Back pain: constant reminder of a Louisiana car crash you’d rather forget.

In Louisiana, when people are hurt in a car crash that was caused or aggravated by another party, they can get compensation for their pain, suffering, medical expenses and the loss of wages during the time that they are unable to work.

Neck and back injuries are among the most common injuries in auto accidents, and are often particularly difficult to diagnose and treat. From whiplash to spinal cord trauma, the term covers a wide range of injuries that can heal in a week or result in permanent disability.

Your back is a complex structure of bones, muscles, nerves and tissues extending from the neck to the pelvis. Common back injuries include:

• Sprains and Strains: Sprains affect your ligaments, stretching or tearing them. Ligaments are the tissues that connect and hold bones together at a joint. Strains are torn or stretched tendons or muscles, the tendons being tissues that attach muscle to bone. Treatment includes immobilizing and resting the injured area and therapeutic exercises.
• Herniated disk: The 26 vertebrae of your spinal column are separated by soft disks filled with a jelly-like substance in order to cushion them and keep them in place. A disk is herniated when it slips out of place or ruptures. If either the disk or the substance presses on a nerve, it can cause sciatica, affecting your lower back, calf and foot. Symptoms vary with the position of the hernia, and usually involve back pain, tingling, numbness or muscle spasms.
• Fractured vertebrae: Unfortunately, many accidents cause more severe injuries. A trauma to the spinal column can have very serious consequences because the displaced or broken bones are likely to damage, sometimes permanently, the nervous system connecting the muscles with the brain. Whether lumbar (lower back) or thoracic, vertebrae fractures require immediate immobilization, analysis and imaging and neurological tests. In many cases, surgery will be required. Some fractures can lead to partial or total paralysis and disability.

To make matters more complicated, victims of car accidents in Louisiana are often not aware that they have suffered neck or back injuries until later on, after they have signed a statement about their medical condition. Back pain may go away and re-appear at irregular intervals, or may prevent you from doing certain activities. Untreated, your back pain could get a lot worse over the years.

If you have been hurt in a Louisiana car accident, contact the New Orleans attorneys of the Young Firm immediately for a FREE consultation on your case at (504) 680-4100 (local) or (866) 660-7220 (toll free) or by sending us an e-mail.