The Importance of Following Medical Advice After an Accident

So you have been involved in an accident. You have been to the hospital and referred to a specialist. You have had your MRIs and CT Scans. You have been referred to a physical therapist or a chiropractor who tells you that you need to treat on a regular basis. You start to feel a […]

So you have been involved in an accident. You have been to the hospital and referred to a specialist. You have had your MRIs and CT Scans. You have been referred to a physical therapist or a chiropractor who tells you that you need to treat on a regular basis. You start to feel a little better and the pain is no longer completely unbearable. You start skipping appointments because you are tired or just do not feel like going for the treatment. This is a mistake. If you do not want to go to your doctor because you do not trust them, find a new doctor, otherwise you should be following their advice and treatment plan.

Failing to Follow Medical Advice can be Dangerous

Your doctors have gone to school for years to obtain their degrees. They have undergone rigorous testing. In addition, they have years of on the job training and continuing education classes within their particular discipline. In other words, they are experts and they have your best interests at heart when they are treating you.

Your doctor will create a treatment plan that is designed specifically for your injuries and your body. Your doctor will monitor your injuries and symptoms. He/she will note improvements that have been achieved or areas for concern. You must communicate all changes, for better or worse to your doctor. Paying attention to your symptoms and pain levels and communicating them with your doctor is vital. Ignoring symptoms can have dire consequences. There have been documented cases of people dying days and even months after suffering whiplash type injury in an accident.[1] It is extremely important that you provide your physician an accurate representation of your issues and symptoms.

Medical Improvement can be Lost or Delayed

First, always follow the advice of your physicians and medical team. They are trying to help you reach a point of maximum medical improvement. In layman’s terms, they are trying to assist you in getting your body as close to 100% as can be accomplished considering your injuries. After your doctor diagnoses your injuries, he/she is likely to prescribed physical therapy or chiropractic care which are alternatives to more invasive procedures. Physical therapy and chiropractic care are designed to improve your condition through a course of treatment over time. In many instances, the course of treatment will be designed to modify the patient’s behavior, such as improving posture when sitting at a desk typing to improve back pain. This cannot be accomplished in a single visit and by missing appointments the patient will often times find they lose medical gains and the symptoms will return.

Failing to Follow Medical Advice can Damage Your Case

The plain and simple truth is that missing appointments and failing to follow medical advice can damage your case. The insurance company is not going to care that you missed appointments because your newborn kept you up all night and you were tired. They are going to assume that when you fail to follow medical advice it means that you have improved to a point where medical care is no longer necessary. It may not be accurate or fair, but it is the reality of the situation. Clients that miss appointments and fail to follow medical advice will get lower offers from the insurance company.

Contact Jones Law Group

Have you been involved in a car or motorcycle accident or a slip and fall which you have suffered an injury? Contact an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury attorney at Jones Law Group today. When you contact our office we will immediately set an appointment where you will meet your attorney and be provided with his/her personal contact information. If you do not have transportation or you cannot drive, your attorney will travel to meet you and discuss your case with you.

If you have been involved in motorcycle or car accident, you should immediately call an experienced personal injury attorney in St. Petersburg at Jones Law Group at (727) 571-1333 during regular business hours or (727) 753-8657 on weekends or after regular business hours. We will evaluate your case for free and you will never pay us a dime unless we recover compensation for your injuries.

Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue
St. Pete, FL 33707

References:

[1] http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/26/11/2194.full