21 Feb

Top 10 Most Common Back Injuries From Miami Car Accidents

Florida Law Group Car Accidents, Personal Injury

Your back – specifically, your spine – is one of the most sensitive, complex, and important parts of your body. It allows you to stand up, move around, and bend; it allows for proper limb and organ function. There are over 90 different tissues, nerves, ligaments, bones, tendons, muscles, and disks that make up your back. When you are injured in a motor vehicle collision, the impact of the crash can cause all of the different parts that make up your back to move out of place. Back injuries can be serious, permanent, and expensive to treat. If you or someone you love has suffered back injuries after being involved in a car crash, The Florida Law Group can help you seek justice and financial restitution; you can schedule a free consultation to learn more. As personal injury lawyers, we work with accident victims who have a variety of back injuries that were caused by or aggravated by their crash. In no particular order, here are a list of the top 10 most common back injuries from Miami car accidents:

Whiplash

Even a collision that happens at slow speeds can cause whiplash, which occurs when a sudden impact causes the neck or lower back to go beyond its normal range of movement quickly. The neck or lower back travels forwards, backwards, or to the side, and can cause stretching or tearing of the tendons, ligaments, and muscles involved. Whiplash is normally not felt immediately after the crash. If you suffered whiplash in a Miami car accident, your symtpoms could include neck pain/stiffness/tenderness, headaches, inability to move your neck freely, lower back pain, pain/numbness in the arms or hands, muscle spasms, dizziness, fatigue, difficulty swallowing, vision problems, vertigo, ringing in the ears, difficulty sleeping, irritability, memory loss, or inability to concentrate. While most mild cases will subside without treatment, exercise, physical therapy, injections, and/or medication may be helpful.

Sprains & strains

Back strains occur when the muscles or tendons (which connect the muscles to the bones) in the back are stretched or torn, while back sprains occur when the ligaments (which are fibrous bands of tissue that connect two or more bones at a joint) of the back are stretched or torn. Like whiplash, when these tendons or ligaments are forced out of their normal range of movement, a sprain or strain can result. Symptoms may include back pain with movement, muscle cramping or spasms, difficulty walking, difficulty bending forward, and difficulty standing up straight. Victims may feel a pop or tear at the time of the injury, though in a car accident, it may go unnoticed. Most of the time, strains or sprains will heal in a few weeks, though medication may be needed or wanted to reduce pain and swelling.

Herniated disks

Spinal disks have soft, jelly-like centers, known as nuclei, which are encased in tough, rubbery exteriors known as annuli. A herniated (or “slipped”) disk is the name for the condition when impact pushes some of the nucleus out through a tear in the annulus of one or more disks. Thing of it like eating an ice cream sandwich on a warm day; if you are holding it with both hands, and give it a sudden hard squeeze, some of the ice cream will protrude outward (and may fall off, becoming separated from the sandwich as a whole) – that’s what a herniated disk is like. While you can have a herniated disk in any part of your spine, they are most common in the lower back. Herniated disks can be extremely painful, particularly if you have more than one or if the herniated disk presses on a nerve or bone. It can result in sharp pain, numbness or weakness in your arms and legs. Treatment may include physical therapy, medications, or injections.

Bulging disks

Another one of the most common back injuries from Miami car accidents tends to be bulging disks. Bulging disks are similar to herniated disks, but less severe; think of these as giving a sudden softer squeeze to the ice cream sandwich mentioned above. The same symptoms may be present but generally will be to a lesser degree.

Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis comes from the Greek word “spondylos”, meaning “spine”, and the Greek word “listhesis”, meaning “slipping”. The impact of a car accident can cause one or more of the vertebrae in your spine to slip out of place and rest with pressure on the bone(s) below. Spondylolisthesis may not cause symptoms right away, but you may experience lower back pain, muscle spasms in your hamstring, back stiffness, difficulty when walking for long periods of time, pain when bending over, or numbness in your feet either directly after the accident or months/years later. If you have high-grade spondylolisthesis, you may require surgery, but physical therapy, injections, and/or medications may be able to help in most cases.

