The weak point in the human body is the back. Our upright posture has had its benefits over the millennia since we went from quadrupedal to bipedal: it frees up our arms to use tools, allows us to carry objects, and we have a pretty good view of the world from all the way up here. However, our backs are quite delicate, and when something goes wrong with the back, it puts us out of commission entirely. The slightest tweak of a person’s back can put them on the couch for days, and when serious injury occurs, it can result in a lifetime of paralysis, numbness, and/or chronic pain. Car collisions routinely cause back pain and back injuries, and often there is no long-term cure.
Soft Tissue (Muscle) Injuries
Backs are inherently slow to heal, but torn muscles and contusions may heal the fastest out of all back injuries, but you may still be left with lingering pain, stiffness, and immobility for months, years, and potentially the rest of your life.
Problems With a Disc
Discs, which are the soft, shock-absorbing parts of your spinal column placed in between each vertebra, are prone to injury during car crashes. Two common injuries are a slipped disc, which occurs when a disc becomes out of place and pinched in between bone, and a herniated disc, which is a disc that has been ruptured. Both are incredibly painful, and take many months to heal. Moreover, people who have had a disc injury once are more likely to get one in the future as well.
Broken Back (Spinal Column Damage)
Breaking a bone in your back is a traumatic injury that must be treated by an experienced physician. There are 33 vertebrae in your back, and the largest threat comes in the form of one of those cracked vertebrae slicing through your spinal cord, according to Health Line. Damaged vertebrae, also called a spinal fracture, often requires surgery, such as fusing the bone together, taking an entire vertebra out, inserting “bone cement” to stabilize a vertebra, or wearing a back brace.
Spinal Cord Damage
Damage to the spinal cord causes partial or total paralysis of one or more parts to the body. The higher up the damage, the more paralysis. Being paraplegic or quadriplegic from a broken back or neck is a devastating life change.
Get Compensated for Your Injuries
20 percent of adults reported having low back pain in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Mid and high back pain and injuries affect millions more. For many Americans, back pain keeps them from doing the things they love, inhibits their ability to help out with family chores and housekeeping, and negatively impacts their income. Whether your injury is a torn muscle, herniated disc, or spinal cord damage, you deserve compensation. The experienced Kansas City personal injury attorneys here at the Krause & Kinsman Law Firm will hold the responsible party accountable, and ensure that their insurance company pays out to the maximal degree.
