Herniated Disc Injuries
A herniated disc is an injury that may be diagnosed following traumatic injury motor vehicle collisions, an auto accident lawyer Phoenix AZ may be able to help the victim.
The spine is made up of bones, the vertebrae are cushioned by soft discs made of a jellylike material. The discs allow you to move your spine around and bend over.
A herniated disc refers to potential nerve, pain issues concerning a disc, a rubber like cushion, that is between individual vertebrae in the spine. This injury may also be called a bulging, or extruded or slipped disc.
A spinal disc has a softer center and a tougher exterior, a herniated disc occurs when some of the jelly like inside pushes out through the tougher exterior. The disc can irritate nearby nerves, and cause pain, numbness or weakness in an arm or a leg.
A herniated disc may occur in the cervical (neck) thoracic (middle back) or lumbar spine, the lower back.
A lower back herniated disc may result in buttocks, thigh calf, foot pain. A cervical herniated disc may result in shoulder, arm pain, numbness, tingling, weakness. There are people who experience no symptoms from a herniated disc.
Herniated discs may be diagnosed through a CT scan or MRI, an EMG may help to further explain nerve irritation. The injury can be extremely painful, and limit one’s daily activities, or ability to work. An auto accident lawyer Phoenix AZ can assess the issues of negligence, causation, medical bills, treatment, lost income, the possibility of permanent injury.
Treatment will vary for each individual. Non-surgical options such as therapy or pain management injections may be considered, along with medication, acupuncture, chiropractic care. Therapy may include stretching, massage, ice, heat, ultrasound therapy, electrical muscle stimulation.
Medications may include over the counter pain medicine, anti-inflammatory drugs, narcotics, muscle relaxants for muscle spasms.
Injections may include epidurals, where a steroid is injected around a spinal nerve. A steroid injection can be done in the space around a spinal nerve, this may reduce swelling and increase movement.
Further surgical procedures include discectomy, removal of all or part of a disc, laminotomy, removal of part of the lamina of a vertebrae, to relieve pressure in the vertebral canal, or spinal fusion, where vertebrae may be surgically fused, to try and prevent vertebrae movement and reduce pain. During spinal fusion bone or bonelike material is placed between spinal vertebrae. Metal plates, rods, screws may be used to hold the vertebrae, so that they may heal, into a stable unit.
In personal injury cases, issues that are relevant include prior neck, back injuries, symptoms, treatment, and diagnostic films. Relevant issues in evaluating a herniated disc case from a lawyer’s standpoint also include the prior treatment history, prior collision accidents, or falls, and when the symptoms arose after the collision or traumatic event. A treating doctor’s opinions regarding the relationship between the traumatic event and disc related symptoms may be significant.
An auto accident lawyer Phoenix AZ should be consulted following a motor vehicle collision caused by a negligent driver, legal options can be discussed.