Diagnosing the Cause of Back Pain After a Car Accident

If you injured your back in a NY car accident, there are several steps you need to take. First, seek medical attention. Before your physician can diagnose your back pain, they will need to conduct a thorough examination and document the events leading to your injury. Second, contact Apicella & Schlesinger Attorneys at Law. After 45 years of experience handling auto accident claims, we understand which tests offer the results needed to help recover the total amount of compensation for your injuries.

Diagnosing the Cause of Back Pain

Your physician will conduct some routine tests to narrow down where the back pain is coming from. You will be asked to twist, bend and move to see which motions bring on the pain. They will also be looking for signs of lost flexibility.

Some of the testing and imaging they will have you complete include:

• MRI – An MRI is a diagnostic tool that can create a real-time 3-D image of the spine. This will show changes in the soft tissues like nerves and ligaments to help a physician isolate the area where the pain is coming from. An MRI is also helpful in diagnosing herniated disc and other spinal cord injuries.
• EMG – This test can look at the function of the nerves in the back and neck by placing tiny electrodes in the muscles of the lower extremity. Those electrodes can read the electrical signals in the muscles to determine if a nearby nerve is being pinched. This helps in measuring the exact condition of the nerves.

Common Types of Back Injuries

The back is a complex network of bones, muscles, tendons, nerves, and other tissues that extend from the neck to the pelvis. Several injuries can occur to a person’s back. The lower back is the most common site of a back injury and back pain. Some of the most common types of injuries include:

• Spinal Cord Injury
• Herniated Disc
• Compression Fractures
• Sprains and Strains

Compensation for Future Medical Care

It is not enough to ask that your current medical bills be included in a car accident lawsuit involving a back injury. The long-term future medical care that you will most likely need must be considered. Back injuries may take a long time to heal, and symptoms are known to reappear unexpectedly. Asking for the cost of future medical care is necessary to make sure you can still be treated for the back injury, even after the case has been closed.