If You've Been Injured Before

Why It's Important To Distinguish Between New And Old Injuries

Real estate agents have the mantra, "location, location, location." If you have a pre-existing medical problem and are then suffer an on-the-job injury or an auto accident, your mantra should be "distinguish, distinguish, distinguish."

It is critical to advise your doctor about earlier injuries to the same part of the body and at the same time to distinguish and clarify the differences between the earlier and later injury. You could explain, for example, that the earlier injury cleared up entirely, that the earlier injury only periodically bothered you until the recent re-injury, or that the new injury has caused pain not only in the old injury area but has radiated to other areas.

Defense doctors tend to say that the earlier injury is at fault for any current complaints of pain, rather than the work injury or automobile injury. Any distinctions that you can make will clarify your medical history and can only help your case.

From its office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the attorneys at Previant, Goldberg, Uelmen, Gratz, Miller & Brueggeman, S.C., provide legal representation in workers' compensation, personal injury, workplace injury, family law, and labor law to people throughout Southern Wisconsin and the Fox River Valley, including Milwaukee, Brookfield, Racine, Kenosha, Fond du Lac, Sheboygan, Appleton, Green Bay, Madison, Waukesha, Elkhorn, River Hills, Mequon, Shorewood, Glendale, Fox Point, Bayside, Thiensville, Grafton, Port Washington, West Bend, Germantown, Cedarburg, Stevens Point, Eau Claire, Janesville, Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, Watertown, Beaver Dam, Manitowoc, Oshkosh, West Allis, Cudahy, Franklin, South Milwaukee, Greenfield, Greendale, and surrounding communities in Waukesha County, Milwaukee County, Ozaukee County, Walworth County, Jefferson County, Washington County, Dane County, Brown County, Outagamie County, Vernon County, Sheboygan County, Grant County, Polk County, Racine County, Kenosha County, and Dodge County.