No win, no fee to your personal injury attorney.

This means that you don’t have to pay a legal fee up front.   Instead, it will be deducted from your injury settlement. This gives your attorney a real motivation to get you the best settlement because there is no fee to the attorney until you get a settlement on your case.

But what kinds of personal injury cases are accepted on a no win no fee basis?

The types of cases below are typically accepted on a no win no fee agreement.  You should contact your attorney for a more specific break down as each case is unique because every injury is different.

• Vehicle accidents, including car accidents, tractor trailer accidents and motorcycle accidents (see your lawyer)
• Wrongful deaths
• Medical Negligence / Medical Malpractice
• Injuries Caused By Drugs / Product liability
• Workplace accidents
• Products liability
• Airplane accidents
• Brain Injury / Concussions
• Traumatic Brain Injury – you should consult your attorney as all these cases involve serious injuries
• Spinal Injuries
• Organ Injury
• Broken Bones and Muscle Injuries
• Injuries to the Neck and Back
• Knee Injury / Knee Surgery
• Whiplash
• Burns
• Dog Bites
• Slip and Fall accidents

You or a relative should contact your personal injury attorney as soon as possible to get the best advice on your Sacramento personal injury injury case.

The post Types of Personal Injury appeared first on Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney.

Injury attorney in Sacramento goes off topic on survival skills.  Personal injury is a serious matter.  Knowing what to do after an injury accident can make a difference in how your personal injury case is resolved.  It is the same for survival skills after a natural disaster.

For those of us who live in the modern world, it’s hard to imagine life without all the conveniences we are used to having.  Going camping is one thing, but how would you survive if you got lost in the wilderness?  What would you do if your city was blown away in a tornado?  What if the power and water went out for an extended period of time?  What to do after a personal injury accident has an easy answer, get medical help and then call your personal injury attorney for advice.

If your answers to questions like those are not very clear, you likely need to take a closer look at the things you know and consider learning some new things, too.  There are lots of resources where you can learn about emergency, wilderness and/or natural disaster survival skills that could serve you in many situations.

Emergency Survival Skills

The most basic type of survival to learn are the essentials of staying alive in the face of emergency circumstances.  This could be any of a number of things – Maybe you are alone and have and personal injury accident and need to stop severe bleeding.  Maybe you skid off of a deserted highway and can’t use your cell phone.

First Aid

For most types of survival, knowing first aid is fundamental.

This can serve in any sort of emergency.  Any time your life is in danger, whether it is due to being injured in by falling objects in an earthquake or hurricane, or because of a burn from fire, knowing what to do to care for your medical needs until you can get professional help is important.   Take the time to take a first aid course and learn the basics.  You may one day use them on yourself.

You can also develop skills to help you recognize resources that you might not otherwise consider.  You can get a sense of how objects can be used to allow you to meet your needs, beyond their original purpose.

Wilderness survival skills are the things you should know if you are every planning a long hike.  Actually, even short hikes can sometimes go wrong and people do become lost or stranded, so having some wilderness survival skills can be critical.

Out in the wilderness you need to know first aid, of course, but you should also know many other basics relating to the primary needs of life, such as shelter, food and sleep.  Each of these can become difficult when you are stuck in the wild.

Hiking

When you go hiking, always carry a small backpack with fat wood, which is wood soaked in oil.  It does not drip or create a mess, just makes it easy to start a fire, even with damp wood.  You will also need a lighter and some waterproof matches.  Have some folded up newspaper and place into a gallon sized zip lock baggie.  Put all this items into baggies for waterproofing.  You should also have a small flashlight so you can look around for firewood to start a fire.

If you get lost hiking, you often just have to spend an overnight in the woods.  You may not make it back to camp before the sunsets and you are stuck until morning.  Nights can get cool and chilly.   Thus, the first objective is to start a fire for warmth and lighting during the night.   You don’t want to have to spend a cold and dark night in the woods; and a fire will keep the animals away.

Much of learning about survival is learning what tools to carry with you or how to make your own tools.  That is critical to being able to meet most every type of human need.

Finding Food

It’s essential first of all to know how to find or catch food.  Learning about, or better yet, having a guide to finding edible plants, flowers, mushrooms and berries is a great start.  It’s also important to know how to collect water as well as to prepare anything you catch for eating.  If you have tools with you, this process, of course, can be made much easier.  Nothing wrong with being vegetarian during your ordeal, you are trying to survive, not thrive.

Natural Disaster

Another extreme situation when it could require skill to survive is before, during and after a natural disaster.  You should have a plan already in place of what to do if there is a threat of strong winds, earthquake, fire or flooding.

Natural disasters are best dealt with if some preparations are made ahead of time.  Usually you have some amount of warning before storms hit.  You can prepare your home, ensure that you have the food and water required and know the best place to wait it out.

