Back Injury Attorney in Atlanta

Many Americans tend to take their health for granted. We overexert our bodies at work and at home on a regular basis, and even the most cautious person has almost certainly put their body through trauma in one form or another. We often don’t realize just how fragile our bodies are until it is too late. This fact is demonstrated by the overwhelming amount of Americans that suffer back pain in the United States. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), about 80% of Americans experience lower back pain in their lifetime. In fact, the NIH has indicated that lower back injuries are the most common work-related disability in our country and the leading contributor to Americans missing work in the U.S.

Some instances of lower back injuries are due to genetics while others are due to your choice of environment. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing assistants experienced 10,330 back-related disorders in 2016. This figure represents 52.8% of all musculoskeletal disorders for that occupation, thereby making it the most common musculoskeletal disorder among that occupation for that year. Moreover, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety, there were over six million police-reported car crashes in 2015 that resulted in an estimated 2,443,000 injuries. When statistics like these are taken into consideration, it comes as no surprise that an overwhelming majority of Americans will experience back pain at some point in their lifetime. However, the key to avoiding chronic back pain is learning how to spot back injury symptoms and working with your doctor to find the appropriate method to treat your injury.

Common Back Injuries After an Accident

In order to understand a back injury, you need to have a basic understanding of how your back is constructed. You have 33 vertebrae that make up your spine, and these vertebrae are separated by intervertebral discs that are made up of two parts, a tough outer layer called the annulus fibrosus and a jelly-like center called the nucleus pulposus. Moreover, your spinal cord runs through an opening, the spinal canal, that runs down the center of your spine, and you have a number of different nerves in different locations throughout your spine. This information about the basic anatomy of your spine will allow you to better understand the three common types of spinal injuries people sustain after an accident listed below:

  • Back Sprain or Strain: Many people tend to sprain their backs after an accident due to the impact their back sustains. A back sprain occurs when muscle fibers in your back are abnormally stretched or torn. However, this type of injury is often temporary and very treatable.
  • Bulging or Herniated Discs: When you sustain a traumatic back injury, the jelly like center of the discs in your back can press up against the outer layer of the disc which causes it to become inflamed or irritated. This type of injury is often referred to as a bulging disc. If the jelly-like center seeps through a weak portion of the outer layer of the disc, it is referred to as a disc herniation or a ruptured disc.
  • Radiculopathy: You have nerves at multiple levels in your spine. These nerves send information to various body parts such as your arms and legs. When an injury such as a bulging or herniated disc compresses or irritates one of these nerves, it can cause pain in different areas of your body, which is referred to as radiculopathy.

Common Symptoms of a Back Injury

Unfortunately, you might not be aware of the full extent of your back injury until a few days after your accident. As such, you should always refrain from strenuous activities for after an event such as a car accident, workplace accident, or a slip and fall accident, and you need to seek medical attention as soon as possible if you start experiencing any of these common back injury symptoms:

  • Pain and numbness on one side of your body
  • Pain that extends to your arms and legs
  • Tingling, aching, or burning sensations
  • Muscle weakness
  • Loss of bladder control

Treatment Options for Back Injuries

Finding the right course of treatment for your injury involves in-depth collaboration with your physician, because everyone responds to different courses of treatment in their own unique way. Thankfully, there are many treatment options available for back injuries the most common of which are listed below:

  • Rest
  • Anti-inflammatory and pain medication
  • Muscle Relaxers
  • Physical Therapy
  • Injections
  • Surgery

At Glenn Cambre and Associates, our team of personal injury lawyers have dedicated their careers to helping accident victims seek the compensation they deserve for their injuries. A back injury can leave you feeling hopeless, overwhelmed, and frustrated, but the lawyers at Glenn Cambre and Associates are ready to help. So give our office a call today for a free consultation to find out how a personal injury attorney can help you.