Suffering a back injury in an accident can leave you with medical bills, pain, and limits on the activities you’re able to perform. If the injury occurred because of another party’s misconduct, it may be possible to take legal action in the form of a personal injury claim to recover your losses. Learn more about back injuries and what steps to take if you suffer one.
Common Back Injuries
There are a few common types of back injuries that often lead to personal injury claims.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries affect the tendons, ligaments, and muscles in your back. Whiplash is one of these injuries. When your head moves rapidly back and forth, your neck muscles can suffer damage. These strains typically take one to two days to cause symptoms, such as stiffness and pain.
Car accidents are often the cause of soft tissue injuries to the back, like whiplash, but overuse can also be a problem. If you perform repetitive movements for hours at a time as part of your job, for example, you can strain or sprain ligaments and tendons in your back.
Herniated Discs
Your spine is made up of vertebrae. To prevent these bones from rubbing together and to offer more flexibility to your spine, cushion-like structures called discs sit between the vertebrae. Discs have a soft center that, under significant pressure or because of wear and tear, can bulge out.
A herniated disc can cause pain, mobility issues, weakness in the affected area, and numbness or tingling. Sometimes, treating a herniated disc only requires rest, but most often, you will need physical therapy and medications to manage pain. In the most severe cases, you could require surgery to replace the damaged disc.
You can suffer a herniated disc because of physical trauma as a result of a collision or a slip and fall accident, or it can happen as a result of lifting something too heavy without the right safety equipment.
Spinal Stenosis
When the space inside your spinal column is too small, you experience spinal stenosis. It can put pressure on surrounding nerves, potentially causing sciatica pain and overall back pain. This problem is most common in the cervical and lumbar areas of your spine.
Herniated discs can cause spinal stenosis. Injuries to the vertebrae and inflammation of the surrounding tissues can also be responsible.
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis is what occurs when one of your vertebrae slips forward and out of place. It presses down on the bone below it and potentially pinches nerves, causing pain, numbness, loss of motion, and other issues.
Any accident that results in your spine being under a lot of pressure can cause this injury. Being hit by heavy machinery in a construction accident is one example.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Nerves and nerve fibers make up your spinal cord. If anything damages them, the consequences can be severe. You can lose motor function and sensation below the site of the injury. Paralysis can also occur.
Exploring Your Legal Options After a Back Injury
If your back injury was caused by someone else—whether through carelessness or a specific action—you may have the right to pursue a personal injury claim. These claims often hinge on whether the other person had a responsibility to keep you safe and failed to do so. You’d also need to show that their actions directly led to your injury and that you suffered real losses as a result.
Things work a little differently if you were hurt on the job. Most employers carry workers’ compensation insurance, which is designed to help with medical bills and lost income—no matter who was at fault. However, workers’ compensation doesn’t cover everything. For instance, it usually doesn’t pay for pain and suffering.
There are situations where a third party, such as a contractor, manufacturer, or property owner, may also be involved. In those cases, you may have additional legal options outside of the workers’ comp system.
Contact JUSTICENTER Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation With an Encino Personal Injury Lawyer
Back injuries can turn your life upside down. If you’re dealing with pain, limited mobility, or financial stress after an accident in Encino, you’re not alone. At JUSTICENTER Personal Injury Lawyers, our Encino personal injury attorneys have helped people in similar situations figure out their next steps and fight for the compensation they deserve.
There’s no pressure or obligation—just a chance to ask questions and get honest answers. Contact us today at (833) 852-3600 to schedule a free consultation with someone who’s ready to listen.