You should also know what you need to do after the fact to care for any injuries, as well as how to get help if you need it.  You should be able to survive for at least a few days without assistance, which is why an emergency preparedness kid and food storage are so critical.

We all saw what happened in Katrina, and other major storms in the last decade or so, and how long it can take for all of the people who need help to get it.  Make sure you can support yourself and your family in such a situation.

Heat

You should consider purchasing a kerosene heater in case there is a natural disaster, such as an earthquake.

Being able to have a good heat source is important, even if you have an outage for a week.

A kerosene heather only costs about $150 and puts out a LOT of heat in a short time.   Be sure to also keep a 5 gallon container of K1 Kerosene as well.  This a very pure and clean high grade version of Kerosene.

You do need to crack a window because the heater will consume oxygen while it is heating.   Kerosene costs about $8 per gallon.  Even at that price point, you get a lot of heat output per gallon.   You should only use the recommended fuel which is something called K1 Kerosene.  As to the smell, there is only a slight smell when you start it up and when you turn it off.  You can crack your window a bit wider when turning on and off in order to eliminate the smell.

The new models have battery operated ignitors, so you don’t even use matches to light the heater.  The low cost of this heat source is minor when compared to the cost of a wood or pellet stove.  These cost well over $1,000 to purchase and then you still have to buy firewood or pellets.

You can purchase Kerosene heaters, and K1 Kerosene, at any Tractor Supply Store, Lowes or Home Depot.  Having Kerosene heating your home is better than relying a noisy generator to run your furnace.  And it is less expensive.   Another benefit of heating with Kerosene is that when everyone else is rushing out to buy generators and gas, you can pick up Kerosene with ease because many people don’t use it.

I have seen a lot of time in the outdoors during my years in the Army and then later in the Army National Guard.  It is important to be prepared, but to not spend a lot of money for this preparation.   You really should know the basics of first aid, have a kerosene heater and an emergency kit with water and other items you might need during a power outage.

Survival skills aren’t only what you need to be able to live in the wilderness but also the preparation and knowledge that can get you through a prolonged power outage caused by an earthquake or other disaster.  There are different types of skills that can be useful in many different situations, and it’s worth it to learn something about the subject so you can be prepared to make it through any situation.

Hopefully, you won’t need the services of a personal injury attorney in Sacramento, but if you do, feel free to reach out to me.

This is not medical advice, I am a Sacramento injury attorney, not a medical doctor.   This is also NOT legal advice.

The post Survival Skills and Personal Injury appeared first on Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney.

Have you been injured by a Zombie?

You’ve seen the TV shows, you’ve watched the movies, you may even have played the video game, but even with all that background do you know what you would do in a zombie apocalypse?  Have you thought about what you would do to survive?

I know personal injury is a serious matter and hope this tongue in check off topic article lifts your day.

It’s always better to be safe than sorry, and in this case, if you aren’t safe, you will be very, very sorry.   Zombies can cause some very serious personal injuries.  You should discuss your injuries with your Sacramento personal injury lawyer before signing any settlement with a Zombie.   Taking some simple steps of preparation can save you from that sorry state, should it ever threaten you.

Although you may have seen the horror play out on screen and watched some of the methods used to survive by characters in zombie shows, you need to figure out what you are actually capable of doing with the resources you have.  This means your physical strength as well as whatever zombie apocalypse survival gear you have at your disposal.  (Seriously though, this applies to your real life)

You can work out to build up strength and then you could always rely on whatever happens to be lying around, or you could actually prepare.  If you have the right tools you will be in a much better position to make it out alive.

First of all you have to know your enemy.  All of those shows have given you some knowledge, but you need to know where your best place to hide is, as well as the best methods to protect yourself from an attack.

There are a number of excellent guides for this type of survival.  Get one and read it through.  Follow the suggestions it offers and learn the material well.  Then store the book with the rest of your zombie apocalypse survival gear so that you will have it if you ever need it, as some things will surely escape you in an emergency situation.

The guide should help you to know what gear to gather together.  You will find out what the best means of protection is and the weapons that will be most effective, as well as information on how to use them.

Your gear should definitely include gloves and mask and other means of avoiding contamination.  Tools to help you navigate including night vision goggles are also a huge benefit to have.

An ax and/or machete will be extremely helpful in case of an attack.  Be sure they are included in your pack.  These and other weapons and decoys can help you survive and give you the chance to get away to safety.

You can follow the guide for what gear to gather and keep it all together in a sturdy backpack.  Another option is to buy a prepared kit.  There are kits that contain all the zombie apocalypse survival gear you might need.

