A few years back I had surgery. It was devastating. I was constantly in pain and I struggled through grueling physical therapy. I followed my doctor's orders to a "T", and within a few months, I felt so much better. After physical therapy, my doctor set 4 follow up visits for me. The first appointment was about 2 weeks out. I came in enthusiastically. I was so excited about my progress. The second appointment was about a month out. I was less cheerful but I had a ton of questions. The third appointment was 3 months out and I came hesitantly and mostly only because I got 2 phone calls reminding me of the date and time. The final follow up appointment was about 4 months out. It was so far removed from the surgery that I had almost forgotten the pain I was in. I griped, complained, and even called to try to change it. Eventually, I gave in and made my way to my appointment. It was a very short appointment but it allowed my doctor to write very important words in my chart "Fully Recovered". Those two words were more important than I ever realized.

When I got new insurance, the company checked my records. They assigned value to those words. When I went back to work, they contacted my doctor for a medical clearance. When I went back to my gym to restart my membership, they required a medical clearance. If, God forbid, I was in an accident and injured myself again, I guarantee that the first thing they would have looked for in determining the value of my case would have been those 2 important words. I went back and finished treatment for myself, but I realize that the implications were more far reaching than I had initially thought.

One of the first things I ask my clients about is their current and past injuries. A skilled attorney knows that those two areas will give a lot of information about the type of claim you have and rights that need to be protected. If you have been in an accident, weather you are recovering from surgery or not, it's important to have a skilled attorney on your side. It's important to connect with someone who can help to protect your rights.

Written by Rabihah Scott, an attorney with Price Benowitz LLP. Please contact our Maryland personal injury lawyers for more information or to schedule a free consultation. We also have attorneys in Washington DC and Virginia ready to hear your case, so please visit our DC personal injury lawyer and Arlington personal injury attorney sites for more information on those offices.