BLB Chronic Pain Blog

24/12/2024

Sharing this for anyone who needs to hear it. I hope everyone has a joyful, relatively stress-free and low-pain Christmas.

Please remember that your needs are just as important as everyone else’s, and it’s *totally okay* to do what your own body needs for you to have an enjoyable holiday too. Have the nap, take your breakthrough pain medication, ask for help wrapping presents or just show yourself kindness.

I hope everyone has the festive season they desire, and will see you on the flippity flip! 🎄🌟🎉

10/12/2024

It appears that the suspect charged with the shooting of a healthcare insurance CEO in New York last week suffers with chronic back pain. According to media reports, he had been a keen surfer until a back injury forced him to stop.

Images on the suspect’s social media suggest he had an operation where vertebrae in his back were ‘fused’ together with pins, but those who know him said that the pain never went away; a story familiar to anyone living with persistent pain.

Of course he is innocent until proven guilty, but I’ve seen multiple suggestions that, if he is responsible for the crime, he could have been motivated by how many requests for medical treatment in the US are turned down by insurers, leaving patients to either suffer without healthcare or alternatively run up colossal bills. It’s worth noting that a whopping 62% of all bankruptcies in America are caused by medical debt. Is it possible that he or someone he cares about was affected by something similar?

I’d love to know what you think: find out more here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/luigi-mangione-healthcare-ceo-shooting-what-we-know/

Luigi Mangione is charged in the deadly shooting​ of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson​.

05/12/2024

Undertaking a legal claim for your chronic pain can seem really daunting - I speak from experience!

The single most important piece of advice I can give you is this: finding the right solicitor is the most crucial thing you can do.

So how on earth do you do that? Well, we have an articles with suggestions on exactly how to do that! As a starting point, here are four key questions you should ask: https://www.blbchronicpain.co.uk/news/four-key-questions-to-ask-your-solicitor/

Ninety five per cent of our clients start their claims with other law firms before they instruct us. These days the majority of inquiries that we receive

03/12/2024

Imagine this scenario: you were injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault. You took legal action which has settled, but your pain hasn’t gone away. In fact, you’ve now been diagnosed with a chronic pain condition and are facing an uncertain future; the truth is that the accident has caused issues that weren’t covered in the original claim.

So what can you do?

Well, the truth is that there may be a way forward, but it probably isn’t what you’d assume, to find out more, please check out this article: https://www.blbchronicpain.co.uk/news/i-have-been-diagnosed-with-a-chronic-pain-condition-and-my-claim-has-settled-what-can-i-do/

We have previously highlighted the common problem of delayed diagnosis for people suffering chronic pain conditions such Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

27/11/2024

Yesterday I shared a piece explaining ‘causation’ - the process by which a solicitor proves that your chronic pain has been caused by an inciting incident or accident.

But how do you actually prove it? The answer, unsurprisingly, is through evidence; check out today’s piece for more on what kind of evidence your solicitor needs and how they obtain it.

https://www.blbchronicpain.co.uk/news/proving-a-chronic-pain-claim-part-2-evidence/

We explain what types of evidence you will need in order to prove your chronic pain compensation claim.

26/11/2024

Undertaking a personal injury claim can seem really daunting. One of the earliest things your solicitor will do is establish a link between the inciting incident and your chronic pain - known in legal terms as ‘causation’.

So how do lawyers prove causation and what does it involve? Find out more here: https://www.blbchronicpain.co.uk/news/proving-a-chronic-pain-claim-part-1-causation/

We have summarised the legal tests which must be satisfied in order to prove the link between your chronic pain and your accident.

24/11/2024

Anyone know someone at Network Rail or Transport for London we could share this with?! 😂

https://www.facebook.com/reel/846171120939629

20/11/2024

Getting a spinal cord stimulator is a serious decision; the surgery alone requires you to keep your back straight for 8 weeks and you’ll need medical supervision and ongoing surgery to replace the battery every few years. Basically it’s a commitment and the choice to proceed should be informed and considered.

There are various medical factors that determine whether an SCS would likely work for someone and there are also psychological factors to consider. Now new psychological guidelines have been released, and my colleague Andrew has an excellent write up of what this means for patients: https://crpssolicitor.co.uk/2024/11/20/new-psychological-assessment-guidelines-for-neuromodulation/

If you have any questions, please drop us a line and we’ll do our best to answer them!

For the first time, guidelines for neuromodulation - recommendations for good practice - have been published in the UK. Find out more >>

19/11/2024

‼️🚨IT’S TIME FOR THE KLAXON!🚨‼️

Did you know that around ONE THIRD of CRPS sufferers develop an under active thyroid? Please speak to your GP about getting regular thyroid tests!

Find out more here: https://www.blbchronicpain.co.uk/news/crps-and-thyroid-problems/

It’s widely acknowledged amongst Complex Regional Pain Syndrome sufferers that this illness rarely occurs in isolation. What may start with pain in one

14/11/2024

Chronic pain doesn’t only affect the person who lives with pain - it affects the entire family. And there is very little support available for family members who have to watch their loved one struggling with pain every day.

With that in mind, my husband, Ben, has written an article about what he’s learned from living with me and my CRPS. I’m possibly a bit biased (😂) but I think it’s a great read and interesting to anyone who’s affected by persistent pain, either themselves or through someone they love.

Check it out here: https://www.blbchronicpain.co.uk/news/15-ways-to-support-a-partner-with-chronic-pain/

08/11/2024

The sad truth is that chronic pain, defined as pain lasting longer than 3 months, is far more prevalent in women than men. But did you know that most clinical pain trials have traditionally been run on male patients?

To find out more about this problem and what’s being done to rectify it check out my colleague Andrew’s blog here: https://crpssolicitor.co.uk/2024/11/06/the-need-for-gender-specific-drugs-for-pain/

And to keep up to date with his articles you can follow his blog at the very bottom of the page here - trust me, it’s well worth it!
https://crpssolicitor.co.uk

Reflections on CRPS in personal injury claims

05/11/2024

Medical ma*****na has been legalised in the UK for pain for a few years now, to the joy of many who think it provides a better and safer option than opioids.

But does it really work? This study suggests that it performs no better than a placebo: https://www.blbchronicpain.co.uk/news/placebo-as-effective-as-cannabis-in-treating-chronic-pain/

*****na