Car Accident Law Firm Describes Back Injuries Associated with Traffic Accidents

One of the most common types of injuries clients report after being involved in a car accident is having back pain such as disc injuries, lower back, middle back, spinal cord injuries. The human body is ill-equipped to withstand the sudden impact or jolt associated with car collisions. Whether the car accident takes place at a low speed or high speed there is a good chance the driver or passenger will experience some sort of back pain in a car accident. The back is a complicated network of structures made up of a spinal cord, vertebrae, bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons and discs. Additionally, the back is cushioned by discs located inbetween the vertebrae that to prevent the bony vertebrae from rubbing one another as a person moves around. Car accident lawyers have found that a person typically strains or sprains these muscles or tissue in a car accident because the sudden impact forces the body to jerk back and forth.

Symptoms: Many people who have been involved in a car accident experience some sort of back pain. Symptoms can include aching or stiffness, sharp stabbing pain, muscle spasms, radiating pain into other areas. These symptoms can take place anywhere in a person's back from the base of their neck to the top of the hips. Other symptoms can include sciatica (pain radiating down back of a leg), numbness in the extremities and headaches. A spinal cord injury may result in numbness or tingling and loss of control of the function of a person's arms and legs. Some patients describe having pain when they cough or bend forward -- this can be a result of herniated disc.

Lumbar Radiculopathy: Individuals who suffer back injuries may experience this condition with symptoms such as a deep throbbing or dull pain to a sharp pinched nerve. This refers to a condition where the lower back disc is herniated (pinched nerve or slipped disc), but the patient feels pain in the leg. Doctors use the term radiculopathy to mean a pain that is referred somewhere else in this case the herniated disc radiates pain into the leg. In this type of injury, the substance inside the disc builds up pressure on the spinal cord that radiates into the person's leg. Doctors can use an MRI to determine whether a patient has a disc problem that may be causing this type of pain.

Regions of the back/neck: The back is made up of four different curves starting at the top of the head with the cervical curve (neck area), followed down the back by the thoracic curve, the lumbar curve and the sacral curve at the base of the spine. The vertebral column contains the spinal cord which stretches from

Doctors refer to injured areas of the neck by using the letter representing the spine region and the number of the vertebrae affected. For example, C1 to C7 are the seven vertebrae in the cervical curve (neck). Injuries in the thoracic curve (chest) are referred to as Th1 to Th12. Next, there are five lumbar vertebrae L1 to L5 and five sacral (tail) vertebrae S1 to S5.

Medical Treatment: Seek medical attention immediately after a car accident. Sometimes it takes several days before symptoms of back pain arise after a car accident. Consult your doctor for a full examination after an accident to determine the extent of your injuries. Back pain that goes untreated can eventually become chronic and untreatable later on. The best way to take care of yourself is to seek medical attention and begin treatment for any pain. Treatment can include physical therapy, medication, chiropractic care, surgery and rest are typical treatments for back pain.

Medical journal: After you are injured in a traffic accident, car accident law firms suggest it is wise to keep a medical journal chronicling your day-to-day appointments and visits to doctors, chiropractors, physical therapy, hospitals, emergency room, etc. Keep track of dates, time, make a list of the treatments performed, your condition each day, medication prescribed, medical devices or equipment used, and doses taken, Additionally, write down how you are feeling each day before and after treatment and if you do an exercise prescribed by doctors.

Pain categories: Doctors classify a patient's low back pain into three categories: 1) acute -- back pain experienced for under 4 weeks. 2) sub acute -- (4 to 12 weeks) and chronic ( 12 weeks or more).

If your back is injured in a car accident it is important that you seek medical attention immediately to determine the extent of your injuries and begin treatment. Back injuries can be persistent and last for weeks, months or can be permanent. The sooner you seek and begin treatment the better your prognosis will be in the long term.

For roughly 30 years, the legal experts at Seegmiller Law Firm have represented hundreds of clients with back injuries in lawsuits resulting from traffic accidents. Indeed, the car accident law firm has a proven track record for helping our clients receive settlements for many types of injuries and accidents ranging from several thousand dollars to millions.

The Seegmiller Law Firm will make every effort to win you a settlement, but if we don't you won't pay for our services. Finding the best car accident attorney can mean you will get the settlement you need to get your life back on track. Compensation for your injuries, loss of wages and pain and suffering can't take away the trauma of the accident, but it can help you rebuild your life.

Call us today at 1-877-426-0695 to speak with our car accident law firm. Seegmiller Law Firm has offices in California including its headquarters in Irvine, offices that can serve you in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside and in Las Vegas, Nevada.