The Most Common Types of Back Surgery Needed After a Car Accident

Car accidents can be a traumatic experience, and many people become more hesitant about driving and more afraid that they will be in another one. This isn’t very surprising, especially when someone is seriously injured.

Some car accidents are mild, and you may walk away just fine; however, other car accidents can cause serious and life-altering injuries. Some of the most common car accident injuries needing routine attention are back injuries, and treatment can range from physical therapy to major surgery.

Types of Back Injuries Typically Seen in Car Accidents

Back injuries are common in car accidents, and they can range from mild to severe. Because the back makes up so much of our body, it is no wonder that it can be vulnerable to trauma. This back trauma can take a while to heal and even create pain that lasts weeks, months, or even years.

Here are some of the most common types of back injuries that we see in car accidents:

Back Strain – This occurs with force or pressure from an impact damages the soft tissues in your back, like muscle and tendons.
Back Sprain – A back sprain occurs when force or pressure from an impact damage the ligaments in the back.
Compression Fracture – Tiny breaks in the bones of the spine can be caused upon impact and can make it painful to move and breathe. It can even cause permanent damage to the spine.
Herniated Discs – When too much pressure is placed on the discs between your vertebrae, it can cause them to rupture and impact the surrounding nerve roots. This can result in pain or numbness.
Thoracic and Lumbar Vertebrae Fractures – These are bones in the lower and middle back and can be vulnerable rotation fractures, flexion fractures, and extension fractures, creating moderate to severe back pain.

These types of injuries can have a major impact on your daily life because of how much you move around. Even normal daily activities can be difficult as you are recovering, and treatment varies depending on your type of injury. If you or a loved one has had a back injury as a result of a car accident, you may be facing one or more of the following surgeries…

Common Types of Back Surgeries

Back injuries can be painful, and there is a higher chance that you may not be able to work. Some back injuries are more severe than others, and recovery could mean anything from having to wear a back brace, attending physical therapy, or undergoing major back surgery.

Here are some of the surgeries you may need if you were in a car accident and injured your back:

Spinal Fusion – Herniated discs and spinal fractures are common back injuries suffered from car accidents. A spinal fusion helps to relieve some of the pain and suffering associated with this type of injury by joining two or more vertebrae together.
Vertebroplasty – Spinal fractures can happen at any vertebra point and are often caused by trauma. This procedure is when bone cement is injected into a vertebra to repair the spinal fracture and is commonly performed with compression fractures.
Kyphoplasty – This procedure comes before a vertebroplasty in some cases. This is where a balloon is inserted into the fractured vertebra and is inflated to allow the bone cement to be injected.
Discectomy – When a herniated disc is damaged so badly it needs to be removed, this is the procedure you’ll face.
Laminotomy – The lamina covers the spinal cord, but sometimes pressure builds up after an injury. This procedure removes a portion of the lamina to relieve that pressure.

While some of these surgeries may sound difficult, they are meant to help relieve your pain and suffering. Some of them are even outpatient procedures.

However, no matter what type of procedure you have, they can be expensive and leave you out of work.

You shouldn’t be on the hook for the costs associated with these procedures, or the loss of income because you didn’t cause the accident. It’s important to work with a trusted personal injury lawyer who can help you get the maximum compensation for your injury.

Make Sure You Get Compensation

Your recovery is directly tied to the compensation you receive. By holding the negligent driver accountable for your injuries, you can keep your focus on your recovery and not on the costs.

You do this by hiring a trusted car accident lawyer in Los Angeles. At Steinberg Injury Lawyers, our goal is to ensure you make a full and complete recovery. We do that by aggressively fighting to get you compensation for:

Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Medical expenses
Lost wages

Too often, we see clients who have accepted a quick settlement offer from the at-fault driver’s insurance company because they needed the cash.

Unfortunately, by accepting the settlement, they waived their right to bring a claim in the future for this same accident. By then, it’s too late to act once they realize their settlement doesn’t cover all of their medical expenses. Don’t let yourself fall into this same situation.

Contact Your Los Angeles Car Accident Lawyer

Steinberg Injury Lawyers has the ability to handle your car accident injury case. We have helped many clients just like you who have been injured and need to recover compensation to get better. We’ll meet with you and investigate your claim.

We’ll also negotiate with the insurance company to help maximize your settlement. We do all of this at no cost to you. We only get paid when you win.