If you haven’t seen a doctor for your injury/injuries, you will.  Many people feel that the doctor is “all knowing” or that he or she will “know” what is wrong with you.  Doctors have a certificate after some training and experience which gives him/her knowledge about certain physical problems and how to fix them.  Generally, a doctor is like a mechanic for the body.  But, he cannot read your mind.  Unless you tell the doctor what is wrong with you, he/she will not know by looking or feeling your body.

Tell your doctor about your accident.  Tell him/her what hurts, when it hurts, what makes it hurt, and any information about the pain.  This will indicate what the cause of the pain may be.  Then the doctor can work from that.  If you tell the doctor you have trouble looking down at a book because you have pain in your neck, he does not then conclude that you also have trouble running, walking stooping, bending, and lifting.  You must tell that you have problems with each of these things.

On the other hand, don’t overdo it; for doctors dislike a patient giving too much information, and they will sometimes be prone to think that you are exaggerating.

And for God’s sake, do not exaggerate.  Tell it like it is and don’t embroider it or color it, but don’t leave anything out either.

REMEMBER: what the doctor writes down on paper is what your case will be about.  I have heard the defense attorney ask “ Doctor, if you didn’t  write it down, can it be assured that the patient didn’t tell you about it?”  The answer is always “yes”.

They will follow it with “We assume, doctor, if he/she didn’t tell you anything about it, then it was not bothering him/her?”  The doctor will answer  “Yes, we can assume that it was not a  problem and was not bothering them when I treated them.”

Sometimes even the smallest things can help your doctor understand your injuries.

So, give the doctor something to write and make sure that he does.  Some doctors may act as if they are not in a hurry, and you are somehow imposing on their valuable time.  But remember, you are why the doctor is there.  Make sure the doctor listens to you and understands your problems.