Whether you make your own pack or buy one that is commercially prepared you can rest easy if you are prepared.  The frightening scenes from movies can be avoided if you know what you are doing, and you can come out on top, as long as you have taken the time to prepare.

Disclaimer:  This article is not intended to “label” Zombies because they are undead, nor is this legal advice for Zombies or for humans.  I am a Sacramento injury lawyer; however, this article is not intended as legal advice and does not create an attorney client relationship.

The post Personal Injury after Zombie Apocalypse appeared first on Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney.

Talk to a personal injury attorney in Sacramento about sciatica pain after a car accident, truck accident or bicycle accident injury?

Yes.  After your accident, you may be dealing with something called sciatica, which can really affect your quality of life, cause your pain and suffering and prevent you from working.   Your Sacramento injury lawyer can help.

Chronic pain of any sort can be very difficult to live with.

It can cause all sorts of problems in your life and may affect your ability to function; preventing you from enjoying your life and from earning a living.  Even if it doesn’t, it is always there, eating away at your ability to feel happy and content, and that in itself is a big problem.

Money can never replace your ability to live your normal life, but it is the closest thing to compensate you for your losses after a personal injury accident.

If the pain is in your back, it can be very difficult to function because so many things involve that area.  Sitting or lying down, or getting up from those positions can be very painful, and walking can be almost impossible. Movement in general is hard, as the back is connected to most types of movement of other parts of the body.    Your back pain can really keep you down.

But what is the cause of this pain?

The sciatic nerve is the longest and widest one in the body.  It starts in the lower back and goes through the buttocks and down the back of the leg.  Sciatica is when compression or irritation of the nerve causes pain and other symptoms.  For example, it could result from the compression of the nerve roots because of a torn or protruding disc in the lower back.   This area can be damaged during a slip and fall accident, automobile accident and many others.   It is just so easy to injure.

First used in 1451, the term sciatica is not actually a diagnosis of what is causing certain symptoms, but rather it is simply a set of symptoms.  Therefore, whatever the cause, if you have the symptoms, you have sciatica.

The only real symptom of sciatic pain, is exactly that: sciatic pain.  This means pain in the lower back that runs down through to one or both legs, possibly all the way to the foot along the sciatic nerve.  There is sometimes also weakness associated with the problem.

You will need to discuss this pain with your Sacramento personal injury lawyer who can also refer you to medical professionals to get your pain under control.   Your injury attorney will also assist you will getting money for your injuries such as for lost wages, pain and suffering and medical bills.

Such injury cases are typically done on a contingency basis, which means that you won’t have to pay a legal fee upfront.   The fees are taken only if and when your attorney obtains a settlement.

Sciatic pain can come on very suddenly and unexpectedly.  A person might never have experienced any sort of back pain before at all.  After a personal injury accident, you may have an instant shooting pain in your lower back and down through the legs.  After that, the pain may be more persistent and permeate the lower back constantly.   You will need to work with your medical professionals to get an actual diagnosis and to determine if your pain may have been caused by your personal injury.

It can be very difficult to walk when sciatica is at its worst.  A short period of bed rest may be necessary, although laying down may not seem to bring much relief.  It may simply be too hard to get up and walk.  After some rest, the inflammation may go down and bring some relief to you.

Treatment for the problem depends on what is causing it.  However, some ointments, creams and essential oils can be applied on the area to help with pain management.  Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can also help alleviate pain.

Alternative medicine can also help with sciatica.  Many people report great relief from various different types of treatments.  These usually have not been studied to have the appropriate scientific back up for them to be recommended by a doctor, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it helps for some.   This may be accounted for a placebo effect.  It won’t really matter as long as it helps your pain; who cares.

If there are more serious causes, epidural steroid shots may be required and surgery might also be necessary in the case of a serious injury to the spine.  This all gets back to your ability to enjoy life; your pain and suffering and lost time from work and life activities.

Resistance Stretching and exercise can help to prevent attacks and improve comfort when the pain is bad.  Treatment and time together can help the sciatica pain to go away so you can get back to feeling normal again.

Disclaimer:   I am a Sacramento injury attorney, not a medical doctor.  Thus, this is NOT medical advice.

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A Sacramento personal injury lawyer explains knee replacement recovery, which needs a proactive, highly supervised process.

After your personal injury, you many need various surgeries to get you back in shape, especially after a pedestrian accident, bus accident or a slip and fall accident.   After surgery, you are usually up and walking within 2 to 3 hours. This gets everything moving and is great deterrent to the formation of blood clots, which can lead to bigger problems. Blood thinners such as Coumadin and aspirin are used to ward off clots as well.

