Albany Back Injury Lawyer

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), approximately 17,7000 Americans suffer from spinal cord injuries every year. 250,000 to 363,000 of these Americans are actively living with a spinal injury.

The spinal cord is encased by the spinal column for the sake of protection. The 31 pairs of spinal nerve roots branch out from the spinal cord and through the rest of the body so that we can move, think, feel, and function. Major damage to the spinal cord and brain – AKA the central nervous system – is often catastrophic. A spinal cord injury can easily result in partial or complete paralysis, chronic pain, and nerve dysfunction. The most severe cases of spinal cord injuries result in wrongful death.

Car accidents and slip and fall accidents are the top causes of spinal cord injuries in the U.S. Accidents like these are generally caused by negligence. So if a drunk driver or a broken staircase caused your spinal injury, you have grounds to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit. Albany back injury lawyers at Bailey, Johnson & Peck can handle your legal affairs while you focus on healing from your injury.

Soft tissue back injuries – such as sprains and strains – are probably the most common types of back injuries that people suffer from. Sprains and strains describe stretched or torn muscles and ligaments. These types of back injuries can occur from intense twisting, bending, lifting, pulling, and stretching. Soft tissue back injuries are also commonly caused by the strain of being overweight.

While soft tissue injuries are painful, they are often temporary and can often be resolved with home remedies. Over the counter pain medications, rest, hot/cold therapy, and gentle stretching can gradually heal a soft tissue back injury over the course of a few weeks.

Between each vertebra in the spinal column is a rubbery disc. These discs absorb shock from our day to day movements. Car accidents, slip and fall accidents, aging, chiropractic adjustment errors, and vigorous movements can cause a herniated disc, which is when part of the disc is pushed out into the spinal canal.

Herniated discs often cause a condition called radiculopathy, which is when a spinal nerve root becomes pinched. Pinched nerves can cause numbness, tingling, and pain throughout the body. The type and location of the numbness and tingling pain depends on the location of the pinched nerve.

• Cervical Radiculopathy means that you have a pinched nerve in the cervical spine (the neck).
• Thoracic Radiculopathy means that you have a pinched nerve in the thoracic spine (the mid back).
• Lumbar Radiculopathy means that you have a pinched nerve in the lumbar spine (the lower back).

Both herniated discs and radiculopathy can be incredibly painful. However, both conditions are very manageable with pain medications, steroids, home care, and even surgery. While these conditions typically don’t result in full blown disability, it can happen, especially if there are multiple herniated discs and pinched nerves.

A fractured vertebra is basically a broken back bone. There are two main types of fractured vertebrae, and they are compression fractures and burst fractures. Compression fractures occur when the back bones get violently pushed together and then collapse upon themselves. Meanwhile, burst fractures occur when vertebra pieces explode out into the spinal cord and spinal nerves.

Spine injuries like this are typically caused by traumatic accidents like car accidents, slip and fall accidents, sports accidents, and acts of violence. One or more fractured back bones probably rank second place in most severe spinal injuries, with spinal cord injuries being number one. Still, it’s very possible to fully recover from one or more fractured vertebrae, while many spinal cord injury victims endure lifelong disability.