To understand back and neck injuries, you must first understand the back itself. The spinal cord runs from the base of the brain to the tail bone. Branching off from the spinal cord are numerous nerves which run through the body. Picture a tree: the trunk is the spinal cord and the branches are the nerves. At the base of each nerve is the nerve root, which connects the nerve to the spinal cord. The spinal cord and nerves act together to carry out the brain's functions. Essentially, when your brain processes a thought, it shoots electric signals through the spinal column and nerves and into the part of your body which you desire to move.
Protecting the spinal cord is the spine itself. The spine is a column of bones (vertebrae) and discs (shock absorbers). The spine is not solid. If it was, our movements would be ridged and we would not be able to bend. There are four areas of the spine; those being the cervical spine (neck region), thoracic spine (mid-back region), lumbar spine (lower back) and the sacral vertebrae (tail bone). There are seven cervical vertebrae which protect the spine, as well as twelve thoracic vertebrae, five lumbar vertebrae and a single sacral vertebra. Each vertebra is numbered (e.g. C4, L5, S1, etc.). Between each vertebra is a sponge like disc which acts like a shock absorber for the vertebrae which they are sandwiched between. Each disc is numbered in accordance with the vertebrae levels where they are located. Thus, a disc between C4 and C5 would be known as C4-C5.
A herniated disc is a condition whereby a disc is compressed to the extent that its inner jellylike fluid leaks out. A bulging disc is a compressed disc which has not yet ruptured, but bulges out of his normal position. In both cases, the injured disc can pinch on a nerve root, irritating it, and in some cases, killing it. When that happens, the nerve cannot act as it is intended and the brain's signals can be disrupted. What results are feelings of numbness, pain, and/or tingling in the body part which the nerve served. The cervical spine nerves spread into the neck and shoulder region. The thoracic spine nerves spread into the body's mid-section, and the lumbar spine nerves spread into the buttocks and legs. Thus, a herniated disc at L4-5 can cause numbness and pain in legs. The radiating pain and numbness caused by damage to the nerve root is termed "radiculopathy."
Diagnosing a back injury is quite difficult. X-rays depict broken bones and therefore, are rarely useful in diagnosing a disc injury. To properly diagnose a disc injury an MRI needs to be conducted. While an MRI can depict a herniated disc, only an EMG can diagnose nerve damage caused by a herniated disc. An EMG (electromyogram) is a test which requires the insertion of needles into your muscles so that an electrical impulse can pass through the needles and into the nerves looking for damage.
The difficulty with disc injuries is that most people from age 40 onward have some type of degenerative condition to one or more disc levels. Degeneration occurs when a disc is damaged to such an extent that its neighboring vertebrae are able to rub against each other and at times, into the adjacent nerve roots. Thus, when considering a lawsuit based on a back injury, pre-existing injuries must be considered. Insurance companies will always assume that all back injuries are pre-existing and degenerative in nature, unless proven otherwise.
Some common age-related forms of degeneration include: Arthritis, Spondylosis and Sciatica. Arthritis refers to various rheumatoid disorders where the joint cartilage has broken down as the result of wear and tear on the joint. Spondylosis occurs when bone spurs form on and between the vertebrae, reducing the movement of the vertebrae resulting in stiffness, pain and discomfort. Sciatica refers to pain which radiates down into the legs caused from nerve compression in the lower lumbar region. Sciatica develops overtime, but can result from a herniated disc suffered years before.
If you or someone you know suffers from a back or neck pain as the result of an accident, call Law Offices of Heidi A. Gifford today at (518) 725-0655.