What are the symptoms of back injury?
What causes back pain?
What is the anatomy of the back?
What are some risk factors that can lead to back pain or injury?
What are common causes of back and neck injuries?
What damages can I seek in my back injury claim?
What is a spinal cord injury?
What treatments are available for back injury?
Should I consult an attorney if I wish to make a claim due to back
injury?
1.
What are the symptoms of back injury?
Back injury can have many symptoms. The most common are:
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Localized pain
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Tenderness
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Stiffness
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Spasms
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Numbness
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Tingling
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Paralysis of Extremities
2.
What causes back pain?
In general,
back pain is a sensation transmitted through the nerves and can
occur when muscles go into spasm, which is frequently the case with
back injuries. A muscle spasm is an abrupt and forceful contraction
of a muscle, which can last from several minutes to hours. It is
often associated with great pain. Pressure or pinching of the nerves
in the spine can also cause severe pain in the back and legs.
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To Top 3.
What is the anatomy of the back?
The back is an intricate structure of bones, ligaments, muscles,
nerves, and tendons. The backbone, or spine, is made up of 31 bony
segments called vertebrae:
7 cervical (neck) vertebrae
12 thoracic (middle back) vertebrae
5 lumbar (lower back) vertebrae
5 sacral (lowest area of the back) vertebrae
1 coccygeal (coccyx, or tailbone) vertebra (made up of
several fused segments)
The vertebrae are arranged in a long vertical column and held
together by ligaments, which are attached to muscles by tendons.
Between each vertebra lies a gel-like cushion called an
intervertebral disc, consisting of semifluid matter that is
surrounded by a capsule of elastic fibers.
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To Top 4.
What are some risk factors that can lead to back pain or injury?
Aging produces wear and tear on the spine.
Physically demanding occupations that require repetitive
bending and lifting.
Being sedentary (i.e., not exercising regularly or
engaging in physical recreation) and being overweight.
Poor posture, such as slouching in a chair, driving
hunched over, standing incorrectly, and using poor body mechanics
when lifting and carrying heavy loads.
Sports that involve twisting the back, like golf.
Joint and/or bone disease (osteoporosis, arthritis) and
infectious disease (spinal meningitis).
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To Top 5.
What are common causes of back and neck injuries?
Car Accidents; Violent Attacks; Slip and fall; Sports-related
Accidents; and Lifting. The most common types of injuries inflicted
by such incidences are:
Spinal Cord Injury - The spinal cord is severely injured
in an accident and may result in loss of motion or feeling to the
lower extremities or permanent paralysis.
Slipped Disc - The pads of cartilage in between each
vertebra in your spine can be damaged or become herniated.
Compression Fractures - The bones of the spine break due
to severe trauma.
Whiplash - The most common neck injury after a car
accident, the neck can snap and become overextended.
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To Top 6.
What damages can I seek in my back injury claim?
Back and neck injuries sustained from an accident due to another
person's negligence may entitled you to back and neck injury
compensation. An experienced back and neck injury attorney can
recover damages for the financial losses suffered, in addition to
the pain and suffering both physically and emotionally.
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To Top 7.
What is a spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injury is damage to the nerves within the spinal canal.
Most are caused by trauma and affect the spinal cord's ability to
send and receive messages from the brain to the body's systems that
control sensory, motor and autonomic function below the level of
injury.
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To Top 8.
What treatments are available for back injury?
Research on this matter is ongoing. Current treatments for back
injury include:
drug treatments
therapies
surgery
nerve cell transplantation
nerve regeneration
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To Top 9.
Should I consult an attorney if I wish to make a claim due to back
injury?
Yes. It is always wise to contact an experienced personal injury
attorney to handle a back injury case. Back, neck and spine injuries
involve complex litigation. With the right attorney on your side,
you will be more likely to achieve success.
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