Fighting New Charges

Back injuries can cause widespread misery, and not to just your back. Your back supports your entire body, and nerves that weave through the back affects arms and legs as well. Herniated disks are a common back problem, and they can occur with slip and fall accidents as well as car accidents. If you suspect you may have this serious disorder, read on to learn more about it and how to be compensated for it.

What is a herniated disk? It doesn't take a lot of impact to cause a back injury, and even a minor car accident like a low-speed rear-end collision could cause damage to the disks in the back. Your spinal column contains a series of disks, which separate each vertebra (the spine). Your disks serve an important purpose: they cushion your spine from injury. When working properly, they act as a shock absorber. Damage to these disks, such that causes the disk to move slightly, is known as a slipped disk. When the impact of an injury is great enough, the disk actually ruptures. This is a ruptured or herniated disk.

Symptoms and Treatments: You may experience symptoms ranging from barely noticeable to completely disabling; it just depends on the state of your disks. If the disk irritates your spinal cord nerves, you can expect excruciating pain. If the damaged disk affects other nerves, you may experience numbness and tingling as well as pain. The symptoms can be triggered by the least little movement on your part, such as a sneeze or a cough. In some cases, your ability to walk without stumbling could be affected, and you may no longer be able to lift objects or hold them in your hands.

Treatments range from bed rest to surgery, depending on the severity. In minor cases, a few days of rest can reduce the inflammation enough to gain relief. Steroidal injections may provide some non-surgical relief from the pain, and a variety of opioid pain relievers may be prescribed. Physical therapy that includes massage, ice and heat, stretching, ultrasound and electrical stimulation may help as well. If nothing seems to provide complete relief, there are several different types of surgeries available, such as disk replacement and spinal fusions.

Getting Compensated: You should understand that you are entitled to be compensated for your injury. While money won't take your pain away, it could help you to cover your time away from work and your medical expenses. Additionally, filing a personal injury suit means getting money damages for all the pain and suffering you have had because of the accident. Talk to a personal injury attorney like Charles P Dargo right away and get started on getting your life back to normal.