The Atlanta Silverbacks are a local soccer team & facility for athletes who compete in the sport on a regular basis. During a recent auto accident consultation I asked the patient if he was unable to perform any hobbies or sports since the accident. He replied with a curious “Yes… ” and mentioned he would not have thought to mention his inability to play soccer competitively after his accident because he didn’t think it was important since it’s just a “hobby”.

Hobbies & sports are considered loss of enjoyment factors and should be documented in the doctors treatment notes. The notation of this, and other changes, to his lifestyle help his attorney properly represent him. Not only should the doctor provide the proper treatment to decrease his pain, rehab the injury and get him back on the soccer field as fast as possible, he can also feel confident that his loss of enjoyment factors are properly documented.

A Danish study in 2009 from the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research proved that the sport of soccer actually strengthens the core and muscles in the low back. In certain instances handling back pain while playing a sport is done with the team trainer or a team doctor. After an auto accident this may pose a problem because of ongoing litigation or the specifics of an accident case. If the player is an amateur and does not have the direct access to medical staff like a professional team player he or she may have more trouble getting the proper treatment and most of the time has to stop participating in the sport altogether. This can be very annoying and frustrating as the victim of an accident because they are no longer able to participate and enjoy something they enjoyed doing before being hurt.

Outside of treating the patient and helping them to recover from the injuries, it is very important that the doctor they are treated by is documenting their loss of enjoyment factors accurately. The doctor’s notes are what the attorney representing the patient uses to help settle their case and if the doctor does not include the small details of information about how the patients life has been affected from the accident then it could be detrimental.

These tips are helpful for the amateur athlete following an auto accident:

1) Get the proper treatment.

2) Understand the timeline, plan and prognosis given to you.

3) Find out what you can do to speed your recovery.

4) Find another hobby you enjoy that wont hurt you to avoid sadness and depression.

There’s a saying about doctor notes “if it isn’t in the notes… then it didn’t happen.

Dr. Branden Evans is a Marietta chiropractor near Atlanta, GA. He has been in practice for nearly 10 years and enjoys helping patients recover after auto accidents. Contact him if you have been hurt and are in need of an injury chiropractor