Auto Accident Back Injuries: A Brief and Unscientific Essay
As I say to most of my clients when we meet, I’m not that kind of doctor. But my clients and I end up exploring a lot of medical issues in injury claims, so you can’t help but develop at least a passing familiarity with the more common injuries. In auto accidents, back pain is one of the most common complaints. But what causes it? This non-physician can tell you that generally, you’re looking at 3 likely candidates.
By far the most common cause for back pain after an auto accident is the “soft tissue injury.” This is the phrase we use to label strains or sprains to the muscles around your spine. The violent whipping motion your body undergoes in an automobile accident impact can put a terrible amount of strain on these muscles as they are doing their jobs. This trauma can result in back pain that can severely limit your ability to work and play. No fun at all. Normally, victims with this kind of injury seek treatment of their pain through medication, physical therapy, or chiropractic treatment. The vast majority of victims recover in a few months, but some do so much quicker, while others seem to linger forever. Bodies are different.
The next thing we see from time to time is an injury to the framework of the spine itself. There are these little cushions between your vertebrae – the blocks that make up your spine – and these guys try to keep your spine from collapsing. It’s a tough job, and as we get older…and I mean like over 20…we all develop some degree of a condition called Degenerative Disc Disease. Over time the pressure exerted on these discs wears them out and they start to show it. A bulging disc can best be described like a tire with low air; it is jutting outward from the pressure above and below it, like a balloon between two books. The most important things to remember about these are that a) they can become asymptomatic with time, rest, and treatment, so they won’t bother you forever, necessarily, and b) they tend to develop over time, not from trauma. So if you are diagnosed with this after an auto accident, it may be more likely that the condition was exacerbated by the impact as opposed to being caused by the impact. Unless you have pre- and post-impact imaging studies, it’s hard to say for sure.
These are to be contrasted with the disc herniation. If we’re still thinking of the balloon between two books analogy, think of that balloon as being filled with jello. While a herniation is flattening of the whole construct, a herniation is when the “balloon” is actually torn and the jello is pushing out. When this pushes out onto a nerve root, it can result in extreme pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness of extremities linked to that nerve. This is a serious condition that may require surgery. These are often far more likely to be the result of trauma as opposed to developing over time, so if you have this diagnosis after an accident, it would stand to reason that your doctor would be more likely to say that it was caused by the accident as opposed to being there before and merely exacerbated by it.
As I said, I ain’t that kind of doctor, so take everything I say with a whole bowl of salt. But this info can at least help you understand the different back injuries you might be facing. How you present them to the insurance company in your auto claim is a different story, too, so you might need some help with that. Call me to discuss. 919-929-2992.