Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a rare, long-term, and sometimes lifelong condition that involves unexplained searing pain in a person’s limb after an injury. Relatively little is known about CRPS and why it affects only some individuals, but it is believed to result from damage to the nervous system.
In addition to prolonged and debilitating pain, CRPS is characterized by swelling and changes in skin color, texture, and/or temperature. Those who suffer from chronic symptoms related to CRPS are often unable to complete daily tasks and participate in activities that they used to enjoy. The San Diego personal injury attorneys at CaseyGerry represent injured clients, including those who suffer from CRPS.
CRPS Cases Resulting from a Preventable Situation
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome affects more than one million Americans. For some, the condition developed as a result of a preventable injury caused by someone else’s careless action. Whether an automobile accident, falling incident, medical error, or other event involving negligence, CRPS is even more devastating when it might have been prevented.
CRPS Symptoms
CRPS is also known as Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD. Common symptoms include the following:
- Swelling and stiffness
- Impaired movement and decreased function
- Intense burning and throbbing pain
- Changes in skin color and temperature
- Static or increasing pain
- Problems with coordination
- Muscle spasms
Proving CRPS Injuries in San Diego
CRPS typically develops after an injury and causes pain that is disproportionate to the injury sustained. For example, a dislocated shoulder or broken arm generally causes temporary pain that should dissipate over time and eventually disappear. However, someone suffering from CRPS after a shoulder or arm injury may experience significant and permanent chronic pain.
Defendants and their insurance companies often try to discredit plaintiffs suffering from CRPS by accusing them of faking or exaggerating their pain. Unfortunately, if you have CRPS and you are not represented by an attorney with CRPS experience, you may not secure the compensation that you deserve.
Proving the extent of your injuries and pain due to CRPS can be difficult. However, it can be much easier when you have an attorney who understands CRPS and has relationships with medical experts who can offer testimony on your behalf.
Medical Experts
Medical experts are necessary to diagnose and prove your injuries. CRPS is challenging to diagnose, especially for medical professionals who are not familiar with and do not have experience treating the condition. Doctors who do not understand CRPS often dismiss patient pain as exaggeration or psychological.
This type of erroneous assumption and evaluation can stop you from getting the treatment that you need for CRPS and can also be damaging for your personal injury case. If you are suffering from CRPS, an early and accurate diagnosis is critical.
Our attorneys know that CRPS is a legitimate and debilitating condition, and we have CRPS medical expert contacts. These experts can help evaluate your injuries and provide you with an accurate diagnosis of your condition. They will also help your case by offering medical testimony about CRPS and how it has impacted your health and well-being.
Long-Term Impacts of CRPS
CRPS is often a permanent condition, and it can be challenging to find effective treatments to ease your symptoms. Pain from CRPS can restrict people from returning to work. In some cases, it is a disabling condition that requires lifelong therapy and medical treatment.
In order to secure full and fair compensation in your personal injury case, your financial recovery must include future damages, such as future lost earnings, benefits, and medical expenses. You should also be compensated for past and ongoing medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and the impact that CRPS has on your quality of life.
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome Cases
CaseyGerry has successfully represented clients with CRPS in different types of personal injury cases, such as auto accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle accidents. See below for some examples of our CRPS success cases.
In a slip and fall case, CaseyGerry’s client was walking on a pool deck where the non-slip surface had worn away. She slipped, fell to the cement, and sprained her ankle. The injury developed into CRPS shortly after the incident, and our attorneys helped her secure compensation for her injuries and related damages.
In an auto accident case, our client was rear-ended in his car by a semi-truck. He sustained a catastrophic hand injury that has not fully healed even after multiple surgeries. Our attorneys successfully recovered compensation for his CRPS as well as PTSD and depressive disorder stemming from the crash.
We recovered compensation in another premises liability case involving a client who slipped and fell on a slope with loose gravel at a rustic, outdoor gardening shop. She was diagnosed with a sprained ankle, and shortly thereafter, she developed CRPS.
CRPS Attorneys
When you or a family member is suffering from a condition as painful as CRPS, an experienced and knowledgeable legal advocate can help. While no one can change what happened, the attorneys at CaseyGerry can help by pursuing claims against responsible parties for compensation that covers your injuries and damages, including medical bills and expenses for long-term care and treatment.
We welcome you to contact our firm at (619) 238-1811 or fill out our online form to speak with an attorney. California’s statute of limitations restricts the amount of time an injured person may file a lawsuit, so it’s important to act immediately.
