Is It Normal to Have Back Pain After a Virginia Car Accident?

Even a relatively minor car crash can leave you feeling dazed and sore. As a matter of fact, one of the most common post-accident complaints is back pain. Back pain is a symptom that can encompass multiple injuries. Many Virginia car accident victims experience pain in their upper back, shoulders, and neck. Others report feeling pain in their hips and lower back after an accident.

Regardless of where back pain presents itself after an accident, you need to see a doctor as quickly as possible. While some injuries that result in back pain are treatable with minimally invasive procedures, others require more aggressive means of medical intervention. Only a doctor can diagnose the source of your back pain and recommend an appropriate course of action. This means that a prompt medical visit is extremely important when it comes to alleviating your symptoms and avoiding potentially serious complications. 

The Virginia personal injury lawyers at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp have a well-earned reputation for helping car accident victims collect compensation for their injuries. 

What Kinds of Injuries Can Cause Back Pain?

When a doctor examines you for complaints of back pain, you might be taken aback by their diagnosis. The trauma that causes back pain isn’t always located in your back. Instead, your injury may be causing pain to radiate outward making your back hurt even though it is not the part of you with the injury.  

Some of the most common types of collision injuries that cause back pain include:

  • Soft Tissue Strains/Sprains: The extreme force generated by the collision can unexpectedly jolt or shake your body. As a result, your ligaments, tendons, and muscles can become sprained or strained causing a tingling or throbbing feeling in your back. If the damaged tissues are close to your spinal cord, you could experience anything from complete numbness to sharp pains.
  • Herniated/Slipped Discs: A herniated or slipped disc in your back could cause intense back pain that can be felt across a wide area. In some situations, surgery is necessary to fix the problem.
  • Damaged/Crushed Vertebrae: Just like any other bone, your vertebrae can be crushed or broken in a car accident. Since vertebrae are positioned along the entire length of your back, you could feel numbness, pressure, pain, or a stinging sensation in that area. 
  • Whiplash: Arguably the most common car accident injury, whiplash is a condition that occurs when your neck is rapidly jerked side-to-side or front-to-back, by an unexpected force. The resulting pain can spread from your neck to your upper back, leaving the area feeling sore and tender.
  • Heart Attack: One type of post-crash medical response that can cause back pain is a heart attack. Although tightening and pressure in the chest are the most common heart attack symptoms, for some people, it presents as pain in their upper back. This is another reason to seek prompt medical attention after a car accident.  

How Is Back Pain Treated After a Virginia Car Accident?

Based on the underlying cause of your back pain, you might have to endure multiple treatments and procedures. These may include surgery, occupational and physical therapy, and at-home care. Most patients are also prescribed various medications to address the cause of or alleviate their pain. 

It is important to follow your doctor’s instructions. Failing to do so will make it harder to prove that your injury and subsequent pain were serious enough to require medical intervention. You will also find it much more difficult to obtain financial compensation via a personal injury suit. The longer you wait to seek medical help, the more tenuous the correlation between your accident and your injury becomes. This also enables the insurance company to cast doubt on whether it was the accident or something else that really caused your injuries. 

Can I Collect Compensation for My Back Pain?

Back pain caused by a car accident can make it tough to perform daily tasks, go to work, and just enjoy living your life. In some extreme cases, Virginia car accident victims have been forced to quit their jobs or have expensive modifications made to their homes because of their injuries.

As long as you do not share liability for the accident that caused your back pain, there are several different ways you could be compensated for damages related to your accident. One way is through your own insurance. Depending on your policy, your insurance company might pay a certain amount of your medical bills. This will help mitigate the cost of your copays, health care deductibles, and other out-of-pocket costs.

Another way you may be able to collect compensation is by filing a claim with the at-fault driver’s provider. Assuming they are insured, their insurance company should help pay some of your damages. Unfortunately, not every insurance company has a straightforward claims process. This is why most Virginia car accident victims choose to work with a personal injury lawyer from Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp.  

A final way that car accident victims can collect for their economic and non-economic damages is to file a personal injury suit. Working with an experienced attorney will ensure that you have the proper documentation and meet all applicable deadlines.

Speak With a Virginia Back Pain Lawyer Today

If you have decided to pursue legal action for your Virginia car accident injuries, our attorneys can help. Call the Virginia car accident lawyers at Shapiro, Washburn & Sharp at (833) 997-1774 and schedule your free consultation. Once you sign with our firm, we will review the specifics of your case, determine what damages you may be entitled to, and file a claim against the at-fault driver and their insurance carrier. Our experienced attorneys will also conduct an investigation into your accident and collect vital evidence that illustrates a clear and convincing link between the respondent’s actions and your injuries.

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