Identify all injuries and make sure each is properly diagnosed and treated. Maybe. But is it the doctor's job to make sure you get maximum recovery on your personal injury case? In this day of information overload doctors are challenged to stay on top of developments in their field and to perform their specialty competently. An orthopedic surgeon, for example, can be expected to spot a bone break. But is it realistic for him to also know symptoms of "TMJ"? The temporomandibular joint is one of two joints connecting the lower jaw bone to the temporal bone (think "temples") of the skull. It is a combined hinge and sliding joint. Temporomandibular joint disorder is an abnormal condition with facial pain and poor function of the lower jaw. I once represented a Chinese client. He came to this country to go to school and decided to stay. While cruising the freeway in his Volkswagen bus one night, he was struck from behind by a large semi-truck. His injuries were numerous and various. One day, after he had seen many doctors, he was visiting with me in my office discussing his personal injury case.
My attention was drawn to an audible "pop" sound which coincided with the opening of his mouth. You better believe it. One of the worst cases I had ever seen (or heard). 1. Is there pain in or around your ears, jaw, head or neck? 2. Are there any TMJ joint noises such as popping, clicking, or cracking sounds or feelings? 3. Is it painful to eat or difficult to open your mouth? 4. Do you have frequent headaches? Very minor TMJ ailments can sometimes be treated adequately by a chiropractor but if the disorder continues beyond several chiropractic adjustments a referral should be made to a dentist who specializes in TMJ. The dentist can fit a bracket for the patient which will, hopefully, provide lasting rehabilitation and relief. Another common malady in personal injury cases (especially after auto accidents) is a closed head injury. A closed head injury occurs when there is trauma (injury) to the brain that does not result in a skull fracture.
One type of closed head injury is a "concussion," which is a violent jarring or shaking injury to the brain. Closed head injuries are actually quite common after car accidents and can occur even though the injured person is not hit on the head. A rapid acceleration and deceleration of the head can force the brain to move back and forth across the inside of the skull. The stress from the rapid movements pulls apart nerve fibers and causes damage to brain tissue. This type of injury often occurs as a result of motor vehicle crashes and physical violence, such as Shaken Baby Syndrome. I obtained a list of these common symptoms from a neuropsychologist. The list was developed for a research project: "Behavioural Outcome in Head Injury" by Sureyya Dikmen, Ph.D., Principal Investigator. For head injuries involving injury to the brain the recognized specialist is the neuropsychologist. WHERE DO YOU HURT?
In addition to these checklists, one way to spot undiagnosed injuries is to ask yourself: "where am I still in pain?". Let your doctor (or lawyer) know and get a referral to a doctor who is skilled in treating that part of your body. Here's an example: pain radiating down arms or legs can be a symptom of a disk herniation. Intervertebral disks are soft "pads" that separate the bones of your spine. An accident can rupture the disk's outer covering (annulus fibrosis) causing the inner substance (nucleus pulposus) to push outward. This is called herniation and it can create pressure on surrounding tissues, most importantly the nerves which exit from your spinal cord. This pressure at the spinal level can cause pain all the way into your fingers or toes. Sometimes surgery is required to fix it. The point here is that if you have the symptoms of a disc herniation you probably need an MRI or CT scan. If you have a disk herniation which is properly diagnosed through one of these "imaging studies" your case will increase in value. More importantly for you, in the long run, something can be done to treat it. If no MRI or CT scan is done then you don't get compensated for the injury and you suffer from it without proper treatment.
It was also at this time that sales in North America began to dwindle, but thanks to this generation, they rebounded significantly and remained the best-selling Volkswagen in the United States. The fourth generation which came to light in 1998 was known as the Volkswagen Bora throughout the world. Still popular in comparison, this generation played it a bit safer than others - despite offering a number of extras. This model was also released just after the Volkswagen Passat, with which it shares some similarities in terms of appearance. The Bora was highly regarded for safety measures and anti-theft facilities, which bolstered reviews. This particular model is still manufactured and marketed in China, as well as being sold in countries such as Canada, Argentina and Brazil. The fifth generation which appeared in 2005, being put up for sale in USA before any others, was an important point for Volkswagen, who had just spent over 拢500,000 on upgrading the production factory. This particular model has a variety of names, such as the Vento and Bora, as well as the Sagitar and GLI. There was also a greater focus placed on the styling of the new model, with a chrome front grille. The sixth generation, announced in North America in June of 2010, is larger yet cheaper to produce than the fifth generation. With this generation, Volkswagen hope to target the American mass market and create an affordable yet reliable car. Already proving popular within the market, the Jetta is expected to reach the same leasing levels of Golf leasing within the UK. The new Jetta went on sale on July 22nd and has already received good reviews. It will go on sale in European markets in 2011, with a hybrid model and a sedan version also planned for the year.
