After a car crash or a serious fall, one of the most common and dangerous decisions a person can make is to “wait and see.” You might have a headache and feel a bit foggy, but you dismiss it as shock and assume you’ll feel better in a day or two. When you don’t, you might put off seeing a doctor or starting physical therapy, thinking it’s not a big deal.

A new study from Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) proves just how dangerous that delay can be, both for your long-term health and for the strength of your personal injury claim.

The research, highlighted in an OHSU News report, found that concussion patients who start physical therapy and other rehabilitation sooner have significantly better and faster recoveries. The study revealed a critical window of opportunity, suggesting that when rehab is delayed, the brain starts to compensate for the injury in negative ways. This can lead to lingering problems with balance, dizziness, and reaction times, and even increase the risk of a second injury.

How Insurance Companies Use Delayed Treatment Against You

This scientific finding has profound implications for anyone involved in an accident claim. One of the most common tactics used by insurance companies to deny or devalue a claim is to point to a “gap in treatment.” They will argue:

• “If you were really hurt, you would have gone to the doctor immediately.”
• “You waited weeks to start physical therapy, so your injuries must not have been caused by our client’s negligence.”

This new OHSU study provides a powerful, scientific rebuttal to these unfair arguments. It proves that seeking immediate and consistent medical care is not just something your lawyer tells you to do—it is a medical necessity for proper healing.

This research helps us prove that:

• Early and Consistent Treatment is Medically Necessary: We can now argue with scientific authority that failing to get immediate rehabilitative care for a traumatic brain injury goes against established medical best practices and can lead to worse long-term outcomes.
• The Insurance Company’s Delays Are Harmful: If an insurance company delays approving your treatment, they are not just hurting your legal case; they are actively harming your physical recovery. We can use this study to put pressure on them to act quickly.
• Your Claim for Future Care is Validated: By showing that delayed treatment leads to lingering deficits, this research helps us build a stronger case for the future medical care and therapy you will need as part of your personal injury settlement.

This principle is critical in any case where a head injury is possible, including a car accident, a motorcycle accident, or a devastating wrongful death case where TBI was a factor.

Your health should be your first priority after an accident. Seeking immediate medical evaluation and following through with all recommended therapy is the most important thing you can do. It not only sets you on the best path to recovery but also builds the strongest possible foundation for your legal claim. Don’t let an insurance company punish you for a delay that could worsen the very injury their client caused.

If you have suffered a concussion or any head trauma in an accident, you need a legal team that understands how to use medical science to your advantage. Contact Manoukian Law for a free and confidential consultation.