According to statistics from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, roughly 80 percent of people suffer from lower back pain, and many of these sufferers are victims of a traumatic injury caused by a car accident.
In fact, one of the most common types of injuries suffered in a motor vehicle crash is a back injury. The force of an accident can seriously damage a person’s back and result in muscle pain, fractures, injured vertebra or compressed spinal nerves.
Lower back pain can affect a victim’s life in a variety of ways, whether it is acute or chronic, minor or severe. Treatment is heavily dependent on the type of injury and how it is affecting a person’s mobility and health, but one thing that all treatments have in common is the potential for being extensive and costly.
Diagnosing back pain can require multiple hospital visits for X-rays, CT scans, an MRI and other types of tests that can help identify the source of the pain. Depending on the results of these tests, a person may need surgery, physical therapy and/or medication to alleviate the pain. He or she may also need to avoid certain activities or wear restrictive braces in order to protect the back while it is healing.
All of this can prove to be disruptive to a person’s daily life and finances. It may be impossible to keep up with hospital bills and other expenses, especially if a person is unable to work during this time.
Worrying about money and work can only make the recovery process that much more stressful for victims of a car accident. In order to relieve some of this anxiety and get some much-needed financial support, victims have the option of filing a legal claim for damages against a negligent or reckless party. While money cannot reverse back pain, it can make it easier for victims to get the treatment they need to manage or heal their symptoms.
Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, “Low Back Pain Fact Sheet,” accessed on Jan. 2, 2015