Las Vegas Personal Injury Lawyer

Herniated Disc Injuries

Spinal discs are round cushions that lie in between the vertebrae of the spinal column. These discs have an external shell and a liquid substance in the middle, and act like shock absorbers between the vertebrae, cushioning them when we move our bodies for activities of everyday life. If a disc is injured as the result of the sudden impact trauma, however, the inner core of the disc extrudes back into the spinal canal, becoming “herniated,” and can put great pressure on the nerve, causing pain to radiate throughout in injured person's body.

Causes of A Herniated Disc

Automobile accidents result in a major percentage of herniated disc injury cases in the United States. Due to the “g-forces,” or acceleration due to gravity, involved in a high-speed motor vehicle collision, the human spinal column will sometimes be jarred out of place and result in a herniated (also called a ruptured or bulging) disc injury. The sudden impact of a motorcycle or bicycle crash, or airplane, train or other mass –transit accident can similarly cause serious herniated disc injury.

Herniated Disc Diagnosis

A herniated disc is rarely diagnosed in the emergency room after a traumatic impact accident, however, because the disc is invisible on an x-ray. Also, many automobile accident victims are immediately filled with adrenaline that may cause a feeling of euphoria and camouflage serious injuries, so that individuals do not realize they are injured. Later, however, after the adrenaline wears off, many accident victims will begin to experience or notice severe pain in their backs, feet, legs, or hands. A CT scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) test may detect a disc herniation at this point.  These diagnostic tests, however cannot adequately assess the injured person’s pain. 

Herniated Disc Pain

The pain from a herniated disc typically shoots through the body, usually to one area in particular, since each nerve in the spine is connected to a particular area of the body. This pain can be nerve root pain, leg pain if the herniation is in the lumbar (back), or arm pain from a cervical (neck) herniated disc. Pain from a herniated disc injury can vary widely from person to person and can be debilitating: some herniated disc injuries leave injury victims in constant pain for the rest of their lives.

Long Term Suffering

A serious back injury causes missed work, lost wages, pain and suffering, lost future income, and weight gain due to inactivity. This can lead to obesity and other serious health defects like diabetes and clogged arteries and fatal cardiac conditions.

Accident Injury Attorneys

If you or a loved one has been involved an automobile, motorcycle or bicycle collision or train, airplane or other sudden impact mass transit accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the individual or operator that caused the injury.  Consult with a qualified Las Vegas accident lawyer to learn about your legal rights and seek recovery for the pain and suffering you are suffering as a result of a herniated disc injury.