Herniated discs injuries are common in Fort Worth car accidents. Herniated discs occur when part of the soft nucleus (center) of a disc in your spine bursts out through a tear in the annulus (exterior).
Herniated discs often affect the cervical spine, especially after a car accident. The cervical spine, known as the neck, is the structure of bones, nerves, ligaments, muscles, and tendons covering your spinal cord.
The cervical spine is essential to protect the spinal cord that sends messages from your brain to the rest of your body. It helps bring blood to your brain. It supports your head and its movements.
What Causes Herniated Discs?
Herniated discs occur when the nucleus of your spinal disc bursts out of a tear in the annulus of the disc.
The risk for herniated discs often increases with age, weight, and physically demanding jobs. Yet, one of the most common causes of a herniated disc is an auto accident.
During a car accident, the crash force causes vertebrae to push into the soft nucleus (center) of a disc in your spine into the spinal canal, where it compresses your spinal cord, which is the bundle of nerves that carries messages from your brain to the rest of your body.
Herniated discs injuries often go untreated at first. You should seek medical treatment as soon as possible. This will ensure that your cervical spine can recover, and your spinal cord can begin to work correctly.
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The Side Effects of a Herniated Disc
The most apparent side effect of a herniated disc is pain in your neck and your shoulder. However, other side effects may come up after the initial shock of an accident.
These side effects include:
- Continual pain in your shoulder and arm.
- Numbness or tingling through your arms and other parts of the body due to damaged nerves.
- Muscle weakness.
- Bowel and bladder dysfunction.
- Saddle anesthesia, or a numbing of buttocks, perineum, and inner surfaces of the thighs.
If you experience any of these symptoms, you should seek medical attention. Then contact a Fort Worth car accident injury lawyer near you to help you get the medical treatment and compensation you need for your injuries.
How Much Is A Herniated Disc Claim Worth?
The amount for a herniated disc claim varies based on several factors:
- Medical expenses: medication, treatment, and physical therapy.
- Pain and suffering.
- Emotional distress.
- Loss of income.
- Loss of earning capacity if your accident has left you unable to return to the work you used to do.
The average cost for treating serious neck injuries is around $30,000, which only includes medical expenses. Depending on the severity of the injury, the egregiousness of the other driver’s conduct, and the amount of available insurance, claims for a herniated disc can be substantial.
The average cost of medical treatments for car accidents is over $5 billion annually, and 90% of all injuries in car accidents are neck injuries.
To understand how much your herniated disc claim is worth, reach out to a lawyer from Patterson Law Group today. We will help you determine the value of your case.
Medical Treatment for a Herniated Disc
Most medical treatments for a herniated disc involve medication and rest. Conservative treatments like this will usually be used for four to six weeks before further treatment is considered. However, there are a variety of options depending on the severity of your injury.
The most common treatments include:
- Pain medication. It is best to talk to your doctor before deciding what medication to take.
- Physical therapy.
- Low-velocity chiropractors can be used to relieve some pain.
- Manual traction may be applied by a professional to help open your spine and allow more room for healing.
- Epidural injections may be used to reduce inflammation around the herniated disc.
Surgery may be necessary if conservative treatments fail. Doctors may remove your disc if it cannot be healed. However, for cervical herniated discs, this is usually a last resort.
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Contact An Expert Neck And Back Injury Lawyer
If you have suffered from a herniated disc due to a car accident, contact the car accident attorneys Patterson Law Group.
Our lawyers are experts with 80+ years of experience dealing with car accident claims due to herniated discs and other neck injuries.
We are devoted to getting justice for you and your loved ones so you can recover quickly.
We will do everything we can to get you on the road to recovery. Don’t hesitate to call Patterson Law Group today!
