If you experienced an injury as a result of an accident, it is important to understand what to expect from the recovery process. Especially if you are considering a personal injury claim, you need to familiarize yourself with your prognosis. One term you may encounter in the process is your maximum medical improvement.
While the term may be unfamiliar, it is an important one to your case.
What is your maximum medical improvement?
Maximum medical improvement is a term used to refer to the recovery stage at which you are unlikely to progress any further. Regardless of what stage that might be, if you have healed and recovered as much as doctors anticipate you will, you have reached maximum medical improvement.
Why does your maximum medical improvement matter?
Sometimes, maximum medical improvement falls quite short of a full recovery. You may lose some range of motion or the function of some fingers. Sometimes, nerves never recover. Your maximum medical improvement indicates what the rest of your life is likely to look like.
You need to consider this as you evaluate any settlement offer. If you need long-term care, for example, make sure the settlement accounts for that cost and the emotional effect of this change in your life.
The recovery period and aftermath of an injury can change the entire trajectory of your life. Understanding your maximum medical improvement will help you not only come to terms with that but also seek the restitution that you need to account for those changes and the effect they will have on your lifestyle.
