St. Louis Back Injury Lawyer

St. Louis Back Injury Attorney

Many people experience back pain at some point in their lives. Of course, some back pain is natural, from overexertion, lifting, etc. Some back pain goes away on its own over time. Experiencing an ache back after exertion is very different than back pain due to a catastrophic injury event such as a car accident.

In times like that, you need help. You need compensation. You need a personal injury lawyer from The Cagle Law Firm.

In 2020, The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center cited car accidents as the leading cause of spinal injuries in the U.S. Considering how even the slightest bruise or laceration to the spine can have life-changing consequences, we believe that reckless motorists pose a danger that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you’ve been hurt in a traffic accident through no fault of your own, a back injury lawyer in St. Louis, MO, can help you get the justice you deserve.

The 3 Major Types of Back Injuries Caused by Car Accidents

Tissue Trauma

Far and away, the most common type of injury suffered by people involved in car accidents is in the form of damage to soft tissue, i.e., sprained ligaments and strained muscles. During car accidents, these kinds of injuries are typically caused by the unexpected, violent impact of one vehicle striking another, causing a passenger’s body to be suddenly jerked in one or more directions, stretching or twisting soft tissue in the process.

Symptoms of tissue injuries tend to include pain, numbness, and stiffness. Though mild injuries of this type usually heal on their own over time, more serious incidents may require stitches, surgery, or physical therapy. Should your symptoms continue, you should consult a doctor immediately. The myth that people often believe is that these injuries will take months to heal. If pain persists for more than a week, see your doctor, as further testing and treatment may be required.

Herniated Discs

While tissue damage can occur virtually anywhere in the human body, including the back, herniated discs are one type of injury that is localized in one single area. Discs are small, spongy “pads,” that surround the vertebrae in a person’s back, acting simultaneously as connective ligaments, mobility-assisting joints, and protective cushions so each of us can bend and move.

As a disc sounds protective in nature, that doesn’t mean they aren’t in danger of being injured themselves. When subjected to abrupt, excessive force during a car accident, discs can bulge, putting painful pressure on nearby nerve endings, or even rupture. These disc injuries are referred to in many ways as “slipped discs,” “herniations,” or “bulges.” Once again, surgery may be required for treatment. Disc damage is most often very painful. Oftentimes, quite a bit of diagnostic testing has to be done. The emergency room conducts X-rays and CTs to be sure nothing is broken, but you often have to follow up with doctors for further testing to treat disc injuries.

Spinal Damage

Of all the back injuries that can occur in a traffic accident, those that affect the spinal cord are easily the most dangerous. Lacerations to or a total severing of one’s spinal cord are enough to leave a person fully or partially paralyzed for the rest of their life. Even relatively minor car accident-related spinal cord injuries often require surgical treatment along with prolonged periods of recovery.

Separate from the nerve cells that make up the spinal cord is the surrounding structure known as the vertebral column. These bones can also suffer severe trauma in the form of:

1. Compression fractures, wherein one or more of the individual vertebrae collapse in on themselves.
2. Rotation fractures, wherein the bone is bent to the point of breaking.
3. Extension fractures occur when the vertebrae are pulled apart from each other.

Find a Back Injury Lawyer in St. Louis, MO

Whether it’s a quick drive to the grocery store or an hours-long vacation road trip, getting in your car shouldn’t be a roll of the dice. Don’t let another driver’s carelessness saddle you with a lifetime of pain and suffering or a mountain of pricey medical bills. At The Cagle Law Firm, we believe negligent motorists and their insurance carriers should be held accountable, and innocent victims should be compensated.

Contact us today to meet with a back injury lawyer in St. Louis, MO. You can call The Cagle Law Firm toll-free at (1-800) 685-3302 or locally at (314) 276-1681.