Common Car Accident Injuries – Diagnosis and Treatment of Spinal Injuries

So, you have been in an automobile crash and hurt your back. The doctor schedules you for an MRI Generally, this will require an appointment at a separate location to have the MRI performed. There are several different companies in St. Petersburg that specialize in performing MRIs. Once you have the MRI, you will then […]

So, you have been in an automobile crash and hurt your back. The doctor schedules you for an MRI Generally, this will require an appointment at a separate location to have the MRI performed. There are several different companies in St. Petersburg that specialize in performing MRIs. Once you have the MRI, you will then return to your doctor to get the results.

After your MRI, you are likely to hear words such as bulging disc, slipped disc, herniation, protrusion, extrusion or migration. What is the difference in those terms? It is a matter of degrees of degrees and to confuse matters, even medical professionals use some of the terms interchangeably. Herniation, bulging disc, slipped disc all essentially describe the same condition. The discs in your spine, in simplistic terms, are fibrocartilage joints between each vertebra that allow for movement and act as shock absorbers. Each disc is made up of a center portion or nucleus which is surrounded by annular material. Think of a jelly doughnut. The jelly is the nucleus and the surrounding doughnut is the annulus. If the doughnut is compressed the jelly will move to the edges and out of the center where it belongs. If you have been diagnosed with herniated disc protrusion, the nucleus or jelly, if you want to stick with that visual, has pushed on the edges and has caused the annular material to expand and stretch beyond is normal position. If you are told that you have a herniation with extrusion; the jelly has begun to escape. Finally, a migration means that portions of the nucleus have completely escaped the annular material and may have even separated completely.

In the weeks following your car or motorcycle accident, your doctor, depending on the severity of your spinal injury, may elect to treat the injury with anti-inflammatory drugs, massage therapy, chiropractic care, injection therapy, and even surgery. Most people and doctors will try to avoid conventional open back surgery because it carries greater risks than the conservative treatment plans and there is no guarantee of success. Until recently, this was the only surgical option, but in some instances, endoscopic surgery has proven to be a viable option.

Have you been involved in a car or motorcycle accident or a slip and fall which you believe you may have suffered a back injury? Contact an experienced St. Petersburg personal injury attorney at Jones Law Group today. The decision to hire an experienced car crash attorney is an extremely important one. Would you hire your doctor based upon a TV or Radio Ad? An experienced and qualified personal injury attorney is every bit as important. Hire someone that understands your injuries and will provide you the customer service to which you are entitled.

If you have been involved in motorcycle or car accident, you should immediately call Jones Law Group at (727) 571-1333 during regular business hours or (727) 753-8657 on weekends or after regular business hours. We will evaluate your case for free and you will never pay us a dime unless we recover compensation for your injuries.

Jones Law Group
5622 Central Avenue
St. Pete, FL 33707