Injuries to your spine | back can be very traumatic. These injuries can leave you with intense pain or even full or partial paralysis. Such injuries can be really problematic since they often limit movement and sleep, which all make the pain worse. But, sometimes, spine | back injuries can lay hidden for days or even weeks after your accident. That’s because after an accident adrenaline often plays a part in keeping your body from feeling the full seriousness of your injuries for some time. So, it’s important that you receive medical attention as soon as possible after an accident. You can be very hurt, and not even know it.

A spine | back injury can be hard to diagnose. These injuries can result in pain appearing in other parts of your body. It can be hard to pinpoint exactly what’s causing the pain. Your spine | back injuries such as pinched nerves and ruptured discs might not be so serious that you’re paralyzed. But they can still be serious enough to change your life in big ways.

Suffering a spine | back injury can impact your daily life, ranging from spending less time with friends and loved ones to having trouble sleeping. And from no longer being able to enjoy a jog around the park to having trouble holding down a steady job for a while. Or you might still be able to work, but you just might be in pain all the time. And when your pain is caused from someone else’s fault, the result can be very frustrating – physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.
 

Common Spine | Back Injuries

The spine is made up of bones called vertebrae, and tissue that separates them called discs. The bones of the spine are comprised of seven vertebrae in the neck (cervical), twelve vertebrae in the mid-back (thoracic), and five vertebrae in the lower back (lumbar). Common spine | back injuries due to traumatic accidents include:

• Fractured vertebrae
• Compression fracture
• Herniated disc
• Ruptured disc
• Spinal cord injury
• Cervical dislocation
• Strains and sprains
• Chronic inflammation
• Stenosis
• Scoliosis
• Paralysis
• Whiplash
• Nerve damage
• Emotional and Psychological Injuries (flashback, anxiety, depression)
• Death

 

Common Signs of Spine | Back Injuries

Since the spine is responsible for sending and receiving signals from the brain to the rest of the body, any damage it receives could result in temporary or permanent neurological impairment. In some cases, surgery and physical therapy can help an injured person regain some feeling and the ability to move more freely. In some cases, they don’t help. And it’s not uncommon for more damage to occur for weeks or months after the original injury occurred due to problems such as bleeding, swelling, or inflammation. Some signs of spine | back injuries include:

• Weakness in or inability to move parts of your body
• Loss of bowel or bladder control
• Loss of feeling
• Nerve pain, numbness, or tingling
• Changes in sexual ability or complete lack of interest in sex
• Breathing problems
• Back pressure
• Severe back pain
• A strangely twisted back

 

Types of Spine | Back Injury Treatments

The types of treatment needed for spine | back injuries depend on your injuries’ locations and their severity. Some types of treatment include:

• Discectomy and fusion
• Artificial disc replacement
• Epidural steroid injection
• Laminectomy
• Laminoplasty
• Foraminotomy
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Chiropractic care
• Psychological treatment to learn to live with the pain

 

Costs of Spine | Back Injuries

The medical costs and ongoing care, if needed, to treat a person who has suffered spine | back injuries could range from tens of thousands ($10,000+) to millions of dollars ($10,000,000+). It depends on the person, the seriousness of their injuries, and what’s all needed to treat and care for them. But regardless of the amount of money needed in your case, you shouldn’t have to pay for injuries that you didn’t cause. The person who injured you should.

Xavier Injury Law is committed to making sure that those who harmed you are held accountable for harming you. Injuries are serious. They hurt. They can make you tired, grumpy, and less interested in doing things you used to enjoy doing. They can make you upset with life and the world. Injuries can change how you live. And sometimes injuries and pain can be so bad, it makes some people start thinking about whether they want to continue living. It can change a person. It can change you. Your pain and your injuries are worth something. When you’ve been hurt, don’t settle for less than you deserve. Reach out to us now, so we can help you.