5 Steps to Take When You Have a Herniated Disc From a Car Accident
If you’re suffering from pain that you suspect is a herniated disc following a car accident in Colorado, don’t brush off your symptoms. Begin the process of documenting your care to get a painful herniated disc treated right away to avoid a serious long-term spinal injury.
Are you suffering from a herniated disc after a car accident? Unfortunately, it’s very common for people to forgo medical treatment following this injury. This can lead to pain, suffering, and restrictions that prevent you from living your life. Getting a herniated disc diagnosed after a car accident is important. Equally as important is working with a medical professional capable of treating herniations.
How Does a Herniated Disc After a Car Accident Happen?
Discs are fluid-filled, cushion-like structures located between the spinal vertebrae. They serve as cushions that absorb the impact from all of your movements to protect your spine from pressure and injuries. The force of a car accident can cause vertebrae to push through into the spinal canal to create compression and irritation in the spinal cord. What makes this injury particularly difficult for sufferers is that the spinal cord consists of nerve bundles that are responsible for sending messages to various parts of the brain and body. That means that pain signals can be triggered throughout the body.
Common symptoms of a herniated disc after a car accident include:
- Arm or leg pain.
- Lower-back pain.
- Pain in the buttocks, thigh, calf, and foot.
- Numbness and tingling.
- Muscle pain.
While herniated discs are most likely to occur in the lower back, they can occur in any part of the spine. Symptoms may be specific to one area of the body. However, some people will experience a variety of symptoms that radiate throughout the musculoskeletal system.
Five Steps to Take When You Suspect a Herniated Disc After a Car Accident
If you’re suffering from a herniated disc after being involved in a car accident, it’s important to take action immediately. The good news is that it’s not too late to address a herniation even if some time has passed since your accident. However, getting proper testing and treatment as soon after the accident as possible can help to increase your chances for making a full recovery without permanent dysfunction. In some cases, allowing a disc to become extruded can result in permanent damage to the spinal cord.
Seek Medical Treatment Immediately
Get in touch with a medical provider specializing in spinal health as the first step. You should make an appointment for diagnostic imaging with a one-on-one evaluation to confirm that the source of your symptoms is a herniated disc. This isn’t just an important step for treating a herniation. Being evaluated also allows your medical provider to rule out any other serious injuries that could be mimicking the symptoms of a herniated disc. It’s also important to know that booking an appointment with a medical provider specializing in musculoskeletal injuries is essential because emergency room X-rays will not show a herniated disc.
Document Every Step
Documenting every step of medical care is important for any type of accident injury. It’s still important even if you suspect that you have a very mild injury. The fact of the matter is that documentation will allow you to avoid headaches and setbacks if your injury turns out to be a serious one that requires persistent medical treatment for rehabilitation and recovery. Maintaining clear, consistent records that show a relationship between a car crash and your documented injury can potentially make it much easier for your lawyer to obtain a fair and sufficient settlement on your behalf.
Avoid Wavers
If you’re seeking compensation following an accident because you’re suffering from a herniated disc, resist the temptation to sign any settlements, releases, or waivers tied to the accident until you have confirmed your next step with a lawyer. It’s very common for auto insurers to try to push accident victims into signing documents. Putting your name on a document that you don’t fully understand can potentially shut the door on any chance of being compensated for your injuries.
Speak With an Attorney
An injury like a herniated disc is something that can potentially cause pain, suffering, and reduced quality of life for years to come. While you may assume that your painful injury will heal with time, it’s very possible that you will experience pain and dysfunction that disrupt your life
Don’t Attempt to Push Through the Pain
You may feel like you don’t “have time” to seek treatment for a herniated disc. You may also be thinking that some pain in your back, neck, or extremities isn’t really “worth” seeing a doctor about. This is exactly how people get trapped in a situation where they are dealing with pain and suffering without any recourse for being compensated because they didn’t properly address their accident injuries. It’s very possible that some minor aches and pains that you find “annoying” today may get progressively worse with time until you’re dealing with extruding discs that are pushing against your spinal cord to create chronic pain and dysfunction.
Speak With a Doctor About a Herniated Disc in Denver, Colorado
Guardian Medical was founded to ensure that people suffering from injuries can access the level of care needed to properly heal following accidents. What makes our approach to healing unique is that we’ve actually developed our practices around providing the documentation and authenticity needed to have your treatments recognized by insurance companies. While Guardian Medical doctors don’t administer your care, we do oversee the care you’re getting from the chiropractor, physical therapist, or holistic provider of your choice. Having your treatments overseen by our medical doctors helps you to provide the documentation insurance companies are looking for when approving claims. Guardian Medical also provides patients with quick access to medical records and paperwork related to occupational restrictions and releases. Take the right step if you have a herniated disc after a car accident near Denver, Colorado. Talk to the team at Guardian Medical by calling 303-222-0363.