Patients are kept at the hospital until they are stable, and are usually sent home after two or three days. If the patient is younger, it is even possible that they will be released home on the day after surgery

Antibiotics will be administered by an IV to prevent infection.  This is an important part of a successful surgery.  Antibiotics can prevent you from getting an infection during the surgery, and can speed up your recovery time.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is the key to successful knee replacement recovery. This will usually begin the day of surgery while still in the hospital. This part of the recovery usually begins with the use of a walker.  Once you can fully bear weight on you own, the walker is no longer necessary.

Most patients will progress quickly using this method, and you should not have to spend time at a nursing home or a rehabilitation center unless you are older, or have no assistance at home.

When it comes to arthroscopic knee surgery, the recovery time and amount of physical therapy is usually less.  This is why less invasive knee surgery is often a preferred option, for practical reasons.

Outpatient physical therapy is arranged and a schedule is set up in advance. It is recommended that the therapy be done at a facility that specializes in rehabilitation from knee replacement surgery. In this way a professional is available to guide the process of your therapy.

Your personal injury lawyer in Sacramento will help guide your medical recovery and assist you in your personal injury claims for you to get paid for your pain and suffering, loss of creation and work and those medical expenses.

Pain Medication

Some patients stop taking pain medication the second week after surgery.  Preferred pain relievers are Tylenol or Motrin because they are not addictive.   These do more than just get rid of pain, they will also help get rid of the inflammation in your body caused by your injuries.   Thus, it is important to stay on pain medications while you are healing.  Pain medication is taken throughout the therapy, but such things as swelling and psychological factors will enter in to the equation.

Returning to Work and Recreation 

When you may return to your job in some capacity depends upon the extent of your personal injuries, related pain, and the type of work you perform.   But your actual recovery time will be specific to your personal injuries, which is something you will discuss with your Sacramento personal injury lawyer and your doctors.

Driving

Some patients can return to driving in about one week after surgery for a left knee replacement and in about three weeks, sometimes more, for a right knee replacement.  However, recovery time often takes longer than projected at the time of your surgery.  Recovery will vary from patient to patient. Some patients will do very well in therapy, others will struggle more.  Your injury and recovery time will be unique.  A strategy for therapy is laid out in writing and, if followed, will get you back to being healthy.

Most patients will begin therapy using simple activities and movements graduating to more complex and far reaching exercises. Progress is entirely up to the patient and their level of motivation and pain tolerance. Items such as leg lifts, heel slides, and ankle pumps assist the patient in the healing process.

Knee replacement recovery is a team effort between you, your injury lawyer and your doctors and physical therapists.  Each plays a major role in getting you back into good health and your successful recovery and payment for your pain and suffering, lost wages and medical bills.

Disclaimer here; I am a Sacramento personal injury lawyer, not a physical therapist or physician.  This is NOT medical advice.

The post Personal Injury: Knee Replacement Recovery appeared first on Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney.

A personal injury lawyer in Sacramento writes about knee surgery after your personal injury.  This surgery is often a major surgery to help relieve pain and damage to your knees after your personal injury.  Keep in mind that you may have pain and may need additional surgeries in the future.

Your Sacramento injury lawyer can assist you with your personal injury claim, which will allow you to pay your medical bills, lost wages and for your pain and suffering.

Having achy knees after an auto accident, bicycle accident or truck accident will certainly cause you pain and suffering.   There are different types of knee surgery which can vary in their degree of invasiveness.  An orthopedic surgeon will provide an accurate diagnosis and decide exactly which of these knee surgery procedures is most appropriate.

A personal injury lawyer in Sacramento and or your primary care provider can refer you to an orthopedic surgeon who will do an analysis of your specific injury and provide a clinical diagnosis and recommendation of treatment. If this treatment includes surgery, the orthopedic surgeon will recommend the appropriate type of knee surgery.

Depending on the damage to your knee, there are several options for surgery.

Meniscus Repair

A meniscus repair involves the wedge of cartilage that sits between the ends of the femur and tibia and provides shock-absorbing support.  If the meniscus can be repaired, long-term prognosis for return to normal activities and relief from aching knees is often good.  Even so, this is still considered major surgery recovery can be longer you might expect.

Meniscus Transplant

If a meniscus repair will not work, a meniscus repair may also be an option.  This involves replacing a ruined meniscus that has been removed, with a donor meniscus.  This, too, is major knee surgery with a lengthy recovery time.   As you can see, these surgeries will cause you to lose work, endure pain and suffering and rack up medical bills.  It is important for your Sacramento injury lawyer to be closely involved with you and your doctors to guide you to your recovery.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) repair

Another type of knee surgery is called an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) repair.

This is done when one of the major ligaments that stabilizes the kneecap is damaged. When one of these ligaments is weakened, the knee can give way and an individual can fall.  This ligament damage can occur during a slip and fall accident, car accident, or truck accident to name a few.  Repairing the ACL during knee surgery can strengthen the ACL and stabilize the knee.  ACL surgery is often performed by arthroscopy, which is much less invasive than other forms of knee surgery.

