The Connection between Fibromyalgia and Car Accidents: Information from Tampa Auto Accidents Attorney Dale Appell

Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain, fatigue, and depression. Fibromyalgia is also a condition that has generated considerable controversy in personal injury cases. Why? Because not everyone agrees about what causes fibromyalgia. While many cases of fibromyalgia have been linked to car accidents and traumatic injuries, there are still those who do not concur with this assertion, particularly car insurance companies. This means that, if you have been injured in a Tampa Bay area car accident and you need to make an insurance claim for fibromyalgia treatment, some insurance companies might be hesitant to pay your claim. If you are in this situation, a Tampa auto accidents attorney may be needed to establish the link between your fibromyalgia and the injuries you sustained in a car accident.

Scientific study and media attention regarding fibromyalgia has increased considerably in the past 10 years or so. Before that, scientists and doctors were somewhat dismissive about fibromyalgia, even though history suggests the condition was discovered about 200 years ago. Today, many doctors classify fibromyalgia as a rheumatoid condition, which means it mainly affects the joints, connective tissues, and soft tissues, similar to osteoporosis and arthritis.

Much is yet to be learned about fibromyalgia. What we do know is that fibromyalgia is a chronic condition causing widespread pain in the tendons, muscles, and ligaments. Another symptom of fibromyalgia is the existence of 18 specific “pressure points” on the body that are painful to slight touch. These pressure points are located on the neck, chest, shoulders, elbows, pelvic area, and knees. In addition to disabling pain, a patient with fibromyalgia will also suffer from exhaustion, headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, depression, irritable bowel syndrome, and other ailments.

The exact cause of fibromyalgia is unclear, but it is believed some people have a genetic tendency. The majority of fibromyalgia patients also appear to have improper amounts of brain chemicals like dopamine, serotonin, and other hormones. Since the diagnosis of fibromyalgia often follows a traumatic event such as a car accident, it is now surmised that a serious accident or injury is a chief cause of fibromyalgia.

How does an accident trigger fibromyalgia? This question is still under review, but it appears that, after physical and emotional trauma, the nervous system overreacts, bombarding the body with amplified, constant, never-ending pain signals. In addition, a person with fibromyalgia typically has abnormal levels of pain chemicals, as well as highly sensitive pain receptors. After a car accident, there are changes in the nervous system which result in the all-over body pain, fatigue, and hypersensitivity of fibromyalgia.

It is estimated that more than half of patients with fibromyalgia began having symptoms after a car accident. There is overwhelming evidence that the unrelenting pain of fibromyalgia is directly linked to some kind of traumatic event, so it is unfair for an insurance company to deny fibromyalgia patients medical care simply because the insurance company is under the false notion that a car accident cannot cause fibromyalgia.

If you are in the greater Tampa Bay area and you need a lawyer to help you with your fibromyalgia case, please contact Tampa auto accidents attorney Dale Appell, P.A. for a free consultation. We represent fibromyalgia car accident cases throughout greater Tampa Bay including Clearwater, St Petersburg, Odessa, Oldsmar, Palm Harbor, Pasco, Pinellas Park, Polk, Riverview, Safety Harbor, and beyond.