Disc Herniation

Disc Herniation After an Accident in California

Anyone who suffers from chronic back pain will tell you that your life will never be the same after you suffer a debilitating back injury. The spine creates the framework for everything else in your body, and a herniated disc can cause radiating pain that leaves you unable to handle your day-to-day tasks.

What should you do when you suffer a slipped disc after a car accident? Don’t underestimate the costs of a spinal injury—you’ll end up paying most of your medical expenses yourself if you accept a paltry settlement from an insurance company. Instead, turn to the team of Orange County injury lawyers at Russell & Lazarus. Call us at 949-438-2652 to find out if you have grounds for a personal injury case.

What is Disc Herniation and What Symptoms Does it Cause?

This condition impacts the soft discs that cushion the bones of the spine. They absorb shock when you run, lift, or basically carry out any common movement. But when they experience serious trauma, they can pop out of place, leak, or completely rupture. This leaves the bones to grind directly on each other, which is enormously painful when you consider how much your spine moves in any type of regular activity. Additionally, the contents of the disc can impact nerves near the spine, causing additional pain throughout the body.

Identifying a herniated disc can be difficult, since a wide range of conditions can cause sharp back pain after an accident. Some of the symptoms you may experience include:

• Sudden muscle weakness
• Pain on one side of the body
• Numbness on one side of the body
• Pain that increases sharply with specific movements or activities
• Pain worsened by sitting or standing
• Pain in the arms or legs

This is why it’s important to seek medical care after an accident. You might feel knee pain after a car accident and assume that you just have a sprain that will heal with rest. However, that leg pain could actually be symptomatic of a herniated disc.

Causes of Disc Herniation

The liquid contents of a disc are protected by an outer ring that absorbs blows, moves in conjunction with your body, and keeps liquid contained. When it weakens or tears, the inner portion comes out.

A wide range of conditions are linked to herniated discs. Those with extra weight straining their bones and muscles are more likely to suffer disc herniation, as are those with weak muscle tone or a sedentary level of activity. As age increases, so does the risk of a herniated disc.

Some disc herniations occur because of outside trauma or force. For example, the sudden jolt of a car crash can cause disc herniation. On-the-job injuries also account for a number of herniated discs, particularly for those working in physically demanding fields like construction, manufacturing, and shipping. In some situations, a combination of wear-and-tear and trauma cause herniation.

How a Herniated Disc May Impact Your Life

The effects of a herniated disc on your life depend on a number of factors, including your overall health, where the herniation occurred, and how promptly you get medical treatment. A herniated disc higher on your spine may cause nerve damage to the nerves that control your arms, so you may experience numbness, tingling, and pain. As you move down the spine, you get to the vertebrae that control core strength and stabilization, bowel and bladder control, sexual function, and leg movement. Untreated herniation in these areas can eventually lead to a loss of bowel and bladder control or partial paralysis.

After you meet with a Riverside medical professional, you should have a better understanding of your options and how your disc herniation is likely to affect your life. If your herniation is relatively mild, it may be treated with rest, over-the-counter pain medications, and physical therapy. If it is a more serious case, you may require surgery.

In either case, it’s clear that a disc herniation can undoubtedly impact your career. If you lose some or all function in your hands or legs, you could be completely unable to work. If you go through with surgery, you will likely spend months away from work as you heal. A herniated disc often prevents you from household chores like laundry, dishes, child care, and more, so you should also plan for the financial impact of bringing in outside help.

Seeking Compensation for a Herniated Disc

After an accident that caused a herniated disc, you should speak about your injuries with a Long Beach personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Some people skip this step, believing that they simply have a backache that will pass in a matter of days. Once it becomes apparent that they are facing more serious medical issues, it may be too late for them to fight for compensation.

Don’t make the same mistake. Even if you aren’t sure about the cause of your injuries or whether or not you have a case, it’s worth your time to find out. Perhaps you have prior back problems, and you worry that they will stop you from recovering compensation from the party responsible for the accident. We can help you with that, too. In Newport and throughout California, you can still recover compensation even if the injuries you’ve sustained are partially your fault. Your award is reduced by the amount of fault you possess.

Depending on the details of your case, you may be able to get compensation for:

• Medical bills
• Rehabilitation
• Physical therapy
• Occupational therapy
• Lost income
• Lost future wages if your injury has permanently limited your ability to work
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium
• Loss of quality of life

Another factor influencing the compensation you receive is which car accident attorney you choose. There are lots of attorneys in this area, and we understand how hard it is to compare your options. At Russell & Lazarus, we approach cases a little differently than many of our peers.

Our goal isn’t simply to get through the case as quickly as possible with as little time investment as possible. We know that careful preparation, investigation, and careful consideration yields better results. You don’t just want money fast; you want the compensation that you truly deserve for the serious injuries you’ve sustained. Rushing a case often leads to subpar compensation that leaves victims unable to pay their medical bills or cover their related expenses.

That’s why we invite you to schedule a free case evaluation with our team of Orange County injury lawyers. We’ll take a look at the evidence you have, give our recommendations, and discuss your options. By the end, we’re confident that you’ll feel calmer and more prepared to make the right choice for your legal needs.

Turn to Russell & Lazarus for the Help You Deserve

Don’t let a herniated disc completely upend your life. Fight back and get the compensation you need to heal and get back to normal. Ready to discuss your case with the top injury lawyers at Russell & Lazarus? To schedule your free case evaluation, call us at 800-268-9228 or contact us online to have a team member reach out to you directly.