Our BC back injury personal injury lawyers serve Langley, Abbotsford, Surrey, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge and Aldergrove.
Being jolted around in a car during a vehicle collision can translate into physical injury. A car crash can be particularly hard on your spine – neck, mid-back, and lower back injuries can all occur.
There are a variety of types of back injuries that can result from a motor vehicle accident. Common, yet debilitating back injuries include:
- Bulging discs
- Herniated discs
- Back strains and sprains
- Spinal cord injuries
What happens is that stress on your spine can cause spinal discs to bulge. You might have heard about a herniated disc, prolapsed disc, ruptured disc, or slipped disc. These are all the same as a bulging disc. A bulging disc is one of the most common causes of lower back pain.
1. Bulging Discs
What Is a Bulging Disc?
A bulging disc occurs when there is a tear in the outside part of a spinal disc. Spinal discs, sometimes called “intervertebral discs” since they are sandwiched between two vertebrae, are what allow your spinal vertebrae to move.
A tear in the outer part of the disc causes the softer inner part of the disc to protrude, or to bulge out. The bulge can then press on a nerve and cause pain. In addition, the tear itself can cause inflammation, which can cause severe pain.
Medical Treatment for Bulging Discs
Treatment for a herniated disc can really depend on the individual back injury. Medical professionals often try an anti-inflammatory approach, along with rehabilitation, physiotherapy programs, graduated exercise programs, and stretching. Cortisone injections are sometimes used in more serious cases. The last resort is back surgery, which aims to relieve the nerve compression that can be caused by a back injury.
In particular, surgical methods can be required when the problem persists for a lengthy period of time and causes significant symptoms and impairment.
Please always consult your physician about the right course of treatment for you.
2. Herniated Discs
Each disc injury can cause varying amounts of pain. For some disc injuries, there are little or no symptoms. Other bulged disc injuries which result in a herniated disc can cause enormous amounts of pain.
Regarding the progression of pain from a back injury such as a herniated disc, some disc pain can be mild at first, then become more severe over time. Although some back injuries do heal on their own, others can persist. In a minority of cases, pain from a back injury such as a bulging disc can become chronic – meaning that the pain never seems to go away, despite medical treatment.
A herniated disc is when the bulging disc ruptures. Severe pain can result if there’s any impingement on the nerve. In fact, this pain can be excruciating and debilitating.
Treatment for herniated discs
Treatment for herniated discs can be the same as for bulging discs. Sometimes, surgery is an option. Again, treatment is case-specific and should be pursued under careful observation of your family doctor.
3. Back strains and sprains
Generally back strains and sprains can heal over time. Sometimes a long time. However, sometimes it doesn’t heal and becomes a chronic pain situation.
A back sprain/strain results from inflamed connective tissue in the back. The inflammation results from the rapid deceleration/acceleration movement of the body that can cause connective tears at the microscopic level. The tears become inflamed before healing and it’s the inflammation that causes pain.
Again, the healing process for back strains and sprains can take a long time. Sometimes scar tissue results which further complicates the back injury, especially if the scar tissue conflicts with other tissue / nerves in the back.
Treating strains and sprains
Common treatment for back strains and sprains include massage therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic therapy, acupuncture and injections (especially if scar tissue results). Other treatment options are available depending on the injury and recovery progress.
Spinal Cord Injuries
For spinal cord injuries – read our dedicated spinal cord injury page.
Back injuries and ICBC claims
Insurance companies may tell people who have suffered a back injury that it is minor. This is not true for many people. In fact, back injuries can be debilitating for a long time.
In reality, many back injury cases are caused by car crashes. Back injuries are serious because they can affect your work productivity, your livelihood, and your enjoyment of life. They should not be taken lightly.
Make sure you get treated by your doctor for a back injury if you’ve been in a car crash. Consult an experienced injury lawyer if you suffer from a bulging disc or herniated disc so that you can make sure you get the proper treatment you need and get compensated from any lost days of work, along with compensation for pain and suffering.
Getting legal help with your back injury ICBC claim
Our personal injury lawyers have extensive experience helping people with their back injury ICBC claim. We offer a free consultation and percentage fees. Call us toll free at 1-855-283-0003 to schedule a free consultation.
Please note that this back injury web page sets out only 4 types of back injuries. There may be others; our intention was to set out the common types of back injuries resulting from motor vehicle accidents.
Our BC back injury personal injury lawyers serve Langley, Abbotsford, Surrey, Chilliwack, Maple Ridge and Aldergrove.