Pinched nerves

A back nerve can be “pinched”, or compressed, when too much pressure is put on it by other bones, muscles, or tendons. Symptoms of a pinched nerve include numbness or decreased sensation, a tingling/”pins and needles” sensation, feeling like your back/legs/arms have “fallen asleep”, sharp pain, burning paid, or aching pain that radiates outward, and more. Pain may be worse when you’re trying to sleep. The most popular treatment for a pinched nerve is rest, though you may need a brace to immobilize the area so it can heal. Physical therapy, medication, and injections are other treatment options; however, if the pinched nerve doesn’t improve for weeks or months, your doctor may recommend surgery to relieve the pressure.

Spinal fractures

A spinal fracture is the dislocation or cracking of the vertebrae, or backbone, due to impact. Depending on the severity and location of the injury, symptoms can inclue pain in the back or neck, weakness or paralysis of limbs, muscle spasms, loss of bowel control, and numbness of feeling. Minor fractures may be able to heal with rest and medication, but severe fractures may require surgery to fix; without treatment, it’s possible that a spinal fracture could lead to permanent injury or paralysis.

Sciatica

Sciatica is a painful condition that may occur in conjunction with a herniated disc; it refers to radiating pain when the sciatic nerve (which originates in your lower back and goes through your hips and bottom down to each leg) is compressed by a herniated disc or other injury. This condition most often affects only one side of the body, and is characterized by either aching pain, sharp pain, or excruciating pain. It can be worsened by prolonged sitting, coughing, or sneezing. You may also experience numbness in one leg or foot. In most cases, symptoms will improve with physical therapy, medications, and/or injections, but if there is significant numbness or weakness, or if there is a loss of bladder control, surgery may be required.

Spinal cord injury

A spinal cord injury refers to damage to any part of your spinal cord or its nerves at the end of the spinal canal. The spinal cord carries messages from your brain to the rest of your body, and is incredibly delicate. Any spinal cord injury could result in lifelong changes in strength, sensation, and body function below the site of the injury. Typically, spinal cord injuries are classified into two categories: complete and incomplete. If all function is lost below the site, that’s a complete injury; if you have some feeling or function below the site, that’s an incomplete injury. Spinal cord injuries can result in quadriplegia or paraplegia (paralysis) or even death. Unfortunately, there is no way to heal or reverse damage done to the spinal cord, but urgent medical attention can minimize the effects as much as possible.

Worsening of previous back injury

If you already had a back condition, such as a herniated disk or pinched nerve or sciatic pain, beforethe car accident occurred, the impact and trauma of the crash can re-injure or exacerbate your existing injury, sometimes to levels worse than before. You may endure the same or worse pain and have to go through the same regimen of treatment, or a more invasive one.

3 Important Things To Know About All Common Back Injuries From Miami Car Accidents:

1. Most back injuries do not present themselves right away.

   All of the above named back injuries can take days, or even weeks or months, to start showing symptoms. Adrenaline can prevent you from feeling the full effects of the car accident on your back and body, but if left untreated, any back injury could be serious or worsen further. That’s why it’s important to be seen by a medical professional immediately following a crash, even if you don’t feel hurt; getting checked out can prevent dangerous health complications and ensure that you get the treatment you need right away.

2. Most back injuries will require an imaging test to diagnose.

   Because many of the most common back injuries have similar symptoms, your doctor may need to take an X-ray, MRI, or even CT scan before they can conclusively diagnose you. You may have to endure several of these tests, which are not painful, but may be expensive.

3. Some back injuries can permanently affect your life.

   Spinal cord injuries are the most serious and permanent on this list, but any of the back injuries we discussed can impact your day-to-day life forever, particularly as you get older. You will likely have to be vigilant about stretching and exercise, may not be able to participate in certain physical activities (like running or riding roller coasters, for example) that you used to enjoy before the injury happened, and may need to attend physical therapy or the chiropractor regularly. If you become paralyzed, you will likely need lifelong care.

Call The Florida Law Group’s Miami Office For A Free Consultation!

A back injury can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical treatment and lost wages. When you sustained a back injury in a Miami car accident that wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t have to bear the burden of those costs alone! You deserve full monetary compensation. Our aggressive, knowledgeable Miami auto accident attorneys can fight for you to get the fair settlement you deserve and the closure you need to move forward. We have recovered over $1 billion for our clients, and it is not uncommon for us to recover million or multi-million dollar awards in individual cases. You never have to pay any of our legal fees until we win your case! Call today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about what we can do for you.

