What to Do After You've Fallen & Herniated Your Disk

Law Blog

When your back hurts, everything hurts. As the support framework for your entire body, an injury to the back can cause widespread agony and make it difficult to move and go on with your life without enduring pain. One common back problem is that of herniated disks. This type of injury can happen with any number of accidents, from car wrecks to slip and falls in businesses. To learn more about herniated disks and how to get money damages for your medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering, read on.

How the disk becomes herniated

Your spinal column (or backbone), which runs down the center of your back, is made up a many disks. These disks serve to cushion the spine against impacts, like a fall or car crash. In most cases, they work as advertised and your back is protected from problems. After a time, however, these disks can become damaged, through both age and with repeated impacts. Minor damage to a disk is known as a slipped disk. If the damage is worse, the disk can become ruptured; resulting in a herniated disk.

Dealing with a herniated disk

The level of distress you feel depends on how badly damaged the disk is and where the damaged disk is located. In some cases you might feel tingling and numbness, if the ruptured disk affects the nerves in your spinal cord. These sensations can travel to your arms and all the way down to your feet. Any unexpected movement, such as sneeze, could bring on spasms of pain. Needless to say, sufferers of herniated disks will seek relief and a remedy quickly.

If bed rest doesn't do the trick, the doctor may recommend further treatment. Steroidal injections sometimes provide enough relief from pain and other issues that further treatment is unnecessary, but these injections are limited to a few times a years. Other noninvasive treatment options include:

• physical therapy
• massage therapy
• heat
• ice
• stretching exercises
• electrical stimulation
• ultrasound
• opiates medication
• When all else fails, spinal fusion and disk replacement surgery may be needed to provide lasting relief.

Take Action

You are entitled to be compensated for the considerable amount of pain and suffering you will encounter with this type of injury. Take action quickly by getting medical treatment and keeping up with your related paperwork. Next, contact law firms like Dunbar & Dunbar about getting the money damages you deserve for your back injury.

2 March 2018