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Is Your Fibromyalgia Related to Your Auto Accident?

If you are injured in a car accident, and develop symptoms of fibromyalgia, you may find is difficult to prove that the accident is the cause.

Is Your Fibromyalgia Related to Your Auto Accident?

Fibromyalgia is a medical condition that causes a person to suffer widespread musculoskeletal pain. The condition affects the way the brain processes the pain signals, and amplifies painful sensations. The symptoms commonly begin after a traumatic event such as physical trauma caused by a car accident. Unfortunately, there is no cure for fibromyalgia, and it takes significant toll on the patient’s life.

If you were involved in a Chicago car accident, you may be wondering if your recently diagnosed fibromyalgia is related to an injury. Or if your fibromyalgia has gotten worse, is it from being involved in the auto accident?

Fibromyalgia and Car Accidents

Many types of trauma can lead to fibromyalgia. It is believed that neck and head trauma is more likely to trigger the condition. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder also increases the risk of fibromyalgia. Car accident victims who suffer head and neck injuries in a car accident and later develop PTSD are at a higher risk of developing fibromyalgia.

The condition is very difficult to diagnose. Earlier, a tender point exam was conducted to check pain at 18 different points in the body, but now a patient is considered to have fibromyalgia if they have unexplained and widespread pain lasting at least three months. Often times, the condition is not diagnosed for months or even years after the crash that triggered it.

Common Symptoms of Fibromyalgia

Victims of car accident who suffer from fibromyalgia may experience the following symptoms:

  • Dull and constant widespread pain
  • Extreme fatigue despite sleeping for long periods of time
  • Cognitive impairment or “fibro fog” that affects the ability to concentrate
  • Headaches
  • Pain in the lower abdomen
  • Depression

Fibromyalgia is incurable, so the treatment focuses on managing the symptoms. The patients are often prescribe pain relievers to help reduce discomfort and antidepressants to fight fatigue and other related symptoms. Some anti-seizure drugs are also known to be successful in reducing pains associated with fibromyalgia. Patients of fibromyalgia are also provided counseling to learn how to manage the stress associated with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia requires lifetime of care and treatment, because the condition is incurable so the medical costs are often very high. These medical costs should be covered by a settlement or jury verdict in a car accident claim. However, this can happen only when the car accident victim is properly diagnosed. It is important for car accident victims to keep in mind that fibromyalgia symptoms do not usually show up immediately, so they should not settle their case until the full extent of injuries is known.

Seeking Legal Help in a Car Accident Case

If you are injured in a car accident, and develop symptoms of fibromyalgia, you may find is difficult to prove that the accident is the cause. In order to recover compensation for medical treatment, your pain and the diminished quality of life, you will have to prove who was to blame for your injuries. In doing so, you will need legal help from a competent Chicago car accident injury lawyer.

Willens & Baez is a top-rated personal injury law firm headquartered in Chicago and serving all of Illinois. Representing the injured is all we do. We know that an injury case has the potential to take over a person’s life, making it difficult to move forward. Call us today at (312) 957-4166 or fill out our online contact form to schedule a FREE consultation.

 

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Over the past two decades, Mr. Willens and his team of Chicago personal injury lawyers have been instrumental in obtaining numerous million-dollar-plus recoveries on behalf of clients in a wide variety of injury cases. One of the personal injury verdicts he was involved in was recognized by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 100 Verdicts in the country in the year in which it was tried. One of the verdicts he helped secure set a state record.

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