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Article: Validating connective-tissue injuries: outcome assessment tools can take objective measures of subjective complaints and help you show the jury that your client's pain is real.
- Article from:
- Trial
- Article date:
- June 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 American Association for Justice, formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA®). This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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It has been said that seeing is believing, and that maxim certainly holds true in most personal injury cases. Jurors who can plainly see evidence of a plaintiff's pain, like a missing limb or scarring from burns, usually don't need much convincing that the pain is real. But when the plaintiff's pain is caused by an "invisible" connective-tissue injury, your task becomes much harder.
Most connective-tissue injuries cannot be proved by objective tests such as X-rays, MRIs, or lab results. However, medical records supporting the plaintiff's injuries and treatment are still vital to your search for evidence that your client's injuries are real. These records often ...