In this article, we cover the essential information about back and neck pain, back injuries, and spinal cord injuries after a car accident, including symptoms, steps to take, and why you should reach out to the lawyers at Breaux Law Firm.
At Breaux Law Firm, we understand the significant impact that car accidents may have on the lives of victims. While injuries can vary greatly in severity, one of the most common and debilitating issues our clients face is back pain from a car crash.
Car accidents often result in a range of serious back injuries, and understanding these injuries is crucial for both victims seeking compensation and their legal representation.
As a top personal injury law firm in New Orleans, we are frequently approached by clients who are suffering from serious spinal pain caused by their auto accident. Severe back pain following a car accident is common, but that doesn’t make it any less frightening and stressful.
Car accidents can cause traumatic forces that damage the discs between the vertebrae. A herniated disc can result in sharp and chronic back pain, often radiating to the legs. Legal experts in personal injury cases, like the accident injury lawyers at Breaux Law Firm, are skilled in establishing the link between your car accident and this painful condition.
Whether the pain is related to lower back pain, upper back pain, facet joint injuries, spine injuries, or any other type of back or neck pain, any victim deserves to be fully compensated for the injuries caused by car accidents.
The pain following a car accident can be debilitating, and the impact of a car crash extends far beyond that pain. As experienced car accident attorneys, the team at Breaux Law Firm understands the depth of your suffering. We want to help you get back on your feet (literally!).
Let’s review the top 6 types of back and spine injuries after a car accident.
Common Types of Back and Neck Pain After a Car Accident
1. Whiplash
Whiplash is a frequent result of rear-end car collisions. This common type of back injury after a car crash occurs when the head and neck are abruptly jerked forward and backward, causing strain to the neck, upper back, and shoulders. The pain in the back and discomfort of whiplash can often radiate down the spine, leading to significant discomfort.
Whiplash is a common type of accident injury, and as we discuss in our article, “Can You Make a Claim for Whiplash After a Car Accident or 18-Wheeler Accident?” it is important that you “see a doctor for your own health and peace of mind. This will also allow you to make the decision later on to pursue a claim, if, for example, your whiplash intensifies in the days after the accident, resulting in additional medical costs. A doctor’s letter confirming your diagnosis of whiplash could greatly help your case.”
2. Spinal Cord Injuries
Severe car accidents can cause traumatic injuries to the spine, leading to paralysis or chronic pain. Even less severe accidents can result in spinal cord compression, which can cause long-term discomfort.
Understanding the extent of the spinal cord injury and its impact on your future is vital in securing the right compensation. In some cases, a spinal cord injury left untreated or undiagnosed can lead to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Spinal injuries should be treated by a doctor immediately.
3. Fractured Vertebrae
A high-impact car accident can result in fractured vertebrae. Depending on the location and severity of the fracture, individuals may experience acute back pain or chronic issues that impact their quality of life. Our skilled attorneys work with medical experts to assess the extent of the injury and ensure that you receive appropriate compensation for fractured vertebrae and other severe back injuries after an accident.
4. Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries, such as sprains, strains, and contusions in muscles, tendons, disc, and ligaments, can cause significant discomfort and require medical attention. It is very common that soft tissue injuries result in delayed back pain. This is one reason why it’s important for victims of a car accident to meticulously document the extent of these injuries and their medical visits.
5. Nerve Damage
Car accidents can lead to nerve damage, which can result in severe and chronic back pain. Symptoms of nerve damage after a car accident can include muscle spasms, sensitivity, and even burning sensations.
Nerve injuries are often difficult to diagnose and treat, making it crucial to have experienced legal representation to ensure you receive fair compensation for your suffering and the care for your back as you rehabilitate after nerve damage.
6. Herniated Discs
The speed and forces involved in a car accident often cause serious harm to a person’s soft tissue. One very common car accident injury is a herniated disc in an injured person’s spine.
A herniated disc can cause significant pain and limit the type of activities in which a person can engage. Depending on the severity of the injury, the pain can last for a few months or it can last forever. Prompt action immediately after an accident can help injured victims recover compensation for their losses and expenses caused by a herniated disc.
What is a Herniated Disc?
