms of CRPS, one involving confirmed nerve damage and one with no detectable nerve damage, though both share a similar set of symptoms. These include prolonged and extreme pain in the previously injured area, changes in skin texture, changes in hair and nail growth, stiffness in nearby joints, difficulty controlling muscle movement, and abnormal jerking or twitching of the affected limb. The most notable symptom is pain that is often described as more intense than the original injury, sometimes described as burning or like pins and needles, and in severe cases even a light touch can be excruciating.
Doctors do not have a single diagnostic test for CRPS. Instead, they typically rule out conditions with similar symptoms, such as arthritis, muscle disease, clotted veins, and diabetic nerve pain. In some cases, an MRI can help identify bone changes associated with the condition.
Treatment and Long Term Outlook
Treatment for CRPS often combines rehabilitation with medication used for pain management and muscle inflammation. Depression following a car accident is a real concern for many CRPS patients and may also require medication. Procedures that block or remove the sympathetic nerves have shown mixed results, with outcomes varying from person to person. There is currently no single treatment protocol for CRPS, and ongoing management is often necessary. The condition can improve gradually over time, and children and young adults tend to recover more easily. Adults over the age of 40 often heal more slowly and may experience the condition for a much longer period, in some cases permanently. A Kalona resident dealing with CRPS after a car accident should not wait too long before pursuing a claim, since the condition and its associated costs can be significant.
Who Pays Medical Bills After a Kalona Car Accident?
This is one of the most common questions Kalona accident victims have, and there is a great deal of misinformation circulating about it. An insurance adjuster for the other driver may say to send all medical bills directly to them, but this does not mean they will actually pay those bills as they come in. Even asking for something in writing rarely results in payment unless a release is signed that closes the claim permanently. Insurance companies often prefer to let medical bills pile up and let collection calls and threats build pressure, because a stressed accident victim is more likely to accept a low settlement just to make the bills go away. Kalona drivers should know the truth and avoid playing by the insurance company's rules.
Health Insurance Through an Employer or Personal Policy
Medical providers should be given the information needed to submit bills directly to a Kalona driver's health insurance. If a provider claims they cannot do this because a third party is responsible for the accident, that is simply not accurate. Health insurance is generally required to pay medical bills regardless of whether the injury came from a car accident.
Medical Payments Coverage Under Your Auto Policy
If there is insurance on the vehicle involved in the crash, there is often medical payments coverage available, ranging anywhere from 1,000 dollars up to 100,000 dollars depending on the policy. This coverage is typically best used to cover co-pays and deductibles. Since this is coverage purchased specifically to protect the policyholder, using it should not increase insurance premiums if the driver was not at fault for the accident, and the other driver's insurance is unlikely to pay anything unless a release is signed.
If You Do Not Have Health Insurance
Without health insurance or sufficient medical payments coverage, it may be worth contacting the medical provider directly to ask whether they are willing to write off all or part of the balance based on financial circumstances. Many hospitals are non-profit organizations required to write off a portion of their bills each year in order to maintain their non-profit status.
When None of the Above Options Work
If none of these options are available, reaching out to a local church, charity, or family and friends may help in the short term. An experienced Kalona car accident attorney may also be able to identify other potential ways to handle pending medical bills while a claim moves forward.
PTSD After a Kalona Car Accident
Car accident victims often walk away with physical injuries, but some also experience psychological injuries such as depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder, commonly known as PTSD. If a Kalona driver develops PTSD after a car accident, an attorney can help explore options for compensation.
What Is PTSD?
PTSD is common among people who have experienced a severe or traumatic event, such as a serious car accident, a violent incident, or another emotionally shocking experience. While PTSD does not affect everyone who lives through a dangerous event, both children and adults can develop this anxiety disorder.
Common Symptoms of PTSD
According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, the most common symptoms of PTSD fall into categories of re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance behaviors, and hyperarousal. These can include flashbacks, bad dreams, fear, guilt, loss of interest in once-enjoyable activities, withdrawal from friends and family, being easily startled, anger, difficulty sleeping, depression, and memory problems surrounding the traumatic event. Children may show different symptoms, such as forgetting how to talk, bedwetting, reenacting the traumatic event through play, or becoming unusually clingy with parents.
Treatment for PTSD
PTSD can be debilitating and prevent someone from fully enjoying daily life. Treatment often includes professional therapy, meditation, and medication such as antidepressants or anti-anxiety prescriptions. Talking with trusted confidants, following up with a family doctor, and working to return to normal daily routines are commonly recommended steps. Professional therapy approaches may include stress inoculation therapy, cognitive restructuring, and exposure therapy.
Seeking Compensation for PTSD
Not all car accident injuries are physical. If a Kalona driver's quality of life has been impacted by emotional damages related to PTSD, if medical expenses related to mental health treatment are significant, or if work has been missed due to psychological impairment after an accident, it is worth speaking with an attorney about compensation options.