Neck & Back Injuries

After a traumatic accident, such as a car or truck accident, a slip and fall, or a workplace accident, neck and back injuries are extremely common. These injuries range in severity from whiplash to spinal injuries and/or spinal disc abnormalities, all of which can lead to a lifetime of pain and suffering, disability, and/or impairment. Even seemingly benign neck and back injuries can turn into chronic conditions, requiring surgery, medications, and lengthy rehabilitation.

In fact, it is common for the violent and abrupt nature of a car collision to cause serious back and/or neck injuries involving bulging, herniated and/or ruptured discs, fractured vertebra, and/or spinal cord damage.  Even a “minor” accident can cause the discs in your back and/or neck to “herniate” and press against your spinal nerves, which can cause severe and debilitating pain.  Unfortunately, severe back and/or neck injuries are life changing and require substantial surgery.  Often this may leave you with chronic pain, impair your ability to do household activities, prevent you from working, and/or result in paralysis. 

Types of Neck and Back Injuries

The main types of back and neck injuries include:

• Herniated Discs
• Bulging Discs
• Ruptured Discs
• Fractured Vertebrae
• Whiplash
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Compression Fractures
• Soft Tissue Injury
• Pulled Muscles

Because a car collision exerts a great force on the spinal column, oftentimes it causes an accident victim’s body twist and turn in a violent and unnatural manner. In turn, this can cause a spinal disc to move out of place, herniate, bulge, rupture, and/or even fracture.

A spinal disc is a little like a jelly donut, with a softer center within a tougher exterior.  They are tough, rubbery pads located between the vertebrae.  A bulging or herniated disc refers to a problem with one of the rubbery cushions (discs) between the individual bones (vertebrae) that stack up to make your spine.  Sometimes called a slipped disk or a ruptured disk, a herniated disk occurs when some of the softer “jelly” pushes out through a tear in the tougher exterior. A herniated disk can irritate nearby nerves and result in pain, numbness or weakness in arms or legs. A ruptured disc may also cause ongoing problems. It may put pressure on the spinal cord or the nerves surrounding the spinal cord, causing intense pain that can radiate into the arms or legs. If you experience any back pain after an accident, you should see a doctor and inform them that you have been in a car accident and provide a complete list of all of your pain symptoms. 

In addition, if you have sustained a herniated or slipped disc in a collision or other type of accident, you may not be able to work for months. You may need physical therapy as well as pain medication to manage the ongoing pain. Some people with herniated discs have to undergo back surgery to remove the protruding portion of the disc or fuse together the vertebrae in the affected area.  These surgeries are evasive and expensive, and they have life-long consequences.

Symptoms of Neck and Back Injuries

The symptoms vary depending on the location of the injury and the severity of the injury sustained. In general, though, symptoms of a back or neck injury include:

• Pain in neck
• Pain in back
• Pain in legs or down arms
• Difficulty walking
• Inability to stay on your feet for any length of time
• Numbness or tingling in extremities
• Muscle weakness
• Problems with reflexes
• Loss of sensation in arms, legs and feet
• Bowel or bladder problems
• Paralysis – partial or complete
• Tightness in neck
• Muscle spasms
• Neck tenderness
• Headaches

Diagnosing and Treating a Neck or Back Injury

Often immediately after an accident, victims of car accidents, slips and falls, and other traumatic accidents do not always realize they are injured. However, days and even weeks later, these victims end up in the emergency room in excruciating and debilitating pain. 

Back and neck injuries usually require an MRI or CT scan to properly and objectively diagnose their existence and the severity of the injury.  These tests should be performed as soon as possible as they are extremely valuable to your case and recovery.

Treatment for neck and back injuries depends largely on the area affected and the severity of the injury. In general, these injuries could require the following medical treatment:

• Emergency care
• Long-term hospitalization
• Medications
• Physical therapy
• Rehabilitation
• Steroid injections
• Facet Injections
• Trigger Point injections
• Surgery (fusion, discectomy, foraminotomy, corpectomy, kyphoplasty and/or laminectomy)
• Expensive medical equipment (wheelchairs, walkers, TENS units, spinal instrumentation)
• Mental health counseling
• Home health care

Dealing with Insurance Companies After a Back or Neck Injury

Insurance companies know that neck and back injuries can easily become complicated and expensive as they often require substantial medical treatment, including extensive physical therapy and potentially multiple surgeries to correct. They are also aware that many of these injuries progress into lifelong injuries that can destroy your quality of life and prevent you from working or enjoying your hobbies. Unfortunately, a lot of settlements for these types of injuries usually only cover a fraction of what back and neck injury victims need to fully recover. 

Please don’t let the insurance companies harass you or pressure you into taking less than you deserve.  If you or a loved one has suffered neck and/or back injury due to the negligence of another, we are committed to helping you receive the medical treatment that you need and seek the compensation you deserve.  We are driven to seek the maximum compensation for our clients and to help you to overcome the challenges created by the wrongful acts of others.  If you believe your neck and/or back injury was caused by the carelessness of another, please contact Chandler | Ross, PLLC immediately for your free consultation. We welcome clients from the Denton, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, areas and we are here to help you.  Our initial consultation is free.

With offices in Denton, Dallas, and Fort Worth, Texas, Chandler | Ross, PLLC is well positioned to provide the most effective and highly-skilled Neck and Back Injury Attorneys possible.  Don’t wait, and don’t compromise – contact us today for a Free Case Evaluation and see how we can help you.  In most cases, you pay nothing unless we are able to settle your case or win a verdict.  Contact us now at (940)-800-2500 or support@chandlerrosslaw.com to schedule your free personal injury case evaluation and consultation.