Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal disorder that often causes significant pain throughout a person’s body. This condition can also lead to extreme fatigue, sleep, and mood disorders. Fibromyalgia is not well understood by the masses, but this is a disease that affects many individuals throughout the US.
Currently, there is no understood cause of fibromyalgia, and it is unlikely that a car accident can cause this disease. However, just like other types of diseases and disorders, a car accident could certainly exasperate the symptoms of fibromyalgia. If you’ve been involved in a car accident and are experiencing symptoms, you may want to explore your options for car accident claims in Martinsburg.
Understanding Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition that affects an individual’s muscles and bones. Even though this is a relatively common medical diagnosis, according to Mayo Clinic, there are still a lot of questions about the cause of this disease. Those who suffer from fibromyalgia can experience musculoskeletal pain throughout their entire body, and flare-ups can last for weeks or months at a time.
Those who do have a diagnosis of fibromyalgia often report pain at sensitive pressure point areas as well as various tender areas throughout the body. Other patients who suffer from fibromyalgia experience more general pain and discomfort throughout the entire body. This condition can also cause injuries, including bruises, to become more excruciating than they otherwise would have been in those who do not have fibromyalgia.
Why Would a Car Accident Make Fibromyalgia Worse?
In general, we will find that doctors and researchers will say that fibromyalgia is likely not caused by a vehicle accident. There is actually no general consensus as to why some individuals are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than others. We do know that women are more likely to develop fibromyalgia than men, as our individuals who have family histories of arthritis or lupus.
There has been some research suggesting that individuals who suffer physical injuries, such as those from car accidents, may be at an increased risk of developing fibromyalgia. While it’s unlikely that a car accident directly causes the condition, it can certainly trigger the symptoms by affecting pain receptors and heightening sensitivity to the stress that follows such traumatic events. If you’ve been involved in a car accident and are dealing with these challenges, the Manchin Ferretti law firm can help you understand your legal options and provide the support you need.
Recovering Compensation After an Accident
Individuals who have been involved in a vehicle accident caused by the careless or negligent actions of another individual will likely be able to recover some sort of compensation. Whether this compensation revolves around a fibromyalgia diagnosis or not is a different question. Typically, car accident victims will be able to recover compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, and patient suffering damages, and we will likely find that fibromyalgia triggered by a vehicle accident would be considered a non-economic or pain and suffering loss.
Courts in West Virginia will typically allow car accident victims to establish a causal link between their vehicle accident and any pain and suffering they sustain as a result of the incident, and this would include fibromyalgia triggered by the incident. However, individuals in these situations need to work with a skilled car accident attorney who has experience establishing pain and suffering losses. This can be challenging because there are not any direct bills or receipts associated with this type of physical and emotional pain and suffering.
Proving fibromyalgia was triggered by a vehicle accident and that there was subsequent pain and suffering will require extensive documentation as well as possible expert witness testimony from medical experts for the insurance carriers or a personal injury jury.