Chronic pain is any pain that lasts longer than the injury suggests it should—generally six months is considered the baseline. A new study shows that chronic pain that occurs after a car accident is exceedingly common.
The study was performed at the University of Aberdeen School of Medicine and Dentistry in Scotland. The author of the study, Gareth Jones, and his team, looked at 2,069 people who identified themselves as having chronic pain.
Risk of Chronic Pain High for Car Accident Victims
What the research team found was that those who reported being injured during a car accident had an 84 percent increased risk of suffering from new onset, chronic and widespread pain.
“We believe there are persons—defined by prior physical and psychological health—who in the event of a traumatic trigger are vulnerable to developing chronic widespread pain,” stated Jones.
Jones went on to say that additional research needs to be done. This research should attempt to identify how an accident victim’s reaction to the trauma causes an increased risk of widespread, chronic pain.
Dealing With Chronic Pain
Our Levittown, PA personal injury attorneys have represented many accident victims who suffer from chronic pain caused by their crash. Chronic pain has the potential to affect both body and mind. We hope that further research will focus on ways to both prevent and lessen the effects of chronic pain on car accident victims.
