Pueblo Car Accident Attorney Explains Common Back Injuries After An Accident

If you have suffered a back injury due to an auto accident in Colorado, you need a knowledgeable Pueblo car accident attorney who can help you understand your options and get you the treatment you need to mitigate your health issues. Insurance companies do not have your best interest in mind and could care less about your long term health issues that you will likely deal with after a car accident in Pueblo. Our Pueblo accident attorneys know exactly how to handle your situation and will direct you to the best possible doctors in your area to ensure you get the treatment you need now and throughout your life. 

Below you will find an overview of common back injuries with detailed information about each. If you have been injured in an accident and have any of the below health issues, call our Pueblo Injury Attorneys today. We will fight for you and get you the care you need and deserve. 

Back injuries — injuries to the spine and surrounding soft tissues – are common following a traumatic event (e.g., a motor vehicle accident). This overview will help you understand the possible sources of your back pain and other symptoms.

Common Spine and Soft Tissue Injuries 

Healthy Intervertebral Disc 

To understand what an injured disc looks like, you must first understand what a healthy disc looks like. A healthy disc is a round or oval, two-dimensional structure that sits between the spinal vertebrae (the bony structure) and acts as a shock absorber.

Herniated Disc

A herniation is an asymmetrical bulge in the disc that occurs when the disc material leaks outside the perimeter of the disc (like the jelly leaking out of a jelly doughnut). The disc material acts like a chemical irritant, which can cause nerve root damage, and may also impinge directly on the nerve. 

Disc Degeneration

Over time, a herniated disc will degenerate and shrink (lose height). Although a traumatic event (e.g., an auto accident) does not cause degeneration, a traumatic event can cause a disc herniation, which may eventually lead to degeneration. 

Bulging Disc

A bulging disc is a symmetrically expanded disc, in which the disc material leaks around the circumference of the disc. A bulging disc can be painful. If you had no pain in the area of the disc before the car accident (or other traumatic event), but had pain afterwards, logic suggests a causal relationship. 

Facet Joint Injury

A joint is where two bones meet. The joints in the spine are called facet joints. The facet joints allow the bones of the spine to move smoothly, in a gliding manner, through various motions and directions. Injury to the facet joint will result in the joint becoming stiff, swollen, and tender. 

Sprains and Strains

When a ligament (the strong, fibrous tissue that connects one bone to another) is stretched or torn, this is called a “sprain.” When a muscle or tendon (the tissue that connects the muscle to the bone) is stretched or torn, this is called a “strain.

Nerve Injury Secondary to Soft Tissue Injury

A nerve injury can occur secondary to a soft tissue injury or spinal injury. Swelling caused by the primary injury (e.g., a herniated or bulging disc) can cause compression on the nerve, resulting in permanent and painful nerve damage.