Back Pain After a Car Accident: What You Need to Know

A car accident can have devastating consequences on the human body. One of the most common injuries in motor vehicle accidents is a back injury. Damage to the spine, neck, back muscles, and nerves in this area can have long-term consequences, such as ongoing pain, mobility issues, and other conditions.

If you have been involved in a car accident recently, you should seek immediate medical attention to determine if there are any back injuries from the crash. Back pain after an auto accident massively impacts your quality of life, and it may even have legal implications if the person who caused the accident behaved negligently.

Common Causes of Back Pain After a Car Accident

Car accidents can lead to various types of back injuries, ranging from minor strains to severe spinal trauma. Understanding these causes can help in identifying and treating potential issues promptly.

Whiplash Injuries

Car accidents involve a lot of force. Often, the body is thrown in directions very quickly, causing physical stress on the back. If your neck and back are violently thrown in changing directions during an automobile accident, whiplash injuries are a common result. This sudden movement can cause severe back pain due to soft tissue damage.

Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord is the primary pathway for the nervous system. The vertebrae, nerve cells, and other components are crucial for mobility and muscle control throughout the body. Spinal cord injuries are common in car accidents and can include fractures, dislocations, herniated discs, and nerve damage. These conditions could cause lasting, sharp pain or even paralysis.

Herniated Discs

Some discs cushion the bones between each set of vertebrae and protect the spinal cord’s nerves. However, these discs can rupture, spill fluid, and stress the spine more.

This condition is called a herniated disc and is a common symptom of a car accident, even if it is just a minor fender bender. A ruptured or slipped disc may cause persistent pain, numbness, or weakness in the extremities.

Sprains and Strains

Soft tissue components like muscles and ligaments undergo significant stress from the sudden jolt of a car accident. This jolt can cause extremely painful muscle sprains or ligament strains. With the proper treatment, these conditions should heal over time. If left untreated, a sprain or strain could develop into a long-term issue like mobility limitations.

Fractured Vertebrae

The vertebrae are the primary structural components of the spine. An auto accident could cause cervical vertebrae injuries, which may lead to complex spinal cord damage.

Fractured vertebrae can cause constant pain and compromise mobility throughout the body, making immediate treatment crucial to maintaining quality of life and preventing complications. These types of back injuries are severe and could completely alter one’s lifestyle.

Symptoms of Back Pain After a Car Accident

Car accidents can cause various types of back pain, ranging from mild discomfort to severe, debilitating pain. Recognizing the warning signs that may indicate more severe injuries is crucial.

Acute Pain

Acute pain is sharp, short-term pain typically lasting less than a month. It is also a term used when the source of the pain is known. If you experience severe pain immediately after a car accident, you may have a back injury that requires urgent medical treatment.

Not only is medical care necessary to preserve your health, but seeking medical attention will play a role in a potential lawsuit against the at-fault driver.

Radiating Pain

Pain from back injuries does not always remain local to that area of the body. Your pain symptoms could spread to other locations, especially the legs, hips, or shoulders. If lower back pain starts to spread to your extremities, it could indicate significant damage to nerve roots or spinal cord injury.

Damaged or compressed nerves could cause additional health complications if the root cause of the back injury is not addressed.

Numbness and Tingling

Since the spinal cord carries the main network of nerves, controlling impulses and muscles throughout the entire body, damage to this component could affect the use of your extremities. You may experience numbness or tingling sensations in your arms, legs, feet, or hands, often resulting from nerve compression, especially if a herniated disc occurs.

Reduced Range of Motion

Serious back injuries can affect mobility, limiting range of motion. Although you may only deal with manageable discomfort, it can also escalate to stiffness and reduced bodily mobility.

Chronic Pain

Chronic back pain is a common side effect of a bad back injury. These pain symptoms could persist for months or even years after the accident. As a result, your quality of life will be dramatically reduced as you attempt to manage and live with that pain.

In many cases, car accident victims develop this type of back pain and are unable to return to full capacity at work, putting their finances at risk.

Diagnosing Back Pain After a Car Accident

Proper diagnosis of cervical spine injury following a car accident is crucial for effective treatment and potential legal claims.

Medical Evaluation

If you experience any sharp or burning pain after a collision, even a minor car accident, you must see a healthcare professional to be correctly diagnosed. If you are not experiencing pain from apparent car accident injuries, you should still seek professional treatment.

This professional will use basic physical assessments, such as mobility tests, to diagnose any back injuries you may have suffered from the collision.

Imaging Tests (X-rays, MRIs, and CT Scans)

Imaging scans are commonly employed to determine the extent of internal injuries after a car accident. Often, these tests reveal damage that is not even felt through symptoms. However, X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans are essential in identifying potential long-term issues with back injuries.

Treatment Options for Back Pain After a Car Accident

Managing back pain following a car accident involves a range of treatments, from conservative approaches to more invasive procedures. The appropriate treatment plan depends on the severity and type of injury sustained.

Rest and Immobilization

If you feel upper back or lower back pain after a car accident, a treatment plan could make all the difference in your future lifestyle. Rest and immobilization are some of the simplest ways to address minor back injuries, such as muscle spasms. Moving around too much could exacerbate the injury and cause further complications.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy may be needed for more serious spinal cord injuries. It is designed to strengthen muscles, restore movement, and help you live pain-free. Therapy can involve physiotherapists, pain management specialists, and other healthcare professionals.

