Physical Therapists and Medical Malpractice

When most of us think of medical malpractice,your legal right to seek financial compensation.
we think of dramatic surgical errors, birth injuries,Some facts about lawsuits against rehabilitation
or radical, dangerous treatments. In reality,therapists:
though, medical malpractice extends to every- There were approximately 650 medical
facet of the medical field, including physicalmalpractice lawsuits filed against physical
therapy. While an error committed by a physicaltherapists between 1990 and 2004.
therapist is usually less serious than one- These reports extend beyond the therapists
committed by a surgeon, they can still havethemselves. During the same period, there were
painful and wide-ranging effects on your life. If54 malpractice reports filed against therapy
you've been the victim of physical therapyassistants.
malpractice, it's your legal right to seek financialThe Consequences
compensation. You shouldn't go through the painUnlike surgical or prescription errors, physical
alone.therapy errors are unlikely to result in death.
The NumbersHowever, these errors can extend the amount of
While cases of physical therapy are still quite rare,time the required in therapy, can undo progress,
they do happen. Consider some of the numbers:and can increase the pain the patient feels. When
- A total of 729 physical therapists and relatedtherapists and their assistants commit malpractice,
medical professionals had malpractice reportsthey risk causing their patients lifelong chronic pain.
made against them from 1990-2003.There is no room for errors in medical treatment.
- There were a total of 769 reports madeThe consequences are too great. If you've been
against physical therapists during the same timeinjured as the result of medical treatment, you
period, accounting for approximately 0.2% of theshould discuss your case with an experienced
total number of malpractice cases.medical malpractice personal injury attorney. They
- While these numbers may seem low, theremay be able to secure you the compensation you
were approximately 1.05 malpractice reports fileddeserve following your injury.
per physical therapist.If you're interested in learning more about your
- In 2003, 83 physicians practicing in the field hadlegal options following an injury caused by a
reports made against them.medical professional, visit the Philadelphia medical
If you or someone you love has been injured asmalpractice attorneys of Lowenthal &
the result of improper physical rehabilitation, it isAbrams, P.C., today.