Your back – specifically, your spine – is one of the most sensitive, complex, and important parts of your body. It allows you to stand up, move around, and bend; it allows for proper limb and organ function. There are over 90 different tissues, nerves, ligaments, bones, tendons, muscles, and disks that make up your back. When you are injured in a motor vehicle collision, the impact of the crash can cause all of the different parts that make up your back to move out of place. Back injuries can be serious, permanent, and expensive to treat. If you or someone you love has suffered back injuries after being involved in a car crash, The Florida Law Group can help you seek justice and financial restitution; you can schedule a free consultation to learn more. As personal injury lawyers, we work with accident victims who have a variety of back injuries that were caused by or aggravated by their crash. In no particular order, here are a list of the top 10 most common back injuries from Miami car accidents:

Whiplash

Even a collision that happens at slow speeds can cause whiplash, which occurs when a sudden impact causes the neck or lower back to go beyond its normal range of movement quickly. The neck or lower back travels forwards, backwards, or to the side, and can cause stretching or tearing of the tendons, ligaments, and muscles involved. Whiplash is normally not felt immediately after the crash. If you suffered whiplash in a Miami car accident, your symtpoms could include neck pain/stiffness/tenderness, headaches, inability to move your neck freely, lower back pain, pain/numbness in the arms or hands, muscle spasms, dizziness, fatigue, difficulty swallowing, vision problems, vertigo, ringing in the ears, difficulty sleeping, irritability, memory loss, or inability to concentrate. While most mild cases will subside without treatment, exercise, physical therapy, injections, and/or medication may be helpful.

Sprains & strains

Back strains occur when the muscles or tendons (which connect the muscles to the bones) in the back are stretched or torn, while back sprains occur when the ligaments (which are fibrous bands of tissue that connect two or more bones at a joint) of the back are stretched or torn. Like whiplash, when these tendons or ligaments are forced out of their normal range of movement, a sprain or strain can result. Symptoms may include back pain with movement, muscle cramping or spasms, difficulty walking, difficulty bending forward, and difficulty standing up straight. Victims may feel a pop or tear at the time of the injury, though in a car accident, it may go unnoticed. Most of the time, strains or sprains will heal in a few weeks, though medication may be needed or wanted to reduce pain and swelling.

Herniated disks

Spinal disks have soft, jelly-like centers, known as nuclei, which are encased in tough, rubbery exteriors known as annuli. A herniated (or “slipped”) disk is the name for the condition when impact pushes some of the nucleus out through a tear in the annulus of one or more disks. Thing of it like eating an ice cream sandwich on a warm day; if you are holding it with both hands, and give it a sudden hard squeeze, some of the ice cream will protrude outward (and may fall off, becoming separated from the sandwich as a whole) – that’s what a herniated disk is like. While you can have a herniated disk in any part of your spine, they are most common in the lower back. Herniated disks can be extremely painful, particularly if you have more than one or if the herniated disk presses on a nerve or bone. It can result in sharp pain, numbness or weakness in your arms and legs. Treatment may include physical therapy, medications, or injections.

Bulging disks

Another one of the most common back injuries from Miami car accidents tends to be bulging disks. Bulging disks are similar to herniated disks, but less severe; think of these as giving a sudden softer squeeze to the ice cream sandwich mentioned above. The same symptoms may be present but generally will be to a lesser degree.

Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis comes from the Greek word “spondylos”, meaning “spine”, and the Greek word “listhesis”, meaning “slipping”. The impact of a car accident can cause one or more of the vertebrae in your spine to slip out of place and rest with pressure on the bone(s) below. Spondylolisthesis may not cause symptoms right away, but you may experience lower back pain, muscle spasms in your hamstring, back stiffness, difficulty when walking for long periods of time, pain when bending over, or numbness in your feet either directly after the accident or months/years later. If you have high-grade spondylolisthesis, you may require surgery, but physical therapy, injections, and/or medications may be able to help in most cases.

