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What causes your back pain after a car accident?

On Behalf of | Jul 17, 2024 | Motor Vehicle Accidents |

There are several injuries that you can suffer in a serious car accident. Hopefully you’ve been spared the most severe. That said, even some of the seemingly minor injuries can end up being significant, leaving you with long-term pain and a difficult road to recovery. One of them is back pain. In some instances, back injuries are merely annoying and resolve in relatively quick fashion. In others, though, the harm caused can be debilitating.

What causes back pain after a car accident?

This pain is typically caused by the force of your accident. In the midst of your collision, your body will tense up and be whipped around inside the cabin of your vehicle. This can result in any of the following back-related injuries:

  • Herniated disks: Your spinal column has soft gel-like disks between the vertebrae to reduce friction and cushion impact. When one of these discs splits open, you can experience a lot of discomfort and pain, and your mobility may be reduced.
  • Muscle damage: Muscle strains, sprains, and tears are a real possibility in a car accident. This can leave you with extensive and long-lasting soreness, and the resulting stiffness can make it hard to move and carry out your daily activates.
  • Spinal fractures: Your back can be broken in a severe collision. This injury can be catastrophic, but even those who are fortunate enough to recover will experience a long period of pain and reduced mobility. They can also experience ongoing back issues over the course of their life.
  • Damage to soft tissue: The tendons in your back can be strained, sprained, and torn in a wreck. This can result in severe back pain, particularly in your lower back, resulting in weakness, spasms, and an inability to move like you want to.

The type of pain you experience after suffering any of these injuries depends on where on your back the damage is caused and its severity. In the aftermath of your accident, you might experience sharp, stinging pain that is localized to one area of your back, or you might experience chronic pain that lasts for months.

How can you reduce the risk of your back injury ruining your life?

Although back injuries can be difficult to deal with, there are steps you can take to make the recovery process a little easier. This includes:

  • Being aware of your symptoms: The signs of a severe back injury may be delayed. So, if you start feeling twinges of pain in your back, don’t write it off. Instead, seek out immediate medical treatment.
  • Distinguish from your pre-existing condition: Your doctor, and the defense in your personal injury case, might try to chalk your back injury up to a pre-existing condition. But this can cut you short in your recovery. Make sure you ask pointed questions of your medical professional to get direct answers and a clear diagnosis.
  • Follow recommendations: Your doctor, who may be a back specialist, can give you treatment recommendations to ease your pain and speed your recovery. Listen to these recommendations and follow them if you’re able to.

Don’t overlook the value of a personal injury lawsuit

Following your car accident, you need accountability and compensation. Only by acquiring them can you ease your mental turmoil and secure the money needed to pay for your recovery. To learn more about what you can do for your back injuries, continue to search out resources on care and treatment as well as the legal avenues that are available to you.