Spine injuries resulting from car accidents often require long, costly medical treatment. These injuries can also leave you with life long pain and suffering. There are several types of spine injuries that commonly result from a vehicle collision.
1. WHIPLASH
Whiplash is one of the most common car accident injuries, causing damage to muscles, ligaments and tissues in the neck. It often happens in rear-end accidents because the head and neck are propelled forward while the body stays still, then causing the head and neck to come to a sudden stop.
It can take hours or days to notice whiplash symptoms, such as pain, stiffness, dizziness, fatigue or blurred vision. Whiplash injuries vary from mild to severe and often require physical therapy to heal.
2. SPINAL FRACTURES
Spinal fractures are often associated with accidents where the seat belt fails to hold your body in place adequately. The lower half of the body remains still, but the torso and head are jostled around, resulting in spinal fractures.
One type of spinal fracture is a compression fracture, which is a small crack or fissure along the vertebrae. You may experience pain or other symptoms in the area of the compression fracture. Pain may increase with breathing and when you sit down or walk. Bladder issues, numbness and muscle weakness can also occur with a compression fracture.
Spinal fractures are treated differently, depending on severity. Some can heal with immobilization and rest, while others require surgery.
3. HERNIATED DISCS
The discs cushioning the vertebrae in the spine can be subjected to a great deal of force in an accident. That force can cause the discs to shift, compressing nerves and causing pain and numbness. This is known as a herniated disc injury. This type of injury is also known as a bulging, ruptured or slipped disc.
These injuries are usually treated with conservative, non-invasive methods. Doctors often focus on pain relief and physical therapy. In some cases, surgery may be used to treat the injury if the herniation is severe and impacting other vital structures in the body.
4. SPONDYLOLISTHESIS
When stress fractures force vertebrae to move out of place, spondylolisthesis occurs. This condition compresses nerves or the spinal canal. Numbness, pain, weakness and difficulty walking may result.
Treatment for spondylolisthesis typically depends on the location of the displaced vertebrae and the extent it is displaced. Surgery is one treatment option, as is physical therapy.
5. SPINAL STENOSIS
While spinal stenosis is not typically caused by a car accident directly, a collision can cause a person with asymptomatic spinal stenosis to begin feeling symptoms.
If your spinal canal is narrowing due to age and you are experiencing vertebral height degeneration, trauma may cause you to feel symptoms many years before you would have naturally. A spinal specialist can determine if a car accident caused the symptoms of spinal stenosis to accelerate, and provide you with treatment options.
6. SPINAL CORD
Even low-speed car accidents can damage the spinal cord, when it is bruised, cut, or severed as a result of the force of the impact. If the spinal cord is lacerated or severed it can cause permanent paralysis.