What to Do if You Have Back Pain After a Car Accident?

Suffering a broken bone or traumatic brain injury is not the only way you can be injured following a car accident. Suffering significant back injuries is also common. If you suffered critical back injuries after a car accident and you are unsure where to turn for help, you may need the legal support of a car accident attorney.

What Kind of Back Injuries Are There?

Although injuries like traumatic brain injuries, third-degree burns, amputations, broken bones, and other injuries are common in car accidents, back injuries are some of the most conventional types of injuries you can sustain in a collision. Back injuries can take many forms. Examples include:

• Whiplash – This occurs when your neck is suddenly lurched forwards and backward violently, similar to a whipping motion. It causes the tendons and muscles in your neck to tear or stretch.
• Back muscle sprains and strains – When the ligaments, muscles, and tendons of your back are stretched, torn, or put under more stress than they can handle, the ligaments or muscles can pull or tear, causing extreme and chronic pain.
• Degenerative disc disease – Motor vehicle accidents can cause disc degeneration prematurely due to the trauma of the event. This involves shooting and sharp pain in the back, which often spreads to the victim’s legs. Victims could also develop sciatica, spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis, and herniated discs.
• Spinal cord injuries – Spinal cord injuries can involve tears and stretching of the vertebrae in your spine or broken and fractured vertebrae. Paralysis, tetraplegia, hemiplegia, monoplegia, and quadriplegia could substantially impact your life for years to come.

These are just a few different back injuries you could be diagnosed with following a car accident. Depending on the type and severity of the injuries you sustained, you may find yourself dealing with the accident’s impact for the foreseeable future.

If this happens, it is essential to recover the compensation you will need to not only cover your costs but ensure you are repaid for the trauma you have already experienced and will likely continue to experience as you deal with the ramifications of your back injuries and pain.

Symptoms of Back Injuries?

It is more common than you might think for people involved in car accidents to be unsure whether they have suffered back injuries and trauma. Some symptoms of back injuries you should seek treatment for include:

• Numbness and tingling
• Headache
• Trouble walking or standing
• Loss of function or movement
• Back stiffness
• Back weakness
• Muscle spasms

Delayed Pain

In the aftermath of your car accident, you may initially feel fine. The trauma of the accident will cause adrenaline and endorphins to course through your body which can temporarily mask the pain you may otherwise experience and the substantial trauma of your back injuries.

It is only after the accident, and your body starts to relax, that you realize the extent to which you have been injured. If you hesitate to get treatment, your injuries could worsen, causing you considerable pain, worsening trauma, and potentially permanent damage.

What Kind of Treatment Is Available?

When a healthcare provider evaluates you, your physician will determine the severity of your injuries and potential treatment options. The type of back injury you were diagnosed with after your physician has completed necessary bone scans, MRIs, and x-rays will determine how your physician suggests you approach your treatment plan.

Some standard treatment options that may be available for back injuries after a car accident include:

• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Painkillers
• Chiropractic care
• Medications for inflammation
• Back surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord
• Use of cold or hot compresses
• Neck injections
• Heat and ice therapy
• Steroids
• Electrical shock surgical treatment
• Discectomy
• Spinal fusion

What Kind of Damages Can You Recover?

You have the right to be made whole when another party is at-fault for your injuries and damages. This means you should be compensated for your economic damages and non-economic damages. These describe your financial losses and lifestyle damages, respectively.

Examples of damages you could recover for your back injuries after a car accident include:

• Emotional distress
• Embarrassing skin scars
• Loss of consortium and protection
• Current and future medical expenses
• Reduced earning capacity and lost wages
• Chronic pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Inconvenience and reputational damage

What Kind of Evidence do You Need for a Claim?

If you are hoping to get the most out of your claim, your personal injury attorney will need to be able to show that your injuries warrant the amount of compensation you are seeking in your claim.

To do this, your lawyer will introduce compelling evidence to support your case, some of which could include the following:

• Statements from your physician
• A list of your current treatments
• A list of your current medications
• Copies of your hospital bills and ambulance fees
• Your medical records and prognosis
• Statements from your physical or occupational therapists
• Recommendations from your mental health counselor
• Photos of your back injuries
• Video of the accident that caused your back injuries

Call a Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer

When your debilitating back pain has taken over your life, our team of experienced Chicago car accident lawyers at Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C. are here to help.

We can assist you in organizing a strategy to pursue your case, navigating and obtaining powerful evidence, and representing your interests in court or negotiations with the insurance company. Contact our office by phone at (312) 236-2900 or through our online contact form to schedule your free consultation today.