Factors That Determine Your Medical Care After An Injury in Virginia

The type of medical care that you receive and the type of doctor that you should visit will depend on the type of injury that you suffer. Below, a Virginia injury attorney discusses three factors that determine the type of medical care you receive and what this medical care might entail. For more information on your specific case, call and schedule a consultation today.

Factor 1: Your History

The first factor that determines the type of medical care you will receive is your medical history. Depending on the type of injuries you may have suffered in the past and the different recovery options that my be available, your medical care will likely be unique to you. In some cases, what works for you may even be different than what type of care is administered to someone else with the same injury.

Factor 2: The Type of Injury

The second thing would be the type of injury, if you have spinal injuries you would probably need to see a spine specialist. If you have broken bones, you might need to see an orthopedic surgeon and depending on the type of injury, there are certain orthopedic surgeons that specialize in different parts of the body. These doctors will have experience dealing with that one part of the body and therefore be able to assist you more than a general practitioner.

Factor 3: Fit and Comfort

The third thing that you might consider is fit and comfort. Comfort and fit are important because especially with increasing severity of injuries, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with that doctor and you might be in their care for a year or more and if that’s the case, you need to feel comfortable with them.

An attorney can help you find someone to help even if you don’t currently have access to one.

Advantage of Starting With Your Doctor

Most primary care physicians are generalists, which may be a pediatrician, a family practice doctor, or an internal medicine doctor, but they know a lot about a lot of different things and they’re in a position to refer you to a specialist if they think it’s necessary.

An advantage of at least starting with your primary care physician is that they already know your health history, they’re going to be familiar with any prior injuries you’ve had, they’re going to be familiar with drug allergies, with other comorbidities, if you have diabetes or high blood pressure; your primary care physician will be familiar with your health history. If you have a blood clotting disorder, a seizure disorder, they’ll know that, and they will take those things into account when making a treatment plan or a referral to a specialist.

How Long Recovery Typically Takes

Generally your doctor is going to be able to tell you an estimated recovery time for your injuries, but that really depends on each person’s individual injuries, and even then, your recovery time is going to depend on a whole host of factors including:

  • Age
  • Family history
  • Weight
  • Level of activity

While all of those factors can influence a recovery time, there are certain time windows that are pretty standard from person to person for recovering from the same injury. There will always be some variation because every person is different and if they have prior injuries to a certain part of the body that might make it harder to recover.