How Do I Prove My Chronic Pain?

In the context of personal injury cases, chronic pain is generally categorized as a type of non-economic damage. This is because its associated physical discomfort and emotional distress are not so easily quantifiable in monetary terms. And with that, it may be more challenging to prove in your case against a negligent party who you believe prompted your accident event. In this case, please read on to discover how to prove chronic pain in your legal argument and how one of the seasoned Panama City personal injury attorneys at Manuel & Thompson, PA, can help you recover from your incurred damages.

How do I prove my chronic pain for an injury claim?

Chronic pain is a subjective experience that may impact your life differently than another plaintiff bringing forward a similar claim. And so, you must provide abundant evidence of your chronic pain to obtain a fair and accurate compensatory amount from the negligent party. Arguably, the most pivotal pieces of proof are your medical records. That is, you should first gather the medical records related to the initial injury you received from the accident. Then, you should obtain the records from subsequent doctor’s visits, medical treatments, and prescription medications you received to help alleviate your lingering, chronic pain.

It may help if you can acquire a medical expert to testify on your behalf, which may or may not be your treating physician. Here, they may clearly explain the nature of your injury and its likelihood of causing chronic pain. On top of this, you may submit a functional capacity evaluation conducted by your treating physical therapist. This evaluation essentially reports the physical limitations due to your chronic pain, and how this subsequently hinders your ability to perform work-related activities, day-to-day activities, and overall carry out an independent life.

How long do I have to recover damages from my chronic pain?

By definition, chronic pain is considered to be physical pain that persists for three months or longer since your initial injury. This is to say that you may have to wait some time to develop your legal argument for chronic pain for your personal injury claim. While this is understandable, we must remind you that there is a statute of limitations in place. That is, in the state of Florida, you may only have two years from your accident date to file your claim. Or, two years from the date you reasonably noticed your incurred injury.

With that in mind, it is in your best interest to work on allocating proof of your chronic pain as soon as possible. Not only will this help establish the tie between your damages and the negligent party’s involvement in your accident, but this is for the sake of your physical health and well-being. Meaning, there is no need to have your chronic pain persist or flare up for longer than it already does.

We can sympathize with how daunting this whole legal battle may be for you. Well, lucky for you, the team at Manuel & Thompson, PA, has successfully gone through this countless times before. So please, retain the services of one of the competent Panama City personal injury attorneys today.