100% Secure and Confidential
100% Secure and Confidential
Pain is a definite sign that you have suffered a back injury after a car accident. The pain might be sharp like a knife, radiating outward, or present as only tingling or numbness in your lower back and legs. Regardless of the type of pain, something is wrong, and motorists should head to the hospital for a professional diagnosis.
Once you receive treatment, make your first call to Moffitt Law, LLC. Our LaGrange personal injury attorney can discuss your back injury car accident, including how it happened. If a different motorist was at fault, we can file an injury claim for medical bills and other compensation.
Here, we look at the most common injuries after a Georgia car accident.
Sciatica
The sciatic nerve runs from a person’s hips to their feet. Any injury can result in weakness or pain in the bottom of back and down through the legs. Motorists might not immediately notice sciatica pain, which can creep up on them until it becomes unmanageable.
Your medical team will try to reduce swelling and pain, but sciatica often gets worse throughout the day.
Back Sprain or Strain
A common cause of back pain is a ligament strain or muscle sprain. The “jolt” from a car accident can twist, stretch, and tear this soft tissue, resulting in swelling and pain. Although not the most serious injury, a back sprain or strain will keep most people out of work for a little while as they try to heal. More serious sprains or strains might require physical therapy to help a person strengthen their back muscles so they can finally stand or sit again.
Herniated or Slipped Discs
Discs provide a cushion between the vertebrae, which allows a person to twist or bend their back without the bones rubbing against each other. Unfortunately, car accidents can damage the disc.
With disc herniation, the soft inner filling extrudes out and presses against nerves, leading to chronic pain. These discs do not grow back, so a patient possibly needs surgery to replace the disc if it is too damaged.
Another problem occurs when discs are displaced. Now that it is out of position, the disc doesn’t provide the cushion necessary, and the motorist can experience indescribable pain as bones grind against each other. Surgery is possible if conservative treatment, like corticosteroid injections, is ineffective.
Spinal Fracture
The spinal column is made up of 26 vertebrae, which protect the spine. A serious car accident can crack or even smash any of these bones. The pain you experience can lead to immobility or difficulty sitting up.
Spinal fractures are complex injuries. Your doctor will be concerned with stabilizing your spine so the fracture does not get worse and permanent impairment results.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
Neurological signals race up and down the spinal cord, which allows humans to move their feet and feel sensations in their limbs. A serious car wreck can damage the spinal cord. Vertebrae can compress (push) on the spine, causing a bruise, or bone fragments can slice into the cord. With an incomplete injury, however, some signals can nonetheless get through.
The result of an incomplete injury is some loss of normal functioning. A person can experience numbness or weakness in one or more limbs. Treatment will focus on keeping the condition from worsening. With physical therapy, a person might relearn to walk or grasp items, strengthening the muscles that do work.
Complete Spinal Cord Injuries
With a complete injury, all sensation and mobility are lost below the site of injury, most often due to compression or tearing of the spinal cord. This is the most devastating back injury after a car accident a person can suffer.
Medical intervention is necessary and expensive. Typically, your medical team is most focused on stabilizing your vital signs, including your ability to breathe. Multiple surgeries are required to relieve the compression.
Receiving Compensation for a Back Injury
Our firm can seek compensation for anyone hurt in a Georgia car accident. Back injuries have direct expenses, including the cost of care, as well as other indirect costs, like lost income when the injury keeps a person from returning to work.
Let us review. We can also seek pain and suffering damages as part of any injury settlement.
Schedule Your Free Consultation with a LaGrange Personal Injury Lawyer
A back injury car accident can dramatically impair a person’s quality of life. Get the legal help you need today by calling Moffitt Law, LLC, to speak with our attorney about your accident. We offer a free consultation to anyone injured in a car wreck.
