A herniated disc injury suffered in a car accident can cause pain and limit movement, leaving the injured person unable to work or perform the simple tasks of daily living. A herniated disc can result from sudden strain and/or twisting, such as may occur in a car accident. As we age, our disks become less flexible and more prone to tearing or rupturing, which makes disc injuries more common when older drivers, passengers, and pedestrians are in car accidents.
If you have suffered a herniated or bulging disc from a car accident, you may be worried about how you will support your home and family if your injury keeps you from returning to work. You may be worried about your quality of life moving forward and whether you will ever be able to bend over to pick up your children or grandchildren or take a leisurely walk with your spouse.
If these are familiar concerns, contact the Raleigh car accident injury attorneys at Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, P.A., today. We can work with you to identify your options for seeking compensation from the at-fault driver who caused your disc injury.
As a client of Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks, P.A., you will work directly with an experienced and compassionate legal team. Our personal injury lawyers have earned the highest rating from the respected Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, and staff members at our firm speak fluent Spanish as well as English. We’ll fight for you, so you can focus on healing and getting your life back together.
Contact us now for a free consultation about your legal right to compensation from the driver responsible for your herniated disc or another back injury.
What Are Herniated and Bulging Disc Injuries?
Disc herniation is diagnosed when there is damage to one or more of the rubbery cushions (discs) between the vertebrae that make up the spine.
A herniated disk – also known as a bulging, slipped, or ruptured disc – typically swells and irritates nearby nerves, which causes pain, numbness, or weakness in a leg or an arm. A herniated disc that presses on a nerve can cause debilitating pain. In some cases, a slipped disc causes severe deep muscle pain and muscle spasms.
Most herniated discs occur in the lower back, although they can also occur in the neck. The pain from a herniated disc may radiate from the injury site to other parts of the body if a large nerve has impinged. A ruptured disc usually affects one side of the body.
Pain from a herniated disc is typically described as sharp, burning, or shooting pain exacerbated by moving into certain positions.
A herniated disc in the lower back may cause pain resulting from pressure on the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve travels from the lower spine, through the pelvis, and down each leg. It is the longest and widest nerve in the human body. The condition known as “sciatica” is having pain that travels through the buttocks and down a leg to the ankle or foot.
The pressure a herniated disc puts on nerves in the upper part of the lumbar spine (near the bottom of the rib cage) can cause pain in the front of the thigh.
A cervical slipped disk (in the neck) is likely to cause pain or numbness in the shoulders, arms, or chest.
Sometimes, severely herniated discs can compress a group of long nerve roots just below the waist that is known as the “cauda equina.” An accident victim with cauda equina syndrome requires emergency surgery to relieve the pressure and avoid such permanent injuries as paralysis, impaired bladder and/or bowel control, and loss of sexual function.
