Articles Posted in Chronic Pain

Management of Substance Abuse after Trauma

Management of Substance Abuse after Trauma

I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Brain Injury Lawyer. Substance abuse, especially alcohol intoxication, is the underlying cause of almost half of all traumatic injuries in the US.  One survey showed that 75 percent of intoxicated patients have a prior history of clinically-significant alcohol related life events and 26 percent admit to significant pre-injury alcohol problems.  This means that alcohol abuse disorder is reported to be the most prevalent disease among trauma survivors.  Injured problem drinkers are subsequently more likely to be reinjured, re-hospitalized, and to die compared to normal people.  Despite the high incidence of substance abuse, it is rarely screened for in rehabilitation units.

Rates of alcohol problems are particularly high among those with traumatic injuries, including traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury.

Links between alcohol problems and traumatic brain injury/spinal cord injury will be described in terms of the prevalence of these problems together and the effects on outcome.  There are persistent stereotypes and myths about substance abuse that may interfere with the implementation of effective screening and intervention programs. Continue reading ›

Trauma and Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia involves extreme pain in the face caused by damage or inflammation to the trigeminal nerve or the fifth cranial nerve. There are three branches to the trigeminal nerve, any one of which can be affected. The trigeminal nerve breaks off into an ophthalmic nerve, which innervates sensation around the eye, the maxillary nerve, which innervates sensation around the cheek and maxillary area, and the mandibular nerve, which regulates sensation of the lower jaw area.

Can You Get Carpal Tunnel Syndrome From A Car Accident

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome And Motor Vehicle Accidents

Many people are familiar with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) as a condition caused by repetitive stress injuries such as working with vibrating tools, heavy manual labor, and even less impactful but repeated movements such as typing. Within these categories, carpal tunnel syndrome is often a workplace injury. What is less well known, however, is traumatic carpal tunnel syndrome that can be triggered by a single injury to the hand or wrist from an event such as a motor vehicle collision, a sports injury, or a slip-and-fall injury.

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What does a multidisciplinary approach to chronic pain mean?  This is when health care professionals from multiple fields address the needs of the patient rather than only one medical provider treating a patient.

In the US, many people only treat pain by seeing their primary care physician and/or a visit to the emergency room.  This often does little to alleviate chronic pain. These visits may contribute to the chronic pain sufferer feeling marginalized or without hope for their symptoms.

People who have sustained catastrophic injuries (and their families) are often in need of very specific, specialized information regarding the injury suffered, the latest care and support options, research into new treatment options, and the psychological and emotional support that can come from connecting with other people who have suffered similar losses.  For some of the categories of catastrophic injuries, the following resources may be helpful:

resources for catastrophic injuriesBurn Injury Resources

medical marijuana for relief of chronic painMany alternative remedies for chronic conditions have been explored in recent years, and one that is receiving an increasing amount of attention from traditional medical practitioners is the use of medical marijuana for relief of chronic pain.

A recent study conducted in Australia looked at more than 1500 people who were receiving opioid drugs for relief of chronic pain conditions (not related to cancer). Most were experiencing pain from neck and back injuries, from arthritis or other rheumatological problems, or from severe headaches. Among this group, about 1 in 6 reported also using medical marijuana for relief of chronic pain in addition to their prescribed narcotic medications. As a group, those who reported using cannabis tended to being having more severe pain and were on higher doses of opiods.

The number of trucking accidents has increased significantly over the last two decades. Federal laws and regulations govern the trucking industry. These laws establish standards that trucking companies, owners, and drivers must meet, and often determine who is responsible for a trucking accident. More info can be found here.

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When it comes to trucking accidents there are a host of players who may be responsible for a victims injuries and damages including the following:

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1.4 Million people yearly suffer a traumatic brain injury.  When troops returned from the First World War suffering what was then called “Shell shock”, the first associations were made between chronic pain and brain injuries. As a Sacramento Brain Injury Lawyer, I have been well aware of how many of my clients suffering concussions or brain injuries also suffered from chronic headaches.

I saw confirmation of this correlation in a recent medical review of some 1100 Medline articles over the past 50 plus years.  The study showed a prevalence of chronic headache pain in 56 percent of individuals suffering a brain injury, even a “mild” brain injury.

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