After spending a decade as a Lynnwood auto accident lawyer, working with victims of serious auto accidents I have seen the toll one of these auto accidents can take on your back and neck. The sudden impact on an auto accident puts a lot of strain on your neck, back and spinal column and can lead to some very painful injuries such as a cervical disk herniation.
The sudden impact from an auto accident may be lightened by your vehicles safety features, but even with side and front airbags and a properly used seatbelt the spinal column can still experience a significant blow. The spinal column is composed of vertebrae (the bones of the spinal column) and intervertebral discs, which are designed to cushion the vertebrae so they do not rub on each other. When the body experiences a sudden impact, such as in an auto accident, the discs can be forced out of their correct position, causing the vertebrae to rub together and even pinch spinal nerves. This condition is called a cervical disk herniation and results in significant discomfort and pain to the victim.
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The symptoms of a disk herniation include severe pain in the area of the herniated disk as the bones rub together. Also, if the herniated disk results in a pinch nerve you may feel severe pain or even limited feeling or numbness in the face, arms or legs- depending on the location of the injury. Even a slightly herniated disk can result in a significant amount of pain because the nerve is very close to the bones.
Though it can be a very uncomfortable problem, herniated disks do not typically require surgery and conservative methods will fix the problem over time. Conservative treatments for a herniated disk include; physical therapy, epidural injections and medications.
Jason at premier law group is truly an outstanding individual. Our particular case was not something that their firm usually sees but they were more than willing to help us and give us all of the information they had available. I can't recommend them enough.