Arthroscopy

During arthroscopy a small incision is made and a flexible tube with a small camera is inserted through the incision at the knee joint.  This is the arthroscope, which sends images back to a television monitor where the orthopedic surgeon can see the damage to the ACL in detail.  Then, using this scope, the orthopedic surgeon makes the repairs or removes damaged tissue.

Lateral release surgery

This involves loosening the ligaments that hold the kneecap in place horizontally.

When a kneecap is damaged from the side, it can be pulled or dislocated from the groove, causing pain when the knee is bent.  When this happens, it becomes necessary to loosen the lateral ligaments holding the kneecap in the horizontal position so that it can slip back into the groove.

A more serious issue is when the patellar tendon or the quadriceps tendon gets injured.  Both of these large tendons are on the front of the knee and serve to add strength to both the knee and the upper leg.  If either one of these tendons is injured, a patient will have trouble straightening their knee.  Repairing this type of personal injury almost always requires knee surgery, time off from work and recreation.

Arthritis

After your personal injury, arthritis can be an issue long after your personal injury case is settled.

You orthopedic surgeon may recommend either a full or partial knee replacement.   There are several types of arthritis that effect the knee joint, and each has a slightly different impact on the knee.

Rheumatoid arthritis will cause inflammation and swelling around the knee joint causing stiffness, making it hard to bend the knee.

Osteoarthritis results in cartilage disappearing and eventually bone rubbing against bone which is very painful.

If the arthritis is confined to a small area of the knee, your orthopedic surgeon may recommend a partial knee replacement.  If, however, there is more significant damage from the arthritis, then a full knee replacement will be necessary.

Here again, you will need a caring personal injury attorney in Sacramento, along with your doctors, to help you get your health back, and get paid for your suffering, time off from work and medical bills.   Your settlement will also include money for your future suffering, future lost wages and future medical bills.

When full knee replacement surgery is done, it is often major surgery.  The good news is that knee replacement surgery is one of the commonly performed surgeries in the world, on thousands of individuals every day.  It is also one of the most successful surgeries performed both in the United States and throughout the world, with a low rate of complications per surgery.

Knee Replacement

This surgery was first performed in 1968, and through major advances in medical research and techniques, has become one of the safest surgeries performed today.  During your surgery, the bone and cartilage at the ends of the femur and tibia are removed.

The surgeon then may shape the underside of the kneecap and the ends of the tibia and femur so that they all align with the metal knee implant.  This is especially important for a smooth, close fit between the knee implant and the bone and kneecap.

Once the knee implant is in place, the knee is closed and sutured.  The patient is taken to recovery and then to a hospital room.  The patient may remain in the hospital for a couple of days, but you will probably be up and moving on your new knee within 24 hours after surgery.   This is a great surgery, but does require substantial time for a full recovery.

Physical Therapy

You will start almost immediately following surgery.  This is very important so that the patient can begin to recuperate quickly.  The faster the patient starts using the new knee, the better and faster they will heal.  Knee surgery is major and sometimes can be a long recovery.

The decision to have knee surgery should be a coordinated decision between the patient, their primary care provider and the orthopedic surgeon.  You should have a complete physical before surgery and consider all the factors involved in having knee surgery before making a decision.

Disclaimer, I am a Sacramento personal injury attorney, not a doctor.  Thus is NOT medical advice.

The post Knee Surgery After Personal Injury appeared first on Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney.

Sacramento Injury Attorney writes about insomnia as it relates to your pain and suffering from your personal injury.

After your personal injury, you may need to find out what insomnia is, what causes it, and how can it be treated.  This is because insomnia is often a part of your injury – your pain and suffering if you will – or from your physical injury.

Why Can’t I Sleep?

There is no one absolute cause of sleep disorder, but a major cause can be an injury resulting from an auto accident, bicycle accident, dog bite or any other traumatic personal injury.   As you might imagine, truck accidents or “big rig” accidents can cause very dramatic physical and mental damage.  Your Sacramento injury attorney and medical providers can help guide you with your case and your recovery.

This disorder can affect anyone who has an accident or is a victim of medical malpractice.   It can be worse for someone who is already more at risk for a sleep disorder, such as people who follow certain bad lifestyle habits.   Even so, if someone has caused your disorder by being negligent and getting into an accident, you are able to recover for your suffering resulting from the accident.

An injury accident can trigger or aggravate any tendencies to sleep disturbances which may already be present.  Because of your personal injury, you may have to work harder to do something (sleep) you could easily do before your accident.

Things that can help relieve your insomnia are many.  Some involve little expense and no risk.  If you can’t sleep due to pain, then you may need prescription medications during your recovery.   But it is also important to add in some non-medication based therapies.

