People who have never suffered from chronic pain often think it’s all in people’s heads – until they suffer an injury that leaves them with chronic pain. Then they understand how relentless and debilitating it can be.
If you’ve been in a car crash, some injuries are more likely to leave you with prolonged pain issues than others. These aren’t necessarily serious, let alone life-threatening, injuries. However, they can cause chronic pain that needs to be treated or managed.
Whiplash
Injuries to the neck and back, including the spinal cord, can result in serious ongoing pain. Whiplash is a common example.
While whiplash used to be the butt of jokes, it’s now more widely recognized as a very real neck injury that needs treatment. It typically occurs when someone’s head is jerked back and forth in a crash – particularly if the car is struck from behind. The effects of that sudden movement may not be felt immediately. However, it can leave a person with headaches, neck and back pain that require extended treatment.
Herniated discs
While a herniated disc certainly isn’t the worst kind of spinal injury that a person can suffer in a crash, it can cause serious pain as well as numbness and weakness that can affect your ability to use your extremities.
Discs, which are the cushiony areas between vertebrae, become herniated when they rupture or slip and bulge from their usual spot. Depending on how serious the condition is, treatment could require anything from muscle relaxers to physical therapy to surgery.
There’s no way of knowing how long you will continue to be in pain after a car crash or how long that pain will require treatment. This is just one more factor that needs to be considered as you seek compensation for your injuries and damages after a crash caused by a negligent or reckless driver. Having legal guidance can help you maximize your claim.