Back Pain Injuries that Can Occur During a Car Accident

The force against your body during a car accident can leave you with serious back and neck injuries. The sudden movement of being thrown about inside the car against the seat belt can have a jarring effect that causes sensitive muscles and tissues to sustain rips, tears, and bruises because of the momentum and force of the impact. One of the most frequently damaged areas of the body during a vehicle accident is the spinal column. Here are some back-pain injuries that often occur during a car accident.

1. Sprains

A lumbar sprain can be thought of as a trauma to the tendons, ligaments, or muscles in the back. When a sudden or jarring stretch of the region occurs, the strain to the region can have a long-lasting effect on the way the body moves. Because it is a soft tissue injury, the normal MRI or Xray scans are often unable to diagnose the problem. It takes an experienced doctor in an extended consultation to find the root of the problem – soft tissue injury.

2. Degeneration

As your body ages, it can develop degenerative issues in, or along the area near your spine. These disorders can include scoliosis, bulging discs, bone spurs, disc diseases, pinched nerves, sciatica, and foraminal stenosis. An auto accident can exacerbate already existing mild conditions of the spine and cause the otherwise minor degenerative disorders to suddenly flair. This can lead to debilitating injuries that cause serious pain and loss of movement. The end result is frequently the loss of quality of life.

3. Stenosis

The medical establishment labels the ‘narrowing of a body channel’ as stenosis. Thus, when your spinal column experiences trauma in a car accident, the channel feeding the spinal cord and spinal nerves can suddenly begin to narrow from irritation or damage to the surrounding area. A bone fragment or ruptured disc can also apply pressure to the area that adds to the pain, swelling, and eventual further narrowing of the spinal channel – or stenosis.

4. Herniation

Disc rupturing or herniation is the most common injury during a car accident after whiplash. When the protruding area around the disc begins to push on surrounding nerves, pain can often result. While it is a common injury, it may take a long time to heal or remove the pain.

If you find yourself experiencing back pain after a vehicle accident, give your auto accident lawyers in Charlottesville, VA a phone call to ask about medical help and compensation. You only have one life, so take care of yourself.

Thanks to MartinWren, P.C. for their insight into personal injury claims and back pain injuries from car accidents.