Herniated disc not easily diagnosed

William Wright — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:32:05 GMT

Back injuries are very serious and sometimes hard for a doctor to diagnose. One type of injury is a herniated disc. This is when the Cartilage, which is the spongy material that acts as a cushion between bones, leaks then hardens and possibly puts pressure on the nerves in your spine.

When there is pressure on your nerves it can cause pain and even numbness or a tingling sensation in your arms, legs, hands, and feet. This type of injury could be the result of lifting a heavy object, a simple fall, or an automobile accident. This specific type of injury is often referred to as Ruptured intervertebral disc, Slipped disc, Herniated disc, Protruding disc, Extruding disc, Disc Prolapsed, or Herniated Nucleus Pulposus. If you have injured your back you should consult your primary care physician.

Often this type of injury can be overlooked because an x-ray will not pick up this problem. If you have suffered a back injury and the pain has not completely gone away after a couple of weeks you should inquire about an MRI or a Bone Scan. You might want to even see an orthopedic specialist or a neurologist. It is important to get this injury resolved as soon as possible the longer pressure is applied to the nerve the longer it may take to heal. If it does not properly heal it could cause permanent injury, need for future surgery, or premature arthritis or degenerative disc disease. Because of the seriousness of this type of injury you need to contact an attorney because you might be entitled to compensation for damages.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by William Wright

Spinal Cord Injuries - Things to Know

Tate Hodges — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:00:00 GMT

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are some of the most tragic, prevalent, and costly injuries that occur in the U.S. Thousands of cases are reported each year, and over a quarter of a million Americans are currently living with spinal cord injuries. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of SCI – therefore, an extremely large percentage of the American population is at risk. Falls and violence also contribute to a large number of injuries. SCI are extremely complex and can have drastic, life-altering effects on a person for the rest of their life.

The two most common effects of SCI’s are whiplash and paralysis. Whiplash, most commonly found in rear-end automobile collisions, is caused by a sudden and violent movement of the neck. This movement will likely cause soft tissue damage around the neck. If you think that you have whiplash, the most common symptoms you should look for are pain and stiffness in the neck, headache, nausea, numbness, and loss of balance. These symptoms may not appear immediately after the accident and may take time to manifest. Unlike other SCI’s, whiplash is difficult to diagnose through modern X-ray procedures, so if you think that you have whiplash, it is very important to consult a doctor who specializes in soft tissue damage. The second most common effect of SCI’s, paralysis, is the inability to control the muscles that move the body. SCI’s may render the injured a paraplegic or a tetraplegic. The paraplegic has lost the partial or complete ability to move the legs while the tetraplegic has lost the partial or complete ability to move both the arms and legs. There is a wide range in the severity of paralytic injuries. The extent of the injury largely depends upon the location of the SCI. Generally, the higher the SCI occurs within the spinal column, the more damaging the results, and consequently, the higher the cost associated with the patient’s care.

After the initial SCI trauma, further unnecessary injury may result if the proper steps are not taken by medical professionals who have undertaken the duty to care for the SCI patient. Early measures that should be considered to avoid further injury include methlyprednisone therapy and/or surgery or traction to decompress – or relieve the pressure of – the spinal cord. Methylprednisone is a steroid that, if given up to 8 hours after the injury, can improve neurological recovery by 20%. Directly after a spinal cord injury, it is important to determine whether: (1) methylprednisone was administered or considered; (2) the spinal cord has been decompressed; (3) blood thinners have been administered to prevent dangerous clotting; and (4) the other organs are being cared for to prevent complications. If further injury results because of the failure to consider any of the above, you may have sufficient grounds for a lawsuit against the patient’s health care providers.

SCI injuries are extremely costly to treat. The average lifetime health care and living expenses of a person injured at 25 is $3 million, not including loss of earnings or companionship. If the circumstances of the injury are such that other people may have contributed to the initial injury or unnecessarily made the initial injury more severe, you may wish to hire an attorney and file a lawsuit. A successful lawsuit following an SCI will provide much needed financial support for the patient’s care, and may potentially deter others from acting negligently or recklessly in the future. Hiring a lawyer shortly after an SCI provides several helpful advantages. First, the attorney will help you gather all relevant information and evidence that likely will increase the chances of your lawsuit being successful. Second, legal actions have a statute of limitations, which requires that a lawsuit be filed within a certain amount of time. While hiring an attorney following a SCI is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended if it is likely that someone other than the patient may have contributed to the injury.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Tate Hodges

Wilmington Personal Injury Lawyer - Spinal Cord Injuries

Herniated disc not easily diagnosed

Spinal Cord Injuries - Things to Know