In between each vertebrae of a person’s spine are discs. Discs are round, jelly-like shock absorbers positioned between the vertebrae in the spinal column. Each disc has an external membrane called an “annulus” as well as a jelly-like center. The forces exerted on the body during a car accident can cause the spine to jerk abruptly.
This abrupt jerking can cause a disc or multiple discs to shift their position. When the discs shift, different types of pain result. Naturally, the more severe the shift, the worse the pain can be.
In some of the worst cases, disc material can break through the annulus and make contact with the nerve; in these cases, the adjacent vertebrae may contact each other due to the absence of the disc in between.
Symptoms of a Herniated Disc
The pain of a herniated disc may not present itself for some time after an auto accident. It may feel like something is just out of place in your back or neck. You may feel intense pain or unusual sensations in various parts of your body, usually the upper and/or lower extremities.
These sensations can either be a numbing feeling, a “pins and needles” or tingling feeling, or a sharp, stabbing pain. Herniated disc pain can present in unique ways.
Some other symptoms of a herniated disc include muscle spasms or muscle tightness, muscle weakness, pain that comes and goes or increases with certain movements or activity, loss of feeling or strength in arms and legs, or loss of control over bowel or bladder.
Herniated Disc Treatment
After a car accident, you may wonder if you have a spinal disc injury. An MRI scan can detect whether you do, in fact, have a herniated disc. Immediately following a car crash or serious accident, you should seek medical attention.
The law office of Breaux Law Firm has a vast network of healthcare providers who can get you the treatment you need regardless of whether you have health insurance.
Additional Impacts of Back and Neck Pain After an Accident
Emotional Distress
Back pain after a car accident can lead to emotional distress, anxiety, and depression. These emotional tolls are often overlooked but can significantly affect a person’s overall well-being.
A car accident victim may find her or his emotional health quickly deteriorating. You might feel stressed, and overwhelmed with the number of administrative things.
You need to follow up with regard to your health care, health insurance, claim or lawsuit, automobile, employment, etc, and might find yourself experiencing depression, or feeling afraid of getting into a car again.
All of this is normal and is an important reason why you should hire an attorney to help you deal with the aftermath of a car crash. Our legal team at Breaux Law understands the importance of addressing emotional distress in personal injury claims.
Financial Suffering
Dealing with back pain after an auto accident is hard enough. But it’s not just the physical injuries that cause pain. Car crashes can also be financially draining. In addition to dealing with recovering from car accident injuries, you may find that you’re unable to work, your income suffers, or you are going into debt to cover medical payments.
The impact of a car accident is far-reaching. But know that you are entitled to seek compensation for the accident and the ensuing damages to your body, mental health, and finances, especially an accident where you were not at fault. You are also entitled to compensation for future pain and suffering as a result of the car crash.
The amount of compensation you receive will depend on how well you keep track of doctors visits, medical bills, and other concrete proof of how the neck or back pain has negatively affected your life.
A personal injury attorney is well versed in building this type of case, and knows the ins and out of the insurance companies and the court system in your state. At Breaux Law Firm, we want to help lessen the pain that you’re feeling, physically, emotionally, and financially.
Hiring a car accident lawyer will likely result in higher compensation than filing an insurance claim. For example, Breaux Law Firm won $250,000 for a young mother who was injured in a car accident in 2015 when she was rear-ended in New Orleans.
Her injuries included neck herniations and back pain. After undergoing two epidural steroid injections and two nerve root block injections, a doctor suggested she have neck fusion surgery.
Breaux Law Firm fought hard against a ruthless insurance company to ensure that this hardworking, determined young mother received the full compensation she deserved after being injured by a reckless driver.
Contact Breaux Law Firm Today
If you’re worried that you may be suffering from a herniated disc, neck and back pain, or any pain after an auto accident, contact Breaux Law Firm now for a free consultation. The pain you are experiencing is not something you have to suffer through. As experienced and respected car accident attorneys, we’ll get you the medical assistance and compensation you need.
Injury from a car accident can be frightening and disorienting. We’ll guide you on your path to emotional, physical, and financial recovery. We’re available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (504) 882-0545 or you can email us at info@breauxlaw.com. Reach out for your free consultation today. We’re ready to fight for you.
