Herniated and Bulging Disc Injury From a Car Accident

Individual vertebras from the neck to the lower back make up our spinal column. In between the vertebrae are the intervertebral discs. This structure not only serves as a cushion between the bones and absorbs shock, but they also make each movement painless since they prevent bones from rubbing against each other.

The intervertebral discs weaken as we age and as they lose their water content and elasticity. It can lead to problems such as herniated, bulging, and slipped discs. These are conditions wherein the disc bulges out of their normal place, encroaches on its surrounding space, and impinges nerve structures. Upon movement, the bulging worsens and causes symptoms such as pain radiating down the neck and arms, tingling and numbness sensation, and muscle weakness.

Weakened discs may be normal as we age, but there are incidents such as accidents and injuries that cause discs to herniate or bulge out suddenly.

In a car accident such as a rear-end collision, the car suddenly stops and often will cause your neck to move forward then snap back. The neck bones will suddenly push against each other and cause the disc to bulge out and impinge the nerves closest to the bones. This often results in abrupt pain to radiate from the neck down to the arms. It may also cause tingling and numbness of the extremity as well as weakness.

The symptoms may disappear after some time and with the use of pain medications. More often than not, it results in a permanent disability that affects not only one’s personal life but also professional life.

Because of the car accident, the sudden compression of the neck bones against each other frequently causes a tear in the tough cartilage covering the disc. Instead of just a simple bulging out of the disc, its innermost center, which is gel-like in structure, protrudes out of the disc. This type of injury causes more severe pain since it can irritate not only the nerves exiting the vertebra but their nerve roots as well.

Symptoms of a herniated disc include muscle weakness of the extremity supplied by the nerve, numbness and tingling sensation, radiating and or shooting pain upon neck movement, and constant pain. Constant pain may be due to nerve root inflammation caused by irritation.

Some insurance companies will tell you that you won’t qualify for a settlement simply because your neck injury was caused by a pre-existing neck condition like degenerative disc disease. They’ll argue that the car accident did not cause any of your symptoms. They’re wrong.

Car accidents can worsen your symptoms or cause an asymptomatic degenerative disc disease to become symptomatic. For example, let’s say that you have a degenerative disc disease but are not experiencing any symptoms at all, but because of the car accident, pain symptoms suddenly appeared. What should have been a simple degenerative disc disease has now become a herniated or bulging disc with debilitating symptoms.

If a car accident caused your symptoms, you should know that the law is on your side. You have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit, and you have the right to be compensated for your suffering.