A herniated disc is an injury to your spine which frequently happens in automobile accidents. When a car crash takes place it could put severe stress on your spinal column.
Sometimes, a piece of your spinal structure, which is referred to as a disk, moves out of its place. The disk separates your vertebrae. This type of injury is referred to as a slipped or ruptured disk.
These disks may find their way into the spinal channel and consequently press against the spinal nerve resulting in painful back, leg and neck pain and even hand pain.
This painful injury can take weeks to fully recover from and in the meantime money needs to be spent on medical treatment and financial loss is experienced from the lack of ability to work.
You don’t need to suffer financially as you can file a personal injury compensation claim from the person who caused your injury.
How an Herniated Disc Injury May Affect You
If, after your auto accident, you are in pain, you should seek medical help immediately. The sort of pain commonly experienced if you have a herniated disc is extreme back pain that comes on suddenly.
Pain in the lower back is most likely. In an auto accident the disks that are likely to herniate are the two found in the spinal column.
Any ruptured discs that take place in the lower back can exert pressure on the sciatic nerve. This causes sharp pains in the legs and down to the feet.
Over a period of time, pressure from the disk may cause chronic numbness and pain even affecting the back muscles in the area which could eventually weaken and damage them.
A herniated disk may also cause numbness around the toes, foot, calf, foot and fingers. You may experience difficulty when walking or taking part in other daily activities. These sorts of back injuries may affect you for the rest of your life.
Here is some additional information on what you should do if you want to file a personal injury claim after suffering a herniated disc.
Damages Available for a Herniated Disc Injury
If you can prove the injury was not your fault you may be able to get all your medical treatment paid for by a PI claim.
Other benefits could include a calculation for loss of earnings until you can return to work, an amount for the pain and suffering you have had to endure as well as punitive damages if you can prove that the person who caused the accident was negligent.
Why You May Need a PI Attorney
You may think you have a clear cut PI compensation claim as you have sufficient evidence to prove who caused the accident, but insurers always want to shave a little bit off a claim.
If you still have any questions on how to file a personal injury claim if you suffered a herniated disc in a car accident, speak with a personal injury attorney in your area today.
