Client Concerns...Pain Management

Laura Mackie

Contributor

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The successful litigator is well prepared to discuss all of a client's needs and concerns. In addition to expecting direction on legal issues, clients often expect meaningful advice on issues relating to treatment of their injuries. And although your role as advisor will generally take the form of offering a listening ear followed by recommendations of an appropriate medical practitioner for treatment, most clients will certainly expect you to engage in a knowledgeable exchange of information on the medical topic at hand. This is especially true with regard to management and treatment of a client's pain.

As a general rule, the average person thinks of the nerves in the body as being the conduit through which the feeling of pain is transmitted. There is however, at least one type of pain which is generated by the nerves themselves. This type of pain is referred to as Neuropathic.

Neuropathic pain responds poorly to standard pain treatment and often seems to have no direct cause. This type of pain may get worse over time and for some people, can lead to serious disability. Neuropathic pain is real and may involve damage or injury to the nerve fibers themselves. Recent developments in the medical practice of pain management are showing promise. Currently, treatment with anticonvulsant and antidepressant drugs and various pain relievers are the treatment of choice.