Pain Management (Medications and Injections)

Whether you have lower back pain, neck pain, or shoulder pain, they can severely impact your quality of life if they continue. While a pain-free life may be out of reach, numerous methods exist to manage that pain, so it has a more negligible impact on your lifestyle.

Pain medications, anti-inflammatory medications, epidural steroid injections, and prescriptions can be employed to make your pain manageable.

Chiropractic Care

Many victims of car accidents will seek chiropractic treatment to address their back pain. This approach may be particularly effective for soft tissue injuries and misalignments caused by the impact of a collision.

Chiropractors specialize in back muscles and the spinal cord, so they can use their methods to reduce upper and lower back pain if you have chronic issues, such as whiplash or herniated discs. These noninvasive techniques focus on realigning the spine and surrounding structures, potentially reducing pain and improving mobility.

Surgery for Severe Injuries

In severe circumstances, your back pain may require surgery to address the root cause. Procedures may also be needed to repair damage to the spine, such as thoracic vertebrae fractures or herniated discs. Depending on how invasive the surgery is, it can lead to prolonged recovery periods. Plus, there are always additional risks when undergoing a major surgery.

Legal Options for Back Pain After a Car Accident

When you’ve suffered back pain or neck injury due to a car accident caused by another party’s negligence, you may have legal recourse to seek compensation for your injuries and related expenses.

Filing a Personal Injury Claim

The car accident that caused your facet joint injuries, muscle spasms, or other symptoms may be the fault of another party. If someone behaved negligently and caused the accident, you could file a personal injury claim to recover compensation for legal damages like lost income, medical bills, property damage, emotional distress, and physical pain and suffering.

You will need detailed documentation of your injuries and the required treatment to win your claim and recover full compensation. You should also seek legal advice as early as possible.

The Role of Medical Evidence

Medical evidence will be vital to your case. You must prove that it is more likely than not that the negligent party was responsible for the crash and, therefore, your injuries. Keep all imaging results, expenses, and treatment history records to present as evidence in your claim.

Compensation for Pain and Suffering

While most victims will focus on the cost of medical bills and lost wages for their lawsuits, you can also seek compensation for physical and emotional pain suffered because of your back injury.

How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

Filing a personal injury claim is a complex legal process. You may go up against a stubborn defendant, their insurance company, and even a team of lawyers defending them. You need legal representation to level the playing field and increase your chances of earning compensation.

Lawyers specialized in Chicago personal injury claims will help you gather evidence, negotiate with the insurance company, secure maximum compensation, and represent you in court if necessary.

Long-Term Effects of Back Pain from a Car Accident

Car accident-related back injuries can lead to lasting consequences, affecting various aspects of a person’s life long after the initial incident.

Chronic Pain Management

A car accident can have long-term implications on your life. Chronic pain is one of the most common side effects of a bad back injury, and this pain may last for years or even the rest of your life, depending on the nature of your injury and the treatment’s effectiveness.

Learning to manage this pain may become a reality, which could include medications, physical therapy, or lifestyle adjustments. The financial toll of these measures can be immense, making a personal injury claim even more critical to secure your future.

Impact on Quality of Life

Severe car accident injuries will affect you for the rest of your life. It can impact your daily activities, work life, and overall well-being. The longer you live with this pain, the more likely you are to experience depression, anxiety, or the loss of independence.

Preventing Back Pain After a Car Accident

While accidents can’t always be avoided, certain precautions can help minimize the risk and severity of back injuries during a collision.

Wearing Seat Belts

It is better to take preventative measures when driving and save yourself from years of complications from a car crash injury. Wearing seatbelts properly, with the belt across your hips and chest, can protect your body from the worst damage in a car crash, preventing sudden and jarring movements.

Adjusting Car Seats for Proper Support

The position of your car seat can also affect your likelihood of an injury that causes severe back pain. For example, reclining your seat too much may have drastic consequences if a collision occurs. Adjust your car seat for better posture and support to reduce the risk of damage to your lumbar spine and other parts of your back.

Safe Driving Practices

There are safe drivers and defensive drivers. Safe drivers pay attention to the rules of the road and do not engage in dangerous behaviors. Defensive drivers anticipate dangers and prepare to avoid them.

They follow the posted speed limits, maintain safe distances from other vehicles, avoid distractions while driving, and continuously check their surroundings so they can react quickly to dangerous situations.

Secure Expert Legal Counsel

Car accidents often lead to back injuries that alter the livelihoods of victims. Even with ongoing professional treatment, massage therapy, gentle exercise, and rest, your injury could have long-lasting consequences.

If someone else’s negligence caused your back injury, you could pursue compensation for legal damages from the accident. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers specialize in supporting accident victims through the claims process.

Our auto accident attorneys are prepared to assess your back injury-related damages, gather evidence, negotiate with the insurance company for compensation, and represent you through a trial proceeding if necessary.

Call us at 888-424-5757 for a free consultation or fill out our contact form.

All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.