Your knee is still going to hurt even if we settle your case

I have some clients who call me on a weekly basis.  They say, "My knee (or whatever body part) is killing me from the accident.  The doctors don't know what's wrong.  The physical therapy isn't helping.  I'm in tremendous pain...."  Of course, I'm not happy to hear about these things, but as a lawyer, there is only so much I can do.  I don't have a medical degree so I can't prescribe medication or do surgery on the client.  I empathize as much as I can with my clients, but I remind them that I'm handling the legal aspects of their case and they really should tell their doctors about their injuries.  

Some of these same clients also want their case to be over as soon as possible.  They say things like, "I just want to settle this case soon.  I can't believe the insurance company hasn't made an offer yet!  What's wrong with that adjuster?  When is this all going to be over?!"  In my 20 years as a lawyer, I've found that some clients believe that resolving their personal injury claim is going to "make everything better."  They think there is a connection between the settlement of their case and their injury.

Over the years, I've had to explain to many clients that their knee (or whatever injury they have) is still going to bother them even if we resolve the case.  I explain, "Just because we resolve your claim doesn't mean your neck or back isn't going to hurt tomorrow."  Therefore, it is important to understand that rushing your personal injury claim to "put it behind you" or just be "done with it" isn't going to make you feel better.  You need to focus on your injury and the medical treatment required to make you better.  Getting a check in the mail from an insurance company is not going to help your injury.