According to the Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2022 Report, there were 109,291 total reported accidents in our state on public roads in 2021, 734 of which resulted in fatalities and 20,117 that resulted in nonfatal injuries. At least 2,867 of those accidents resulted in suspected serious injuries.
While the specifics regarding the injuries that our fellow Lexington residents and others living in or traveling through our state aren’t readily available, it’s safe to say from our experience handling car accident cases at Golden Law Offices, back injuries top that list.
So, what do you do if you have back pain after a car accident? And what common diagnoses may you expect to receive if it hurts? Read on to find the answers to these questions and many more if you’ve been hurt in a crash.
Common Symptoms Associated With Back Pain
Pain is a word that can mean different things to each individual. For example, someone may refer to one of the following as a painful sensation so long as it occurs anywhere in the rear portion of their torso, whether it’s in the upper, middle, or lower back:
- Persistent warming or burning feeling
- Numbness intermittent with tingling
- A pulsating or throbbing feeling
- Acute stabbing pain
While many of these symptoms may be persistent, meaning they don’t let up, others may come and go, especially if you take time to rest, receive manual manipulation such as a massage or physical therapy, utilize hot or cold therapy, or employ other strategies to try and improve from your condition.
What To Do if You’re Experiencing Back Pain Post-Car Crash
Receiving medical care if you’re experiencing back discomfort is imperative—even if you think it’s fleeting. It may be the early signs of something serious.
Even if your adrenaline is running high following the crash and you don’t realize the extent of your back pain and thus don’t take an ambulance, you should, at the very least, go see your regular doctor, go to an urgent care facility, or go to an emergency room to get checked out for any underlying issues that simply have manifested themselves, as you may find out that you have a potentially life-altering condition.
Diagnoses Back Injury Patients Often Receive
The possibilities are endless in terms of back injuries you or a loved one may suffer in a car accident. Common diagnoses those with back pain receive include:
- Compression fractures: This involves the breaking of vertebrae and occurs in the lumbar spine (lower back) area.
- Soft tissue injuries like whiplash: This injury often has its onset when the neck snaps front and back in a high impact rear-end crash. Such an injury can cause decreased mobility and radiating pain down from a person’s neck into their spine.
- Sacroiliac joint injuries: This is a connector joint that joins the pelvis, hips, and spine together. It can easily become inflamed, causing low back pain as a result.
- Disc damage: Bulging, slipped, or herniated discs can all cause structural damage to the spine leading to impingement of nerves and pain that radiates down the spine and into the legs, resulting in sciatica or radiculopathy diagnoses.
- Spondylolisthesis: This is a type of stress fracture that causes vertebrae to become displaced, causing significant pain.
- Facet joint injuries: These joints, which run along the spine, often become compromised in an auto accident—especially when it causes the hyperextension of a person’s back, as is often the case in a rear-end crash. Pain in the back is a common side effect of this injury, but so too may be radiating pain into a person’s buttocks.
Even individuals who suffer spinal cord injuries may experience pain or discomfort at or above the injury site where they still have regular sensations. Additionally, inflammation or pain can manifest itself in the form of autonomic dysreflexia, for example, which may lead to sudden spikes in blood pressure, excessive sweating, and other symptomology.
What Is the Prognosis for Someone Who Is Suffering From Back Pain After a Car Accident?
If you hurt your back in a wreck, just like there are a number of conditions you may be diagnosed with, there are many different ways they may be treated.
While some back injuries may be recoverable with some rest, medication like a muscle relaxer, or physical therapy, some patients may require ongoing pain management to feel comfortable. Similarly, while some back injuries may resolve after surgery, no reliable medical treatments may yet be available to treat others (like certain spinal cord damage) and thus a person may be left with lasting, life-altering paralysis and residual health impacts aside from pain.
What Options Do You Have if Your Back Pain Doesn’t Subside After a Collision?
While we’re not doctors and can’t provide you with medical advice for how to best deal with your back pain, we can tell you what your legal options are if your physician has recommended a certain medication, experimental procedure, or some other costly option to keep you as comfortable as possible until perhaps a better procedure that can effectuate more lasting change comes around.
If you don’t have health insurance, these medications or surgical interventions may be costly. Even if you do have medical coverage, it may not cover certain prescription drugs your doctor prescribes or experimental procedures that may be your best option to feel some semblance of normal once again. In these cases, securing some kind of settlement from the party who engaged in negligence and struck you may be extremely helpful so you can catch up on past medical bills and afford much-needed future health care.
What To Know About Auto Insurance Claims in Kentucky
Kentucky is a choice no-fault state, which means injured parties must typically file insurance claims with their own insurance whereby they can recover up to the full policy limits if they get hurt in a crash. However, that coverage is able to be rejected in our state. Plus, it’s generally always possible for a car accident victim with medical bills that exceed their policy limits to file a claim with the other motorist’s carrier once they’ve exhausted their own coverage, provided they can prove their fault.
How Our Skilled Legal Counsel in Lexington Can Help Forward Your Car Accident Case
Our Golden Law Office team has extensive experience helping clients with back injuries just like yours file insurance claims to recover compensation for the exact reasons described above. We’re primed to help you do the same, so reach out to us to schedule a free case review with an attorney in our Lexington, KY office to learn what steps you may need to take to secure what you’re due.
