Posted on Wednesday, March 1st, 2017 at 4:53 am
Your spine is one of the most important parts of your body because your spine is vital in all bodily functions. For example, you use your spine in everything from bending over to pick up toys for your children and climbing the stairs at work to walking into the store to buy groceries for your family. Your spine encases your spinal cord to protect the vital pathway from your brain to all other parts of your body. An injury to the spinal column can result in paralysis or loss of bodily functions.
A car crash that causes a spine injury can impair your ability to take care of yourself and your family. You may not be able to work after an injury to your spine. Therefore, a spine injury is one of the most serious injuries you can sustain in a car accident. Because damages can be substantial in a spine injury case, you need a Sacramento spine injury attorney representing you as soon as possible after a car crash to protect your right to recover compensation for your damages.
Types of Spine Injuries Sustained in a Car Accident
The impact of a collision can result in a variety of spine injuries. Examples of injuries that you can suffer in a car accident include:
Fractures of the Spine
Tiny cracks in the spine that can worsen over time are called compression fractures. Compression fractures can result in permanent disability, especially if the person doesn’t seek medical attention after the car accident. If the crack heals incorrectly, the damage can be permanent resulting in chronic pain in the back. Fractures can cause a change in posture that can be mistaken for a sign of aging instead of a car accident injury.
Spinal Cord Injury
The spinal cord links your brain to all areas of your body. Any injury to the spinal cord can prevent the messages from your brain from reaching the intended area of the body thereby impairing the brain’s ability to control bodily functions. One of the most common injuries that result from a spinal cord injury is complete or partial paralysis. Paralysis can result in a lifetime of medical and/or personal care.
Soft Tissue Injuries
In many cases, a victim ignores the aches and pains from a soft tissue injury as just “soreness” that will go away in time. They focus more on the damage to their vehicle than to the damage to their bodies. However, soft tissue injuries can result in chronic pain that impairs your ability to perform daily tasks. Furthermore, soft tissue injuries can result from low-speed collisions. Soft tissue injuries often heal on their own in a few weeks; however, these injuries can be far more serious.
Injury to the Discs
Another common spine injury from car accidents is an injury to the discs. The discs in your back are the sponge-like objects that separate the vertebrae within your spinal column. When one of these discs is pushed out of place, the pressure placed on the nerves can cause numbness or pain in various parts of the body. Sciatica, a common injury associated with disc damage, can result in shooting pain that radiates down the leg.
Treating A Spine Injury
Back and spine injuries should never be ignored. You should see a doctor as soon as possible after any accident to be checked for injuries. You could have suffered a spine injury and not realize the seriousness until a doctor diagnoses you.
After seeing a doctor, you need to contact a Sacramento car accident attorney to discuss your legal options for seeking compensation from the driver who caused your accident. Call the Tiemann Law Firm at (916) 999-9000 or talk with a representative on our website to schedule a free consultation with a Sacramento car accident attorney. Our lawyers represent clients in Sacramento, Folsom, Roseville, El Dorado Hills and other communities in the greater Sacramento area.
