Suffering from Back Pain After an Accident? Steps You Can Take

Sometime you don’t always feel the pain right after the impact of a car crash or work accident. And other times, the impact is hard enough that you feel it instantly.

We’re talking about back pain. Whether you’re experiencing it right after the accident or a few days later, waiving it off as not a big deal is NOT the way to handle it.

The reality is, according to Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, thousands of individuals are injured in auto accidents each year. Many others are injured on the job. Unfortunately, many of these situations aren’t handled correctly by the people involved.

Continue reading this article for information on handling accident injuries the right way.

What are the steps you should take when suffering from pain after an accident:

1. See a doctor and get checked as soon as possible.

Just because you feel okay after an accident doesn’t mean that you are. Your pain could start hours to a few days after an accident. Delayed onset back pain after an auto accident is common and could be a symptom of a spinal injury, herniated disc or a soft tissue injury.

Getting medical attention immediately after an accident protects you in case that pain does ramp up due to your injury being more severe than you thought. And if you wait to seek medical attention days after the incident, insurance companies can argue that your symptoms are caused by activities that occurred after the accident.

2. Document and record as many details as you can.

It’s very importance that you can record as many details as is possible. Recording includes writing down information, taking pictures, and video recording the scene. Depending on the severity of the accident, doing this may not be possible and you’ll have to rely on information from witnesses.

In addition to recording your own information, filing a police report is also important and is required by some insurance policies.

3. Talk to a work injury lawyer near you

If you’re injured in an accident while on the job, it takes an experienced workers’ compensation attorney to go up against an insurance company to make sure you receive the compensation you deserve.

Whether you want to believe it or not, insurance companies aren’t sitting around waiting to pay out money. They want to keep as much money as they can so that they make more money. You need lawyers on your side who know the ropes and are ready to fight for you.

Here’s a synopsis of some of the most common neck and back injuries:

Lumbar Spine Injuries:

Injuries to the lumbar spine are more common in auto accidents than thoracic injuries. These injuries can include strains and sprains to the muscles and ligaments of the back. The symptoms that accompany these injuries are soreness, swelling, and point tenderness.

Personal injury to your back, neck, and spine are usually apparent right after an accident, but in many cases, they aren’t. Symptoms can show up anywhere from hours after an accident to days or even weeks after the accident.

Neck Injuries:

It’s easy to see how these injuries come about. The sudden impact and jerking movements as a result of that impact causes our bodies to react and move in all sorts of ways and usually not together. With the neck being the connector between the body and head, it literally whips as a result of this, which can cause damage to the vertebrae or discs.

Rose has over 20 years of copywriting for attorneys and law firms. When not writing, she spends her time outdoors among friends and family.