Our lawyers know car accident crashes are commonly known to cause or contribute to herniated discs, especially in the low back (lumbar spine). When car accident driver or passenger end up with a herniated disc they come to see me after they are diagnosed with a herniated disc. Sometimes a herniated may be degenerative and asymptomatic, but after a car crash get aggravated. Our injury clients are often in severe pain and discomfort, and anxious to hold those responsible accountable. We are knowledgeable in presenting herniated disc injuries to the jury in a way that we can help describe in an understandable way your how pain and suffering so you receive the maximum amount of compensation award.
What Is A herniated disc like?
Our personal injury law firm frequently use analogies to help explain the human anatomy to you and the jury. In explaining, the intervertebral discs in your spine, a classic analogy is that of a jelly donut. When we talk about discs, we can also refer to them as the small “cushions” in between each vertebra, or bone, of your spine. Normally, these discs help separate your vertebrae and act as shock absorbers for your spine. We tell the jury you have the outer shell of the donut with the soft jelly inside that keeps the outer shell firm, similar to the firm outer shell of an intervertebral disc with the softer, gel-like nucleus inside the disc. We show them a picture this disc that looks like a “donut” in between each of your vertebral bones in your spine. If car accident exerts some type of force or pressure is placed on the spine, the donut can break open and the jelly will get squeezed outside. Your spinal cord has many nerves that run through your vertebrae and out to various parts of your body. Nerve roots branch off from the spinal cord and carry signals throughout your body, providing signals to muscles for movement and sensation. The jelly material can be pushed outside of your disc and then irritate or press on your spinal nerves in that area and cause pain. Jelly like material can also cause a large amount of inflammation around your nerves, giving you the sensation of numbness, stinging, sharp stabbing and/or burning sensation that runs down your leg.
When you think about your spine, your lumbar spine has the shock absorbers that take the greatest concentration of stress placed on it. Your cervical spine only has to support the weight of your head. Your thoracic spine is more rigid and doesn’t move as much and protects your ribs. But your lumbar spine carries and supports your entire upper body and is involved in a lot of movement. All of that pressure makes it more likely for a disc to herniate in low back lumbar area of the spine.
What If I have a lumbar herniated disc From A Car Accident?
The single most important fact about an acute herniated disc is the onset pain from a lumbar herniated disc often comes on acutely, or suddenly. Usually, a herniated disc can be seen on an MRI study. Unfortunately, the pain in your lower back can mimic a strain, but the more revealing sign of a herniated disc is often pain radiating into the leg from the pressure on your sciatic nerve.
You should immediately get examined by a doctor when you are injured in an accident because there are only few things you can do at home to help with your symptoms. Sometimes people suffering from a herniated disc may take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories such as Ibuprofen to reduce the pain and stiffness. Other people apply heat or ice to the area, which may also provide some relief. Usually resting can help some, but in some cases taking complete bed rest or staying too long in bed can actually make your pain symptom worse.
Our personal injury lawyers will give you guidance about seeing an experienced spine specialist that can be useful to your healing and documenting your injuries. The majority of cases of herniated discs we handle do not require surgery, but if you unable to function or the pain is nagging, you may find yourself in pain management and going through treatment plan that will get you feeling better quicker. Our law firm has seen car accident victims receive a beneficial regimen of muscle relaxants to physical therapy to steroid injections, which are a number of modalities that auto accident related disc injury victims may try to decrease pain and improve their activity and mobility.
What If I need surgery to fix my herniated disc?
In some case, the motor vehicle accident victim may not feel much better after several weeks of conservative nonsurgical treatments. You may find yourself discussing surgery with your doctor. We have seen several types of surgeries that can be done with are known as minimally invasive procedures to remove the herniated disc material while taking care to leave the remainder of your disc in place. Sometimes, this kind of minimally invasive surgery may relieve the pressure on the spinal nerves, giving your disc the room to heal.
Our personal injury auto accident lawyers monitor your medical progress so we can best present your claim to the responsible car insurance company. If you develop any significant neurologic deficits such as when a body part doesn’t function as it should because of compression on your nerves or spinal cord. We have seen car accident victims develop numbness, tingling, dropped foot or difficulty walking in some instances. We know if anything like this occurs, we may recommend that your surgeon write a report surgery to explain what surgery can help you get better, in order to avoid any permanent nerve damage. Our car accident specialists have seen some car crash victims experience loss of bladder or bowel control, which we recommend you go to the emergency room immediately.
What treatments are available for herniated discs?
Our car accident lawyers hope the symptoms of a herniated disc can be managed without surgery. There are some typical non-operative treatments to help relieve your pain and help restore you back to your baseline level of functioning. The non-operative treatment may include:
If these nonsurgical treatments don’t work or if you develop worsening symptoms or severe signs of spinal cord or nerve compression, your surgeon may be recommended surgery. These procedures can often be performed as minimally invasive spine surgery, so be sure to find a car accident injury specialist who’s proficient in this area. Surgery for a herniated disc may involve:
Although herniated discs injuries can cause quite a bit of pain and discomfort, most often the disc heals or can be successfully management with good non-surgical treatment. If the car accident injury victim is persistently disabled a minimally invasive surgery can try to fix your problem and get you back to your life activities. Our mission as your injury lawyers is to help you heal and guide you through the legal process to help you achieve the results you deserve.
Car Accident Crash Injury Specialist Law Firm Lawyers
Our experienced Michigan truck, Car, bus, pedestrian, and motorcycle Accident Attorneys can quickly respond to an accident, gather necessary medical information, and preserve evidence in order to maximize your chances of recovering the compensation you deserve. Don’t wait, and pursue your own rights – contact us today to see how we can help you. We guarantee no fees, unless we are able to settle your case or win a verdict.
Contact us now at 248-352-2110 or toll free 1-866-447-3653 to schedule your free truck accident case evaluation and consultation.
