The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines chronic pain as “pain that persists beyond the normal time of healing, usually more than three months.” Over 25 percent of the US population has chronic pain of various degrees, and older individuals have a higher prevalence of chronic pain. Roughly 20 percent of outpatient complaints in clinics are pain related, and more than half of patients who see their primary care provider do so for pain. Overall, the costs associated with pain management are higher than the combined expenses related to diabetes, cardiac disease, and cancer. In this blog, we will discuss the alternatives to opioids for chronic pain control.

This blog post focuses on damages a plaintiff can recover for past medical expenses in personal injury cases in Texas courts. To recover for past medical expenses in a Texas personal injury case, the plaintiff must prove the past medical expenses were medically necessary due to the injury that is the subject of the litigation. The plaintiff must also prove the reasonable value of the past medical expenses. We discuss how the courts define reasonable value.