After you have been in an accident, a car crash, a slip and fall or some other type of injury incident and when you seek medical care you will probably be asked to rate your pain. Traditionally it is a number from 1-10. One usually being described as minimal pain or discomfort and Ten being described as the worst pain imaginable. The problem with this self reporting is that it is all subjective. Is your pain that you rate at an 8 out of 10, the same as my pain that I rate at 6 out of 10? It is important to give the most accurate information so that your medical providers can use the information to make the best medical decisions for your care. The problem arises when you have a continuing level of pain that lasts over months. You have gone through doctor’s appointments, potentially had medication and pain injections and physical therapy or chiropractic care and you are still having pain symptoms. When you are asked how much your level 8 out 10 pain has improved, let’s say you say it is now at a 6 out of 10. Okay, later on when your attorney presents your claim to the other side’s insurance company the adjuster is going to argue that 1. your pain scale ratings are not very accurate or 2. the treatment you just went through over a matter of months was not worth the cost reflected in the medical bills. That’s the inherent problem with an injury that causes pain, its effects are always subjective. The insurance company will hire doctors that will not only state the obvious, but the will draw questions as to why you are still having pain after months of treatment and time has passed since the injury accident. The attorneys for the insurance company will argue that you are overstating your pain scale just to receive a bigger award. Their doctors will say that “most” “soft tissue” injuries will resolve in four to six weeks. What can you do? Well you can do everything that your doctors recommend to get better. You can keep a pain diary in which you detail how you are feeling each day, noting your improvement over time and noting what things worsen your overall condition. Most importantly you need to hire a lawyer that will be your advocate, that will set for the facts of your case to the insurance company and the lawyers they hire to minimize your injuries and their effects. Your job is to get better. Let your attorney fight your battles for you.