Why a Tucson Attorney Wants to Change the Way We Think About Pain

Thabet Khalidi has been practicing personal injury law in Tucson, AZ for years. His experiences have taught him that we too often overlook the true effects of a person’s pain.

Tuscon, AZ, July 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TUCSON, Ariz. - Part of Thabet Khalidi’s job is communicating the extent of someone’s pain. He’s a personal injury attorney, and his clients have often experienced ongoing, debilitating pain that has dramatically shaped how they feel and how they interact with the world around them. 

 

Khalidi said that many people mistakenly believe that pain is simply a symptom of an injury, a highly subjective experience that can’t be quantified or properly articulated.

 

“We think of pain as an indicator of another problem like a broken bone or herniated disc, which is true,” Khalidi said. “But what I’ve come to understand is that chronic pain is itself a major disruptive force in people’s lives, and it deserves as much attention as the injury that causes it.”

 

Khalidi points to soft tissue injuries as an example. He said that these injuries, much like the pain they produce, are sometimes less demonstrable in X-rays or MRIs than injuries involving fractured bones, but their impact can be just as detrimental to a sufferer. 

 

“If you’ve ever had a soft tissue injury to your neck, knee or any other major body part, you know that they present constant pain,” Khalidi said. “The injury restricts movement and affects activity, but the pain is draining on an entirely different level.”

 

Khalidi has found that one of the best ways to view the effects of someone’s pain is to look at the impact it has had on their relationships to their loved ones, job and community. 

 

“When I have a client who has suffered a serious injury, I get the clearest picture of their suffering by talking to their friends and loved ones,” Khalidi said. “You talk to a spouse or a close friend, and you see how their suffering has isolated them from the things and people they love.”

 

A chronic pain sufferer often withdraws from activities they enjoy and has difficulties engaging with others like they did before their injury. Khalidi said that when we think about pain, we must think about the losses that accompany it and not just the physical suffering it causes. 

 

Khalidi wants people to know that they shouldn’t be satisfied with the notion that they must simply push past their pain or ignore the true costs it has in their lives. He said that help is available and that opening up about pain can help a sufferer cope with the challenges they are facing. 

 

“It’s true that many of our ideas about pain, including its costs and its impact on a person’s life, might be somewhat outdated,” Khalidi said. “But people are much more compassionate than we’re led to believe. You’d be surprised at how understanding others can be and how much support they offer someone who is suffering from chronic pain.”

 

About the Khalidi Law Firm:

The Khalidi Law Firm has years of experience representing injured clients in Tucson, AZ. Learn more about their services by visiting the Khalidi Law Firm website.

 

Thabet Khalidi
                    The Khalidi Law Firm, PLLC
                    520-629-9909
                    tkhalidi@tnklaw.com