Back injuries are a common result of auto accidents, and are not always apparent at the time of the accident. You should always seek medical attention after a car accident, even if you do not feel that you were hurt. An examination may reveal a back injury, but not all back injuries show up in standard tests. Back injuries sustained in car accidents can include broken bones, soft tissue injuries and spinal cord injury.
Types of Back Injury
Spinal cord injury is not in itself a back injury, but can be involved when there is a back injury. Back injuries that may be sustained in an auto accident include:
- Fractured or broken vertebrae
- Herniated disk
- Stretched or torn muscles and tendons
- Whiplash
People tend to think of whiplash primarily as a neck injury and sometimes including injury to the back. Whiplash also causes brain injury.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries can be painful and debilitating. They can be caused by low-impact crashes. Unfortunately, they are hard to detect and prove in court. Soft tissue injuries do not show up on X-Rays. Insurance companies still try to deny the validity of soft tissue injuries.
Living with Back Injuries
Back injuries cause chronic pain in most victims. After the initial recovery period, when pain may improve, the pain tends to get worse over the years with age. Back pain may also be intermittent, making it impossible to hold a steady job, but difficult to prove disability.
If you were involved in an auto accident in the Atlanta, Georgia area and are experiencing symptoms of back injury, please contact the experienced auto accident attorneys at Robbins Law, PC today to schedule your free confidential consultation and find out if you may be entitled to compensation.