Car accidents can cause victims to suffer from life-altering and debilitating back injuries, including spinal cord injuries. Around 4,200 Americans sustain spinal cord injuries from car accidents every year, causing intense pain and immobility. Sadly, these injuries are more than just inconvenient and painful — you may also require costly back surgery after a car accident. 

If you suffered from a back injury caused by a negligent driver, you need to file a claim against them to recover compensation for your surgery bills and other expenses. Fortunately, you don’t have to go through the process alone — you can contact the back and spinal cord injury lawyers at Poynter & Bucheri Accident Recovery Attorneys at Law. We’ll help you build your case and negotiate on your behalf so that you recover the most money possible for your injuries. 

In this blog, you’ll learn all about back injuries after a car accident and back surgery types.

My Back Hurts After a Car Accident. What’s the Injury?

You may suffer from immediate or delayed back pain after a crash, indicating any number of back conditions. In addition to pain, you should be on the lookout for other symptoms of back and spinal injuries, including:

• Numbness in your hands or feet
• Stiffness and reduced range of motion
• Tingling or radiating pain in your legs or arms
• Muscle spasms
• Bladder or bowel issues

If you’re suffering from any of these symptoms after an accident, you should seek immediate medical attention, as back injuries can be incredibly serious or even life-threatening. 

Common types of back injuries that car accident victims experience include:

• Back strains and sprains: Sudden and traumatic movements during a car accident can strain or sprain the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your back. 

• Herniated discs: The impact of a car accident can cause the discs between the vertebrae to rupture or bulge. 

• Thoracic vertebrae fractures: The thoracic region of your spine makes up the middle portion of your back and consists of twelve vertebrae labeled T1 to T12. These fractures are unstable and require surgery. 

• Lumbar vertebrae fractures: Like thoracic fractures, lumbar fractures are dangerous and need surgical intervention. The lumbar spine, the vertebrae labeled L1 to L5, makes up the lower region of your back.

• Compression fractures: A car accident can cause one or more of your vertebrae to suffer from extreme pressure, resulting in a painful fracture that may cause permanent damage.

Further, a collision may exacerbate an existing back condition or prevent an injury from healing. For example, suffering from a car accident after a spinal fusion, a type of surgery that we will discuss below, can damage the surgical repair that’s been done on the spine, leading to a victim requiring more medical treatments. 

Back Surgery Types

Again, it’s critical that you seek immediate medical attention if you suspect that you’ve suffered from a back injury. Once a medical professional diagnoses your issue, they’ll be able to prescribe appropriate treatment. Depending on the type and severity of your back injury, you may only require prescriptions, rest, and physical therapy. 

Unfortunately, many of those suffering from back pain will require surgery. Some common back surgery types after a crash include:  

• Vertebroplasty: A procedure where surgeons inject special bone cement into fractured vertebrae to improve mobility and reduce pain.

• Kyphoplasty: Surgeons perform kyphoplasty by inserting a balloon into the fractured vertebrae. The balloon inflates to restore the vertebra’s proper height and also enables surgeons to insert special bone cement to further stabilize the spine. 

• Spinal fusion: A procedure that permanently connects two or more vertebrae through metal plates, rods, or screws. The surgery aims to stabilize the spine, relieve pain, and improve spinal alignment. 

• Discectomy: A discectomy refers to when surgeons remove one or more herniated discs. The procedure relieves pain and weakness caused by spinal nerve compression.

• Laminotomy and laminectomy: Laminotomy and laminectomy procedures remove part of the spinal bone called the lamina, which resides on the back of each vertebra. The procedures reduce spinal cord and nerve pressure that causes pain. 

Have You Suffered from a Back Injury After a Car Accident? Contact an Attorney Today

Surgery is often necessary to fix back pain and injuries, and these procedures are often incredibly expensive. If you suffer from an accident caused by another driver, you shouldn’t have to pay out of pocket to cover your medical expenses. Instead, you should file a claim against the at-fault driver to recoup your losses. 

While recovering the compensation you deserve should be a smooth process, the negligent driver’s insurance company will likely do everything they can to avoid paying your full due amount. For that reason, it’s crucial that you contact a car accident attorney who can help you regain the money you lost. An attorney can also help you secure other damages, such as lost wages, loss of future earnings, and pain and suffering.

For car accident legal experts in Indianapolis, contact the lawyers at Poynter & Bucheri Accident Recovery Attorneys at Law. You can schedule a free, no-risk consultation with our team today by calling 1-800-265-9881, or you can schedule your appointment online here.