The back and spine are a complex and intricate structure consisting of bones, muscles, and various other tissues that extend from the neck down to the pelvis. This system is crucial for providing support and flexibility to the body. The lower back, known as the lumbar region, is particularly vulnerable to pain due to its critical role in supporting a significant amount of body weight and its high degree of flexibility. Injuries in this area can be particularly debilitating, affecting overall mobility and quality of life. If you are experiencing pain or have sustained an injury in this region, it is essential to seek professional help. Charleston Back and Spine Injury lawyers specialize in handling cases related to these types of injuries, ensuring that you receive the compensation and care you need to recover effectively.
Back Pain is Common after a Car Accident
It’s typical for someone to experience back pain after an accident. After a car accident, you can get severe whiplash or bruise on the back. Following are symptoms for back pain resulting from an accident:
- Numbness, tingling, or weakness in arms or legs
- Lower back pain radiating down the backside and into the thighs and calves.
- Pain or muscle spams when you stand up straight.
- Persistent stiffness or achiness down the spine from the base of the neck down.
- Localized neck, upper back, or lower back pain
- Sharp pain after physical activity
- Chronic aching while sitting in the middle or lower back
- Sleep issues resulting from back pain
You need to seek medical attention if you are experiencing any of these symptoms. Common back injuries and their specific symptoms include:
- Herniated disks – acute pain increases when you cough or bend forward at the waist.
- Protruding, torn, or bulging disks – numbness, pain, and tingling in your limbs are significant signs of disks, or other intrusions, striking the spinal cord, a common cause of sciatica.
- Spondylolisthesis – where one vertebra moves in relation to another. The pain extends down the backside and thighs and has muscle spasms.
- Lumbar ligament sprains – usually a broad, aching pain across the lower back where the lumbar support is. You may have trouble with back mobility, like bending over or standing straight up.
- Fractured vertebrae – the pain is sudden and acute. Standing and walking may exacerbate the pain while laying down might alleviate it.
Whiplash and Soft-Tissue Injuries
Whiplash is an injury to soft tissues in the neck as a result of extreme force. Often, these injuries occur in rear-end collisions when the head snaps backward and forward. While most people recover from whiplash in a few months, some suffer debilitating pain that continues much longer. In some cases, pain can be traced to damage to vertebrae, discs, or ligaments of the neck.
It is essential to seek prompt treatment and to continue seeking treatment until your condition improves. This is important to recover your health and document your injury for the insurance company of the party who caused your injury.
Spinal Injuries and Paralysis
A spinal cord injury (SCI) usually results in a degree of paralysis. This can range from tingling and numbness to a complete lack of sensation and movement below the area of injury. While treatment for spinal cord injuries continues to improve, paralysis is usually permanent.
If you are suffering from a back, neck, or spinal injury, you should visit a doctor immediately. Because spinal cord injuries are such delicate injuries, they do not move after being injured. Stay still until medical attention can reach you. The most effective way to diagnose a spinal cord injury is to use an x-ray, CT scan, or MRI to show any bone fractures or spinal column issues.
There is a possibility of neurological issues that accompany a spinal cord injury. The medical team may conduct some tests to diagnose the scale of the damage. A neurological exam, called the ASIA exam, would test motor skills, reflexes, ability to feel pain or pressure. American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment Scale is the universal grading system for spinal cord injuries from A to E. A is a complete spine injury, and E is no injury.
If you suffer from an injury such as paralysis, you will face significant financial and medical challenges. Contact Johnstone & Gabhart today to talk to a spine injury lawyer to ensure you have the compensation you need for the rest of your life.
Spinal Cord Injury Treatment
The earlier spinal cord injury victims can get surgical intervention, treatments, and rehabilitation processes to strengthen, recover, rehabilitate their injuries, the better for their recovery. With early interventions, there is a chance that the injured may regain sensation and motor function after an injury.
Our lawyers work with doctors, life-care planners, economists, and vocational rehabilitation experts to document your future needs. Then we will seek to recover the maximum injury compensation from the insurance company of the party responsible for your injury for expenses such as:
- Home modifications
- Adaptive devices such as motorized wheelchairs
- Past and future medical care
- Personal assistance
- Loss of earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Your life will change as the result of a spinal cord injury. The quality of your life may depend in part on the financial recovery you can make through a personal injury lawsuit. Our lawyers will work hard to ensure that the money is there to meet your needs.
Compensation for a Spinal Cord Injury
To find out what your back and spinal injury case could be worth, call Johnstone & Gabhart for a free case evaluation. An experienced West Virginia spine injury lawyer will work with your medical team and the insurance company to create documentation of your injury to prove losses from your accident. We want to maximize your recovery after a catastrophic accident.
In a back, spine, or spinal cord injury settlement or lawsuit, a personal injury attorney can help you recover:
- Medical Bills – includes bills from the initial injury like hospital bills, prescription drugs, doctor visits, and rehabilitation, as well as projected future medical expenses.
- Lost Wages – recover compensation for any time spent away from work during the initial injury, as well as a projected loss of earning capacity.
- Pain and Suffering – this compensation is for the physical and emotional pain a traumatic injury can have on a victim.
Contact Our Spine Injury Lawyers For A Free Consultation
Our goal initially is to ensure you receive the medical care you need to complete a recovery as possible. It is crucial not to resolve your case financially until you know how the head injury will affect your life. Will you recover fully? What medical or other services will you need in the future as a result of your injury?
We will demand total brain injury compensation claims from the negligent party’s insurance company when we know the answers to these and other questions. Get the process started today by contacting our Charleston, West Virginia spine injury attorneys.