Pinched nerves

A back nerve can be “pinched”, or compressed, when too much pressure is put on it by other bones, muscles, or tendons. Symptoms of a pinched nerve include numbness or decreased sensation, a tingling/”pins and needles” sensation, feeling like your back/legs/arms have “fallen asleep”, sharp pain, burning paid, or aching pain that radiates outward, and more. Pain may be worse when you’re trying to sleep. The most popular treatment for a pinched nerve is rest, though you may need a brace to immobilize the area so it can heal. Physical therapy, medication, and injections are other treatment options; however, if the pinched nerve doesn’t improve for weeks or months, your doctor may recommend surgery to relieve the pressure.

Spinal fractures

A spinal fracture is the dislocation or cracking of the vertebrae, or backbone, due to impact. Depending on the severity and location of the injury, symptoms can inclue pain in the back or neck, weakness or paralysis of limbs, muscle spasms, loss of bowel control, and numbness of feeling. Minor fractures may be able to heal with rest and medication, but severe fractures may require surgery to fix; without treatment, it’s possible that a spinal fracture could lead to permanent injury or paralysis.

Sciatica

Sciatica is a painful condition that may occur in conjunction with a herniated disc; it refers to radiating pain when the sciatic nerve (which originates in your lower back and goes through your hips and bottom down to each leg) is compressed by a herniated disc or other injury. This condition most often affects only one side of the body, and is characterized by either aching pain, sharp pain, or excruciating pain. It can be worsened by prolonged sitting, coughing, or sneezing. You may also experience numbness in one leg or foot. In most cases, symptoms will improve with physical therapy, medications, and/or injections, but if there is significant numbness or weakness, or if there is a loss of bladder control, surgery may be required.

Spinal cord injury

A spinal cord injury refers to damage to any part of your spinal cord or its nerves at the end of the spinal canal. The spinal cord carries messages from your brain to the rest of your body, and is incredibly delicate. Any spinal cord injury could result in lifelong changes in strength, sensation, and body function below the site of the injury. Typically, spinal cord injuries are classified into two categories: complete and incomplete. If all function is lost below the site, that’s a complete injury; if you have some feeling or function below the site, that’s an incomplete injury. Spinal cord injuries can result in quadriplegia or paraplegia (paralysis) or even death. Unfortunately, there is no way to heal or reverse damage done to the spinal cord, but urgent medical attention can minimize the effects as much as possible.

Worsening of previous back injury

If you already had a back condition, such as a herniated disk or pinched nerve or sciatic pain, beforethe car accident occurred, the impact and trauma of the crash can re-injure or exacerbate your existing injury, sometimes to levels worse than before. You may endure the same or worse pain and have to go through the same regimen of treatment, or a more invasive one.

3 Important Things To Know About All Common Back Injuries From Miami Car Accidents:

1. Most back injuries do not present themselves right away.

   All of the above named back injuries can take days, or even weeks or months, to start showing symptoms. Adrenaline can prevent you from feeling the full effects of the car accident on your back and body, but if left untreated, any back injury could be serious or worsen further. That’s why it’s important to be seen by a medical professional immediately following a crash, even if you don’t feel hurt; getting checked out can prevent dangerous health complications and ensure that you get the treatment you need right away.

2. Most back injuries will require an imaging test to diagnose.

   Because many of the most common back injuries have similar symptoms, your doctor may need to take an X-ray, MRI, or even CT scan before they can conclusively diagnose you. You may have to endure several of these tests, which are not painful, but may be expensive.

3. Some back injuries can permanently affect your life.

   Spinal cord injuries are the most serious and permanent on this list, but any of the back injuries we discussed can impact your day-to-day life forever, particularly as you get older. You will likely have to be vigilant about stretching and exercise, may not be able to participate in certain physical activities (like running or riding roller coasters, for example) that you used to enjoy before the injury happened, and may need to attend physical therapy or the chiropractor regularly. If you become paralyzed, you will likely need lifelong care.

Call The Florida Law Group’s Miami Office For A Free Consultation!

A back injury can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical treatment and lost wages. When you sustained a back injury in a Miami car accident that wasn’t your fault, you shouldn’t have to bear the burden of those costs alone! You deserve full monetary compensation. Our aggressive, knowledgeable Miami auto accident attorneys can fight for you to get the fair settlement you deserve and the closure you need to move forward. We have recovered over $1 billion for our clients, and it is not uncommon for us to recover million or multi-million dollar awards in individual cases. You never have to pay any of our legal fees until we win your case! Call today to schedule a free consultation and learn more about what we can do for you.