No matter how strong a person’s back is, back injuries are common injuries from car accidents. The back is not designed to handle the sudden impact of a crash.
The spine is exceptionally strong with its supporting bones, ligaments, muscles, and tendons. It can handle hundreds of pounds of pressure. However, when a person is involved in a car accident, the force placed upon the body is tremendous. The laws of physics are harsh when an individual is exposed to a high-speed auto accident, even when wearing a seat belt.
No matter how strong a person’s back is, back injuries are common injuries from car accidents. Any area of the back can be injured, and the road to recovery after a car accident can be long and difficult.
If you are the victim of a car accident in New York and suffered a back injury, contact Apicella & Schlesinger Attorneys at Law.
Facts About Your Back
The spine has hundreds of inner-working components – 120 muscles, 220 ligaments, 100 joints, and 33 vertebrae. Cartilage makes up 25% of the spine’s overall length.
The back is remarkably strong and can handle hundreds of pounds of pressure. Something as simple as lying flat on your back with your knees elevated can create as much as 25 pounds of pressure on your spine. The spine protects your spinal cord but is also incredibly flexible.
Approximately 8 out of 10 Americans will suffer back pain at some point in their lives. The most common cause of back pain in the U.S. is trauma caused by car accidents.
Common Types of Back Injuries from Car Accidents
A car accident injury may affect multiple areas in and around the spine. Injured back muscles tend to be milder and temporary, while injuries to the spinal cord are likely more severe and have long-term consequences for your health.
The most common types of back injuries car accident victims suffer include:
- Soft tissue injuries – Stretching or tearing of ligaments, tendons, and muscles can occur in the back. Soft tissue injuries cannot be seen by an X-ray but can cause anything from muscle weakness to intense chronic pain.
- Fractures – Compression fractures, flexion fractures, and transverse fractures are common injuries. These occur when the vertebrae crack from being violently whipped, twisted, or impacted during a crash.
- Dislocation fracture – Perhaps the most common type of back injury from a car accident, dislocation fractures occur when the vertebrae ligaments or discs which connect two vertebrae are stretched or torn, causing the bones to come out of alignment.
- Herniated or bulging discs – When a vertebra is fractured, the soft inner material may leak out. Depending on the location and severity of the injury, a herniated disc may affect surrounding nerves, causing intense pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling.
- Spinal cord injuries – These are one of the most devasting and life-changing injuries a victim can suffer. They have many symptoms, from minor pain that goes away with physical therapy to total paralysis. The symptoms and level of pain a victim experience has a lot to do with the part of the spine that was injured.
If you are the victim of a car accident in New York that resulted in back injuries, contact Apicella & Schlesinger Attorneys at Law. Do not talk to an insurance claims adjuster before speaking with one of our experienced car accident attorneys.