Cervical Disc Injury From a Construction Accident

Small, gelatin-like discs cushion the space between each of your vertebra. Healthy discs keep your spine flexible and act as shock absorbers to prevent bone from rubbing against bone. A herniated disc occurs when it has broken open from an injury. It is most common in the lower back but can occur anywhere in your neck or upper back. Herniated discs are also the same thing as “ruptured” discs.

Herniated discs injured in a construction accident can press on your nerves and send pain throughout your body. More symptoms of a herniated disc can include:

• Weakness, numbness, or loss of mobility in one or both of your legs or feet.
• Numbness or pain in your buttocks.
• Sporadic pain.

The lower spine supports most of the body’s movement and weight. Construction workers place additional heavy stress on this part of the body. As a result, most construction-related back injuries occur in the lower back.

Each day, construction workers are at risk for developing a herniated disc from the following types of accidents and activities:

• Falls from a height and landing on their back, buttocks or feet
• Tripping or falling on wet surfaces, materials, holes or stakes
• Suffering repetitive jolting injuries from using jackhammers and heavy machinery
• Frequent bending and lifting of heavy materials
• Operating heavy construction equipment and trucks

Bulging discs are very similar to herniated discs; the difference is that the gelatin-like substance in the disc hasn’t ruptured. Bulging discs may be shifted out of place, sometimes called a slipped disc, or have developed a balloon-like bulge of the inner contents. Bulging discs usually occur in the lower back and can cause symptoms very similar to an actual herniated disc. This is because bulging discs can push against nearby nerves and cause severe, chronic pain and discomfort or numbness and weakness in extremities.

Construction workers are very susceptible to bulging discs and can be caused by the same actions that cause herniated discs:

• Falls from a height and landing on their back, buttocks or feet
• Tripping or falling on wet surfaces, materials, holes or stakes
• Suffering repetitive jolting injuries from using jackhammers and heavy machinery
• Frequent bending and lifting of heavy materials
• Operating heavy construction equipment and trucks

A workers compensation doctor may tell you that your injury was from degenerative disc disease. Calling your herniated or bulging disc a symptom of degenerative disc disease just means that the doctor is saying it was caused by the normal aging process of your body. This does not mean that it was not caused by being a construction worker. Degenerative disc injuries from construction work come from repetitive activities, such as lifting, bending, and heavy machinery that slowly cause injuries.

If you did not hurt your back outside of work, didn’t suffer from the pain before you started the job, and didn’t have a prior diagnosis of degenerative disc disease, your back pain can still be because of a construction injury.