Relaxation

It always helps to be in a relaxed state, and also that your sleeping surroundings are conducive to getting a good night’s sleep.  Relaxing before going to bed is a habit which can benefit your life in other ways as well, and it is not difficult to do.

Relaxation should be personalized to your own interests, so you can use music, Resistance Stretching, reading, yoga, or any other safe activity. Remember to switch off the computer at least two hours before retiring, and then take part in your relaxing activity.

Blue Light

Short-wavelength or “blue” light can suppress melatonin, which is what your body produces to induce sleep.  This light shines into your eyes from your computer, TV and smartphone, which then interferes with your sleep.

This also why there is payment for your pain and suffering, lost work productivity and medical costs in your California personal injury case.   You may not get a perfects night’s rest, but you should at least be paid for your sleep loss and other related suffering.

Darkness

One important key to overcoming sleep disorder is to make sure that the room is completely dark, and cool. If you have to use a barrier over windows to create full darkness, then you should do so.  You should also cover the little display lights coming from your TV and other electronic devices.   These devices displaying the time and channel emit enough light to effect your sleep pattern.   Having total darkness means you won’t have any blue light that might prevent your sleep.

Regular Sleep Time

One of the most often quoted techniques for treating insomnia is simply to make sure that you go to bed and sleep at the same time each day, including weekends. While this may be an impossible goal for many to achieve, it makes sense to get as close to it as possible. Shift workers will have a special difficulty in following this prescription, but it often possible to schedule your intended sleeping hours for either just before or just after a working shift. Make sure to allow ample time for travel to and from work.

There are daytime consequences of sleep loss.

It is well known that insomnia relates to lost sleep, either the inability to get to sleep in the first place, or the inability to remain asleep while in bed. This is disturbing enough, but there are obvious add on effects which remain in the daytime. If the brain is deprived of sleep, it tries to compensate by shutting down for brief moments during the day, and this can severely affect your work performance.   Here again, your accident may interfere with your work in many ways, by a physical injury and or by sleep deprivation.

Keep in mind that this is not medical advice; I am a California injury attorney, not a medical doctor.  Unlike other Sacramento injury attorneys, you won’t find pictures of lawyers in over sized boxing gloves or carrying baseball bats.   Just good information to help you in your recovery and your personal injury claims.

The post Sacramento Injury Attorney: Insomnia appeared first on Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney.

A Sacramento personal injury attorney writes about back surgery.

Why?

Because this information can help personal injury clients and others who suffer from various degrees and forms of back pain after having an auto or motorcycle accident, a slip and fall accident or any other personal injury accident.

You may have to consider whether back surgery is a viable option after your personal injury.

It is important that you work together with your doctors and Sacramento personal injury attorney to try to pinpoint where the pain exactly is, what caused it, and what options for treatment are available to you.    Your attorney will assist in getting you paid for your pain and suffering and medical bills.

You will need to know as much as possible in order for you to get a personal injury settlement large enough to cover your medical expenses, for now and the future, and money to compensate your pain and suffering.

Often, back surgery is a last resort. When all other forms of alternative treatments such as stretching physiotherapy, medication etc.  have been tried without any success, this surgery may have to be considered.

Like most surgeries, there can be complications from back surgery which can be serious.  It is not something to be decided upon without much thought and discussion with your doctors and other practitioners. It is also a good idea to get more than one opinion before going ahead.   It can be wise to wait a bit to see how your injuries may or may not resolve themselves.

These are all factors to be considered in getting your personal injury settlement that will fairly pay you for your injuries, suffering and loss of income as a result of your personal injury.

Most medical information is constantly changed and updated with new treatments developed.  Thus, always make sure that you have the latest information before making your personal, informed decision.

Discectomy

Discectomy is a type of back surgery which could be necessary if you suffer from trapped or inflamed nerves as a result of a herniated disc (also known as a ‘slipped disc’). This happens when the outer part of one or more of your discs is weakened, and the softer inner part pushes out presses against the nerves or spinal cord.

This pressure against the nerves can cause your back pain.  This can easily be caused by a slip and fall accident or a car accident.  You should consult a doctor and your attorney after you have a slip and fall accident, or any other for that matter.

At present, open discectomies are usually performed under general anesthetic, and take approximately one hour, sometimes more.  The surgeon makes a small incision in the back so that he or she can clearly view the portion on the disc that needs to be removed.

Research is underway to make this less invasive and requiring smaller incisions, but presently, open discectomies are preferred.   Very often opening up an area is preferred because the surgeon can get a clear look at the problem and has the freedom to do what is necessary to fix your problem.

