Cleveland Back Injury Lawyers

Cleveland Back Pain & Back Injuries

Back pain travels through the body’s nervous system and is often a sign of a more significant, sometimes chronic, problem. Pain resulting from bulging discs, back muscle strains or osteoarthritis can be inhibiting to the point of immobility.

Since the lumbar spine (the lower back) supports most of the body’s weight, it is particularly prone to injury and pain, subsequently affecting other parts of the body, including the upper spine and neck. Back and neck pain can range from mild to severe depending on the amount of injury, and it can be acute or chronic.

• Acute lower back pain: often sourced in the muscles, ligaments, joints, or discs, this intense pain usually comes on suddenly and often improves within days or weeks.
• Chronic back pain: characterized by lasting three or more months, and its severity may ebb and flow depending on a person’s physical activities. It’s often hard to diagnose the source of chronic back pain; however, nerve damage, scar tissue, arthritis and even psychological stress are known to exacerbate chronic back pain.

Your back or spinal pain may relate to injuries or other conditions, including:

• Sciatica (pain that runs from the lower back down the leg)
• Muscle Strain (often related to strenuous or physical activities)
• Herniated or bulging discs (compression of back nerves as the result of a burst spinal disc)
• Osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease
• Stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on the spinal cord or nerves)
• Lumbar (spine) injuries from sports-related activities, falls, or car accidents

Symptoms of Back Injuries

According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of back injuries may involve the following types of pain in the neck, back, buttocks, thighs, and knees:

• Stiffness: A stiff back can make it hard to bend, turn, or get out of bed.
• Tightness: Muscles around an injured area often tighten to guard it, which limits movement.
• Aching: A dull, constant ache can linger for weeks and worsen with sitting or standing.
• Burning, stabbing or shooting pains
• Pressure or tingling
• Pain that spreads to the buttocks, thighs or knees
• Muscle spasms: Sudden, painful tightening of the back muscles can stop you in the middle of a movement.
• Cauda Equina Syndrome (loss of bladder or bowel function control)

Common Back Injuries After an Accident

The force of a crash or a hard fall can damage the spine in several ways, and many people have more than one of these injuries at once.

Herniated and Bulging Discs

The discs between the vertebrae act as cushions. A sudden impact can push a disc out of place or tear its outer layer, pressing on nearby nerves and causing pain, numbness, or weakness. Disc injuries are among the most common, and most contested, back injury claims, and our article on disc injury settlements explains how they are valued.

Fractured Vertebrae

High-impact crashes and falls can crack or compress the bones of the spine. Some fractures heal with bracing and rest; others need surgery. A fracture that affects the spinal cord can cause paralysis, and our Cleveland spinal cord injury lawyers handle those cases.

Sprains and Strains

Stretched or torn muscles and ligaments are often dismissed as minor, but they can cause weeks or months of pain and limited movement, especially in the lower back. Injuries higher up are common too, and our guide to upper back pain after an accident covers recovery.

Pinched Nerves and Sciatica

When a damaged disc or swollen tissue presses on a nerve, pain can shoot into the buttocks, legs, or arms. Sciatica, pain that runs from the lower back down the leg, can make it hard to sit, stand, or work.

How Back Injuries Happen in Cleveland

The back injury cases we handle most often come from:

• Rear-end crashes: car accidents at stoplights and in stop-and-go traffic on I-90, I-71, and I-480 jolt the spine forward and back.
• Truck crashes: truck crashes and motorcycle accidents involve forces that fracture vertebrae and damage discs.
• Slip and falls on ice: icy parking lots, sidewalks, and building entrances are a winter hazard across Northeast Ohio, and a Cleveland slip and fall lawyer can explain when a property owner may be responsible. Ohio law generally does not require owners to clear natural snow and ice, but an owner can be liable for unnatural accumulations, such as ice from a leaking gutter or a poorly drained lot.
• Lifting injuries at work: warehouse, health care, and construction workers who lift and move heavy loads often hurt their backs on the job.

Back injuries can wreak serious havoc on the body and cause physical damage as well as cause psychological side effects. These side effects may be severe enough to cause permanent or long-lasting damage. Back injuries may be keeping you in varying degrees of pain, out of work, on disability, in debt, or simply unable to participate in your day-to-day life at full capacity.

Back injuries can require both nonsurgical care as well as invasive surgery, and could also require weeks of physical therapy to rectify the problem and eliminate the pain.

Treatment and Your Claim

The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center points out that while back and neck pain are sometimes difficult to diagnose, people do have access to a variety of pain relief and treatment. Proposed degrees of treatment for Ohio back pain victims include:

• Conservative measures: massages, chiropractic adjustments, and occupational therapy.
• Moderately non-invasive treatment: acupuncture and tissue manipulation techniques, and integrative medicine.
• Invasive treatment: injections and spinal surgery.

Ohio medical professionals typically recommend beginning back treatment options conservatively before progressing to more invasive measures for long-term chronic pain and severe back injuries.

How you are treated also shapes your claim. Insurers look closely at when you first saw a doctor and whether you kept up with care. Get checked soon after the accident, follow the treatment plan, and tell your doctor about every symptom, even ones that seem minor. If a treatment is not working, ask your doctor about the next step instead of simply stopping. Consistent records from your treating doctors are the strongest evidence of how badly you were hurt.

Hurt Your Back In Cleveland? KNR Will

• Answer your questions and concerns
• Keep you updated during all stages of the process
• Obtain medical records about the extent of your back injury
• Identify the responsible party
• Determine the fair and full value of your damages
• Negotiate for maximum compensation
• Fight for everything you deserve in court if necessary

Call (216) 658-1330 or 1-800-HURT-NOW for a free consultation.

Cleveland Back Injury FAQs