If you have been in a car accident, new advances in pain treatment should be of interest to you. This article covers some of the newest medical advances that may help you tame your pain so you can get on with your life. If you have been in a serious car, truck, or motorcycle accident, make sure to contact a brain injury lawyer as soon as possible to see if you qualify for a personal injury settlement that could cover your pain treatment. If your accident was caused by the carelessness of another person, contact the Chester Law Group today. Chester Law Group specializes in both personal injury and brain injuries caused by an accident. The Chester Law Group can also be contacted at (800)218-4243.
Dealing with Chronic Pain and Relief after a Car Accident
If you have been in a serious car, truck or motorcycle accident, there is no doubt you have experienced severe pain that can last a lifetime. Recent advancements in sophisticated pain therapies are available from medications, drugs, electrical stimulation, and mind-altering therapies to surgeries to provide chronic pain relief. Many of these advancements have become available in the past few years and some are currently finishing in clinical trials. These medical techniques have come about due to years of research into the understanding of chronic pain and how it develops. Pain specialists understand how the nervous system, including the spinal cord, interacts with the brain to create pain sensation. Neurotransmitter systems have been studied associated with pain giving insight into manipulating these systems to change how they interact with the brain. This has brought about the use of antidepressants and other drugs that affect our emotions and help cope with the perception of pain.
Advances in brain imaging provide proof that these changes are real, and we can know exactly where these sensations are taking place. You can see the effects of pain on your emotions and your emotions on pain. A new process known as central sensitization has come to light which demonstrates that if initial pain from an injury is not adequately treated these pain signals will continue and make changes in the nervous system making you more sensitive through time. New treatments serving moderate-to-severe chronic pain use a number of different treatments including oral drugs, electrical stimulation, pain pumps, psychotherapy, relaxation techniques, and alternative therapies to combine a mind-body approach in the relief of chronic pain.
Is there a Common Chronic Pain Medication Prescribed?
The first step in chronic pain relief involves the use of oral medications such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like Advil, Motrin, Naprosyn, and Voltaren. The NSAIDs reduce inflammation which relieves pressure on your nerves while taking away pain. These pain medications are good for arthritis, tendonitis, nerve pain from an injury and muscle pain. This can usually be a trial-and-error process and should be tailored to the individual by a physician. These mild pain relievers come over-the-counter (OTC) and in prescription forms as well. If the pain is severe and continues to be severe, the following are stronger medications used for patient pain treatments:
- Anticonvulsants – These drugs treat seizure disorders but have been found effective on chronic pain. Mechanism is not well understood. Some name brands include Lyrica, Neurontin, and Tegretol.
- Antidepressants – This treats chronic pain whether you have depression or not. Examples of these drugs include Elavil, Pamelor, and Norpramin. These drugs affect the levels of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain. Another anti-depressant is Cymbalta that inhibits the uptake of norepinephrine and serotonin leaving the neurotransmitters around longer which elevates your mood and relieves pain.
- Narcotics – Narcotics (opioids) are serious pain medicine and reserved for the worst chronic pain. Examples include codeine, fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone. These drugs work on pain receptors. Narcotics are often prescribed with antidepressants which reduces the amount of the narcotic you need.
- Ultram ER – This a non-narcotic drug that works on opioid receptors. This is used for moderate to severe chronic pain when continuous relief is needed. This doesn’t have the risk of addiction. This drug is generally used before progressing to narcotics.
- Steroids – Injections and nerve blocks are particularly effective for acute pain and people with pinched nerves. This reduces inflammation and can prevent chronic pain from developing.
4 Treatment Types for Managing Chronic Pain
Other procedures that can be used when oral drugs or steroid injections are not quite doing the job include outpatient procedures with electrical stimulation and implant devices which are listed below:
- Radiofrequency Ablation – This is an outpatient therapy where nerve tissue is heated in a small area. A needle is inserted at that site and zapped with an electrical current (radio wave) in a heat-and-destroy method. The procedure uses a CT image for guidance. Chronic pain relief can last from 3 to 6 months.
- TENS – Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is good for short-term relief. Large units are available with a health-care provider and there are small units you can purchase to use at home. This device delivers a low-level of electrical current across the skin in the affected area to block pain. This is good with muscle and nerve pain.
- Pain Pacemakers – This is a device that is implanted in the body for spinal cord stimulation. This blocks pain signals from reaching the brain. The patient has the ability to adjust the intensity of signals and turn it off and on. This is generally used when other treatments have failed such as medications and surgery.
- Spinal Drug Pumps – This is an implanted pump that can deliver pain medications to the spinal cord. Narcotics, steroids, anesthetics and other pain relievers can be pumped into the sensitive area with a push of a button.
If all else fails, surgery may be required but is always done as a last resort. The newest of relatively noninvasive surgical procedures is known as the AccuraScope Procedure. This is particularly good for lumbar pain and has met with great success in the two years it has been around.
How to Seek Compensation for Personal Injury Accidents
If you’ve been in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident and your brain or spinal injury was caused by the carelessness of another person, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your pain and suffering, medical bills, and lost wages. You should contact an experienced attorney at the Chester Law Group. Our personal injury lawyers are experienced in car, truck and motorcycle accidents involving spinal and brain injuries and can guide you through a personal injury settlement. It is important that you consult with an attorney before you attend a Defense Medical Exam (DME) so that your brain injury lawyer can advise you every step of the way. Call our brain injury lawyers at Chester Law Group at (800)218-4243 today to get the help you want from people that you can trust.