The Most Common Spinal Injuries In Sarasota Traffic Accidents.
People who live and work in Sarasota, Parrish, and Palmetto know that traffic accidents can result in injury, but one of the most inconvenient and serious are injuries to the spinal cord. The spinal cord is a “bundle” of nerves that forms a thick column, starting at the brain and running down the length of the back, allowing individual nerves of the system to branch out from there to every part of the body.
As you might imagine, the fact that the spinal cord is a bundle of nerves is both efficient but also vulnerable. Should anything happen to the spinal cord, a range of different injuries can occur, from mildly sprained muscles to permanent paralysis. It depends largely on the location of the damage and its severity.
Unfortunately, spinal cord injuries are a regular occurrence in traffic accidents, and here are the most common spinal cord injuries drivers should be aware of.
Whiplash
By far, one of the most common car injuries is the spinal injury, known colloquially as “whiplash.” Whiplash occurs when the head moves rapidly in one direction and then the opposite, usually during a collision. This is a cervical spine injury, although in this case, it is focused primarily on the neck and is mainly a muscular injury.
The obvious physical side effects of whiplash are neck pain and mobility loss in that area. Other effects can include dizziness, headaches, fatigue, and others if a traumatic brain injury is part of the equation.
Herniated Discs
Between each of the bones in the spine is a soft cushion that acts as a shock absorber to protect the vertebra. This cushion is known as a disc, and it is a rubber-like exterior with a jelly-like center that is both soft and flexible. However, despite being extremely resilient, these discs have their limits. In the traumatic impact of an accident, these forces may be too much for the discs to handle, and they become herniated.
A herniated disc occurs these discs to bulge or rupture, which can cause the jelly-like center to leak, disrupting the balance of the disc. When this happens, the herniated disc applies new pressure to nerves in the surrounding area, which can be felt as pain and discomfort.
Depending on the location of the herniated disc, this pain can be felt in the limbs or the back and may occur after standing, sitting, or even lying down. Sometimes even sudden movements, like sneezing or twisting a hip, can result in sharp pain and discomfort.
Vertebral Fractures
One of the most serious types of spinal cord injury results when the vertebra, that is, the spine’s bones, crack and break. Brust fractures are the most serious injury of this nature, as it means multiple spine bones are broken, which may result in paralysis or even death.
Flexion is a type of fracture that occurs when a vertebra is torn. This usually happens when one part of the body moves, but another doesn’t. A fracture is the most common example of this in accidents because the upper body moves during the collision, but the seatbelt keeps the lower body in place.
Another vertebral injury is compression. Tiny fractures in the vertebral bone cause a collapse. This can occur naturally, with time, as seen in the elderly hunched over, but a high-energy-impact event, such as a car accident, can also cause this.
If you’re a Sarasota driver victimized by a spinal injury due to someone else’s negligence, this can severely impact your life, and you should get compensated for it. Talk to an experienced car accident attorney about what’s happened to you. Start taking steps to get the compensation you are legally owed.
