Spinal injuries can be tough, frustrating and most importantly painful. If you have been in a car accident and just have not been able to find a cure for your pain, your doctor may recommend platelet-rich plasma (PRP).
What is Platelet-Rich Plasma Therapy?
Platelet-rich plasma therapy is a procedure that involves injecting a concentration of the patient’s own platelets into the affected area to promote the regeneration of the damaged area. PRP is plasma with a higher concentration of platelets than what is typically found in blood, the concentration of growth factors can be 5 to 10 times greater than usual. The higher concentration may be helpful to improve healing for some injuries.
Do You Need an Attorney?
In our experience, we have found that platelet-rich plasma therapy is a challenging case and will often require legal representation. The challenging point comes with proving whether your condition called for the treatment and that you were not simply “over-treating.”
The difficulty arises for two main reasons, first being that PRP injections may be perceived as “experimental.” The second reason is that proving that your injury was caused by the crash and not an underlying condition. PRP therapy is the new cutting edge technology can be clinically useful for patients. One doctor in a recent case asserted that he has “personally treated countless patients with great success.”
The fight with the insurance company occurs over the argument of whether the treatment was necessary for the injury. Basically, did the patient over treat his condition or was the condition significant enough to require a procedure like PRP? The reason adjusters fight so hard is because if you prove that the injections are related to the car accident, the insurance company is responsible for paying for any lost wages; your past and future medical bills; suffering, pain, and inconvenience.
Evaluating Your Claim
Due to this reason, it is important that you obtain in writing from your treating doctor:
- A medical opinion that your current medical condition is a result of your auto accident
- A medical opinion that your condition requires platelet-rich plasma therapy, will have a useful effect on your health
- An estimation of future costs that include: costs of future injections if needed, physical therapy and other medical costs
There is no set-in-stone way to calculate a settlement for auto accident cases. If you’ve been in an automobile accident and received platelet-rich plasma therapy, you’re probably pondering whether or not you need to hire a lawyer to represent you. In our opinion, you will need a lawyer to hire a settle your PRP therapy case. Frankly, It can be very hard for a person with no legal experience to acquire the correct medical literature from their doctor to get the maximum amount from the insurance company as these cases are complicated from both a medical and legal perspective.
Attorney James Abrenio recently represented a client who had been in a car accident and, as a result, had persistent back pain for many years. After surgery and epidural injections failed to cease, a doctor recommended stem cell therapy (or platelet-rich plasma). The doctor took stem cells from the client’s hip bone and injected them into the client’s spine. The client reported significant relief from the therapy.
In this case, the insurance agency claimed that our client over-treated and that stem cell therapy was “experimental.” The case settled for $250,000.
and that stem cell therapy was “experimental.” The case settled for $250,000.