After an injury, you must see your doctor immediately so that you can begin down the road to recovery. When you see your doctor and any recommended specialists and physical therapists or other medical providers, you want to give them as much information as necessary to help them make a correct diagnosis and come up with a course of treatment. While speaking to your doctor about your injuries, it is important that she is provided with the following information and that your medical record is correctly noted:

Medical history
For your doctor to properly assess you, she needs to know about your medical history before your accident. If you experienced aches and pains before the injury – tell your doctor. Your doctor must know your history, current health conditions, and family history to accurately treat you.

For example, many people suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) and should therefore not take certain medications. If your doctor is unaware of your condition, she may prescribe medications that can weaken your blood pressure medicine and unintentionally cause further health issues during or after the course of your treatment.

Facts About the Accident
Inform your doctor about the facts of your case without embellishing them. This will help the doctor look for injuries that are not visible. For example, if you tripped going up a flight of stairs and hit your head and broke your arm, your doctor will, of course, know you need to have your arm set and you will need to be in a cast for several weeks. On the other hand, if you do not tell the doctor about the injury to your head, she will not know to check you for a concussion or other brain injury.

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Your Pain
When asked how we are feeling, most of us will respond, “I’m fine” or “I’m great”. If you are in a doctor’s office following an accident, you are most likely not fine and certainly not great. Let your doctor know about the pain you are experiencing and about what makes it better and what makes it worse. Your doctor will have a better sense of how the treatment and medications are working if you are candid about your pain and will be able to make the proper adjustments to ensure you are better able to recover from your injuries. Additionally, if you are experiencing mental health issues such as depression due to the injury, that too should be shared with your doctor.

Your New Normal
It is likely your injuries have changed how you go about your daily life – maybe you can’t pick up your new baby, you can’t wash laundry, walk your dog, garden, go to yoga, golf, sit in a movie theater chair for more than a few minutes, lift anything at work, or work at all. These are things you want your doctor to know and to note in your chart. At some point down the line, an insurance adjuster, defense attorney, and maybe even a jury will be reading your medical record. It adds integrity to your case if you can show, through your medical records, that your injuries have been ongoing since the traumatic event that caused them.

Many times people want to get in and out of their doctor’s appointments. However, it is important for your recovery that your doctor knows of and documents all your ailments, both seen and unseen, to properly assess and treat you. Further, this information will help connect your injury to the accident and helps calculate your monetary and non-monetary damages when it is time for your lawyer to argue your case.

At West Law Firm, we know a detailed and accurate medical record can make a huge difference in a personal injury case. If you have been injured in an accident, you want an attorney who can assess the full scope of your injuries to ensure you are justly compensated for your losses.

Call West Law Firm at 301-246-6698 for a Free Consultation!