Spinal fusion

Spinal fusion is where two, or sometimes more, bones in your spine are joined together to give stability or support to bones that could be broken or degenerated as a result of a slip and fall accident, car accident or  construction accident.  Typically, bone grafts are inserted around the spine, and your body’s natural healing process gradually fuses the bones together. This prevents movement between these bones, which can be the cause of your pain.

Artificial disc replacement

Artificial disc replacement can be a total or partial replacement of your spinal disc

This can become necessary after a car or slip and fall accident and a disc has degenerated to the point of causing serious pain or discomfort. This is often a last resort when other treatments have failed, and pain is intense and prolonged.   Serious pain can give you a good of indication of when you might be ready.

This sort of injury also highlights why you don’t want to rush into quick personal injury settlement.  Sometimes the full extent of your accident injuries are not known until after you some time has passed after you have healed and these additional problems set in.

Laminectomy

A Laminectomy is a procedure to remove the lamina, which is part of your vertebrae.

This is quite a common procedure, most commonly used for treatment of spinal stenosis. This occurs when the spinal canal narrows and can cause pain numbness, and even loss of motor control. Enlarging the spinal canal can reduce pressure which is placed on your spinal cord or nerves.  This surgery is not as invasive as other forms of back surgery, and recovery is generally very good.   This injury can occur after an auto accident or slip and fall.

Foraminotomy

Foraminotomy is a surgical procedure to widen the part in your back where nerves go to the spinal cord.

This then allows your back to move more freely, and reduces pain and pressure. During surgery, an incision is made, and parts of your bone are removed, or shaved away to increase the opening. Recovery time can depend on how much of the spine the surgeon has had to operate on, which varies depending upon your injury.

If vertebrae have been fractured, a Vertebroplasty may be recommended. A medical grade cement mixture (yes, I know it sounds crazy) is injected into the damaged area to give support, and to help the fracture to heal. This procedure is minimally invasive, complications are few and generally not too severe, and recovery time is quick.

It is important to emphasize that most surgeons will view back surgery as a last resort.  And, it is not guaranteed to eliminate your back pain.  Other treatments such as Resistance Stretching also called Ki Hara stretching and physiotherapy (a fancy word for working with a physical therapist) should be tried first.

Resistance Stretching

Resistance Stretching was created by a person who suffered from pain after a personal injury accident.

Bob Cooley has written a book detailing his journey and includes his stretching methods.  You can get a copy of his book, which is highly recommended:    http://www.amazon.com/The-Genius-Flexibility-Stretch-Strengthen/dp/0743270878

If You Do …

If you do decide to have back surgery, rest is usually recommended for a period of time, perhaps even making use of back supports or braces to allow your back to heal properly. Then you will likely be given a personalized recovery program which includes exercises and therapy to get your body used to bearing its weight again.

As with all surgery, there are risks involved. These can include side effects from the anesthetic, complications during surgery, stiffness or numbness in your legs or potential paralysis. While some of these risks are extremely rare, they are serious, and it is important to take all of this into consideration.

If you decide to go ahead with back surgery, hopefully it will reduce much or all of your pack pain, and give you a better quality of life.

Make sure that you ask your doctor or surgeon as many questions as you need to so that you understand the procedure that they recommend, the possible side effects or complications, the potential success or failure rate, as well as any alternatives that you haven’t yet considered.  You or a relative should also do online research for your procedure.

Disclaimer:  Ah heck, sorry, always have to have one of this.  This article is written by a Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney, not a medical doctor.  This is NOT medical advice.

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A Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer writes about pain management.  Why?  Because it may help you when suffering from many kinds of accident injuries.  After your injury, you will need an injury attorney who really cares about you.

But how do you know when a Sacramento injury attorney really cares about you?

Check out some other Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer web sites.  You will find them very different.  They go on and on about how many millions of dollars they have gotten OTHER clients, how many years they have been in business and how many magazines have listed them as lawyer of the year.  Heck, I even saw one lists that he was nominated for California “Street Fighter of the Year.”

What is missing though is how a personal injury lawyer can help YOU.   Right?  This is about YOU not them.  This is a difference you will see very quickly.   This site is about things that can help you with your personal injury.   It’s not just about getting your case and moving on.   Thus, this is why this Sacramento Personal Injury attorney writes about topics like pain management, knee replacement and back surgery.  Things to help you.

Pain Management 

Living with pain is something that you should have to do, especially if it is caused by someone else’s mistake.  But it does happen, and when it does, you will need to learn how to manage your pain.

Sure, we can all handle the occasional injury or illness – that’s part of life.  Living every day in pain can just be too much.  It is both physically and psychologically exhausting.

Chronic pain caused by a car accident injury do more than just make you hurt.  In some ways it can take away your quality of life.  The things you used to do you avoid because it hurts to move or isn’t even physically possible anymore.  Sometimes it feels like your whole world has been turned upside down.

