What is the Value of My Sacroiliac Nerve Block Claim?

By

Ben Glass

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What is the value of my Sacroiliac Nerve Block Claim?A doctor may recommend sacroiliac nerve blocks to help with your low back, buttocks, or leg pain that is a result of your recent automobile accident.

What Are Sacroiliac Nerve Block Injections?

In a sacroiliac nerve block injection, anti-inflammatory medication is injected into the sacroiliac joint under X-ray guidance to provide pain relief by reducing inflammation within the joint. Sacroiliac nerve block injections are used for two purposes. The first is to diagnose the source of a patient’s pain, which can involve pain in the lower back, hips, and legs. The second purpose is to provide therapeutic pain relief.

Do You Need an Attorney?

In our experience, we have found that sacroiliac nerve block (sacroiliac joint) injections are challenging cases and will often require legal representation. It is challenging because of the legal question of whether your condition was caused solely by the accident or an underlying degenerative condition.

The difficulty arises because injections like sacroiliac joint injections are used to relieve pain, not solve the problem. This often points to the fact that the condition being treated is often an underlying degenerative condition that has been aggravated by the car accident. The fight with the insurance company occurs over the argument of whether the treatment would have been needed anyway, regardless of the accident.

Adjusters love to blame degenerative conditions for your treatment, even if you have never been seen before by a medical professional about this condition. 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

When talking with your auto accident attorney,  you need to be upfront about any prior medical history or treatments.  Past medical history could have a big impact on the value of your case. The fact of the matter is, a sacroiliac joint injection case with a client that has never been seen by a doctor for related problems will have a higher value than a client who has been seen continuously by doctors for these problems before their accident. It will be more difficult to prove your injuries were a result of the accident if you have been receiving treatment prior to the accident, compared to someone who has only received treatment post-accident. 

Another reason that sacroiliac injections become hard to evaluate: the injections are not used to solve the problem, instead they are used to mask the pain and allow a patient to effectively participate in a rehabilitative program. For this reason, Sacro-iliac injections become hard to evaluate and it is important that you obtain in writing from your treating doctor:

  1. A medical opinion that your current medical condition is a result of your auto accident
  2. The duration of your condition is likely to be permanent
  3. An estimation of future cost that includes: costs of injections, physical therapy, and other medical costs

 

Calculating a settlement for auto accident cases is hard because there are many factors that affect the value of a case. If you’ve been in an automobile accident and received sacroiliac​ joint injections, you might be considering whether or not you need a lawyer. In our opinion, you will need a lawyer to settle your sacroiliac joint injection case. It can be very difficult for a person with no legal experience to navigate the legal side of the case, in our opinion you will need a lawyer to settle your case. This will give you the best chance possible of receiving the maximum amount of money from the insurance company.

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Ben Glass

Owner and Attorney