Symptoms, Treatment and Legal Issues Involving Herniated Discs Resulting from a Car Accident
The discs in the spine are circular and rest between the of vertebrae in your back. They act like shock absorbers, providing a cushion when you bend, twist, jump and exert other pressure on your spine. Discs are often described as resembling a filled donut, with a tough exterior and a thick liquid center. Sometimes accident victims will suffer some slippage or bulging of a disc. These terms are synonomous with a herniation of a disc.
When the disc comes in contact with the nerves in the spine, you may feel severe pain, tingling, numbness or weakness. Pain may not be limited to the back itself and will sometimes radiate down the arms or legs. The location of the radiation varies depending upon on where the herniated disc is located.
With a symptomatic herniated disc, pain is not felt in the area the disc is located. Instead, the bulging disc pinches a nerve in the spine, causing radicular pain (pain that shoots through your body, usually to one area, such as one arm or one leg). This phenomenon occurs because each nerve in the spine is connected to a particular area of our bodies.
In terms of diagnosing a bulging disc, it usually takes a while. They are rarely detected immediately following a car accident because x-rays taken at an emergency room are unable to detect herniations; they only provide images of bones. If pain persists following an accident, your doctor will likely order an MRI or CT scan. While these two methods can detect objective signs of a herniated disc, the amount of pain felt by the injury victim bears no relationship to the MRI or CT scan. Herniated discs affect everyone differently.
Back injuries, especially a herniated disc, may leave a person in pain for the rest of their lives. Many of our clients try a number of methods to resolve the pain before electing to undergo back surgery, including chiropractic care, physical therapy, traction, and cortisone shots. If none of these treatments work, a spinal fusion may be performed.
Because disc injuries involve such serious pain, the value of these cases tends to be higher than a case limited to soft tissue injuries. As a result, the insurance carriers devote substantial resources to the defense of herniated disc cases. One common strategy of the attorneys working for insurance carrier is to point out degenerative problems with the injured party's spine that pre-date the accident itself. Our job is to prove that a particular injury was caused by the accident, and is not due simply to prior stenosis or arthritis, That's where the treating doctor plays a critical role. He or she will provide us with a written opinion as to cause of your injury.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident, contact a MN car accident lawyer with the Brown Law Offices, P.A. Our lawyers have years of experience and will work hard to obtain the maximum possible recovery on your behalf. Contact us by calling (763) 323-6555 or submit an inquiry through our online consultation form.