Of course, an attorney can help you with your personal injury claims, but you may still be in pain even after you get your settlement.   But your injury settlement is the main way you can get compensated and part of your settlement will be the fact of your future pain and suffering.

After you get your injury settlement, finding constructive ways to deal with the pain is the best way to work toward getting your life back.  Good pain management should mean more than just taking a pain killer.  It should be comprehensive, with the goal to help resolve any and all issues that arise because of your pain to as great a degree as possible.

There are many different types of pain management, and it takes a team of doctors to give you the best possible care.  A good pain management team knows your case and, instead of giving you a general course of medication or therapy, they design one with your specific needs in mind, so that you get the most effective combination of services to get you feeling as well as possible.

The Team

A pain management team will usually consist of all or any combination of medical doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and nurses.  Each of these can play a unique role in targeting some aspect of your health that is affected by your chronic pain, underlying condition, or the psychological effects of the pain itself.   That is why is important to get a Sacramento Personal Injury attorney who cares enough about you and your case to ensure that you get the necessary medical treatment after your injury.

One of the primary goals of the doctors is, to whatever extent possible, to take care of whatever is causing the pain.  Often when the source of the trauma or pathology is healed, the pain will also be healed and there will be little or no need for further pain management.  That’s why the focus from the beginning is to get a good diagnosis of your injuries to allow for an effective treatment.   The idea is to get you back to where you were before your car accident or other injury.

During that treatment, and later, if it doesn’t resolve the pain, a focus is placed on easing the suffering of the patient.  Treatment measures for chronic pain include pharmacological resources like analgesics, tricyclic antidepressants, and anticonvulsants.  Physical approaches include physical therapy, exercise, heat or cold compresses.  Psychological measures are also taken when needed.

The first line of medication to treat pain is usually paracetamol (acetaminophen) is a pain reliever and a fever reducer, or NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen also known by its brand name Advil.  From there it’s a long list of more powerful medications such as morphine, opioids, cannabinoids and others.  Your doctor will start you with a low dosage, and then work to find the just what is needed for the optimal pain relief, usually through trial and error.  Keep in mind that it is important right after an injury or surgery to get on pain medication because once the pain sets in, it can be difficult to push back.

New Methods

There are some procedures that can also be done in advanced pain management to reduce pain.  Neuromodulation is therapeutic alteration of activity in the central, peripheral or autonomic nervous systems using electricity or drugs by means of implanted devices.  In other simple words, it is designed to reduce your pain.

Pulsed radiofrequency is a technology which uses continuous radiofrequency and may provide pain relief without causing significant damage to nervous tissue.

Nerve ablation is a minimally invasive technique removes or ablates a section of vertebral nerve which may provide relief to patients with chronic lower back pain.

An intrathecal pump can allow for delivering only small amounts of medication directly to the spinal fluid, causing fewer side effects and faster relief.  A spinal cord stimulator can also be implanted to send pulses that confuse the pain signals.

Physiatry uses physical methods to help ease the pain.  For example, the use of heat or cold, or electrotherapy.  Therapeutic exercise and stretches, acupuncture and laser therapy are other examples of physical approaches to pain management.   Especially good is a system called Ki Hara Stretching or Resistance Stretching, which can give great pain relief as it releases endorphins during stretching?

Psychology is also an important aspect of managing chronic pain.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can help chronic pain sufferers to recognize that there is a relationship between pain and muscle tension and their thoughts, emotions and behaviors.  Learning helpful thought patterns and changing any behaviors that contribute to the pain, as well as engaging in healthy activities (exercise and healthy eating) can have a great impact on quality of life.   There is also Hypnosis, but that is more controversial as it has not been studied properly.  It seems as though those who volunteer to test are already more likely to be positively influenced by nature of their readiness to try it.  Perhaps there is a placebo effect, but whatever works.

Any necessary combination of these techniques can be used in tandem to product the best possible results.

Your team of specialists can work together, understanding the interactions of any medications that might be used for different concerns, and to take care of not only the physical aspects of the pain, but also the psychological ones.   Again, your Sacramento injury lawyer can assist you with getting your personal injury claims that will include the medical treatments for your injuries and compensation for your pain and suffering.

You journey to reducing and hopefully eliminating pain isn’t always a short and simple one.  With the right team of pain experts who understand your needs you can get a good, comprehensive regiment going that can greatly improve your quality of life when you are dealing with a disease or other source of pain.

Disclaimer:  Yeah, always have to have one of these.   I’m an attorney, not a medical doctor.  Thus nothing discussed here is medical or even legal advice.   If you would like attorney help with your Sacramento personal injury claim, please feel free to email me or call me by tel

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