St. Louis Accident Injury Lawyer

Neck and Back Injury Law Firm

The human body can be subjected to extreme and rapid movements during a car accident. These movements can cause severe damage to the spine and discs that make up the spine.

A few of the most common areas of injury in an accident are a person’s neck and back. Often, the onset of this injury is immediate, however, there is a delay in the diagnosis of trauma to the cervical spine in up to 33 percent of reported cases. Regardless of the onset, these injuries can be temporary or permanent.

The human spine can suffer from several levels of injury when subjected to the force of a car accident. This includes an advanced neck or back strain, a bulging disc, or a herniated disc. In order to confirm a bulging or herniated disc, the accident victim should undergo a MRI.

Suffering a Bulging Disc from an Accident

It should first be noted that discs are similar to an elastic-type bubble that rests between a person’s vertebrae and allows the back to bend. A typical permanent injury from a car accident may be a bulging disc. When the body is whipped back and forth at the point of impact, a disc sometimes stretches into the spinal canal. This can cause severe pain and discomfort including radiating pain into the body’s extremities, such as arms and legs. Even worse, a bulging disc puts an individual at a much greater risk of suffering from a ruptured or herniated disc. A ruptured disc occurs when the disc’s soft inner cushion breaks and stretches against nerve roots within the spinal canal.

Suffering a Herniated Disc from an Accident

A herniated disc results from pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots from fluid within the disc. This can occur from the sudden jolt of an accident or other unusual twisting or trauma to the neck and back. Once this happens, the fluid that made up the healthy disc empties against those nerve root endings and travels down the spinal column. This can cause long lasting pain that even serious therapy cannot always treat.

Contact a St. Louis Accident Injury Attorney

If you suffer from neck or back pain after an accident, you may deserve compensation so that you can seek treatment and determine the seriousness of your injuries. Once the extent of your injury is determined, a doctor can prescribe the most practicable treatment for you in the future.

To determine if you have a claim for compensation from an accident, contact the St. Louis, Missouri injury lawyers of Henderson & Waterkotte, P.C.. There is no fee unless you recover for your injuries. Contact us directly at 314-645-4400.