Can a Car Accident Make Degenerative Disc Disease Worse?
Due to the mass of motor vehicles and the speed at which they travel, the impact they can cause during a collision is enormous. When that force is applied to the human body, serious injuries can occur. These injuries can occur in the head, the neck, and particularly the back. One common example is degenerative disc disease. Not only can a car accident cause the disease, but it can also make existing degenerative disc disease worse.
Degenerative disc disease is a common cause of neck and lower back pain. In general, this condition results in pain caused by damage to the spinal disc. It can involve low-grade chronic pain, flare-ups of severe pain, and even shooting nerve pain. While called a disease, it is technically the physical condition of the disc degrading over time.
If you are experiencing beck or back pain after an accident, it could be related to degenerative disc disease. It is vital that you seek medical treatment and consult with a Los Angeles car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Table of Contents
How a crash causes or worsens the disease
The extreme force that can impact your body during a car accident is a common cause of degenerative disc disease. However, many people are dealing with some form of this injury before the accident occurred. A serious vehicle accident could worsen a pre-existing case of degenerative disc disease just as easily as it could cause it to occur.
Degenerative disc disease occurs more frequently as we age, but physical trauma is also a major factor. When back injuries cause the spinal discs to warp and degrade, the resulting pain can be significant.
Identifying degenerative disc disease
Before you can pursue compensation or degenerative disc disease you must first determine that you have the condition. This requires a diagnosis from a medical professional. That being said, an understanding of symptoms of degenerative disc disease can go a long way towards ensuring you receive the treatment you need. Common symptoms include:
- Radiating lower back pain
- Pain in the hips and legs
- Numbness and tingling in the legs
- Increased pain while sitting
- Tingling and numbness in the lower back or hips
- Pain while twisting or bending over
- Discomfort while walking
If you are experiencing these symptoms, you could be suffering from degenerative disc disease. If this condition occurred or worsened following an accident, let our experienced Los Angeles car accident lawyers evaluate your claim and advise you on your legal options.
Proving your damages in an accident claim
Establishing that a car accident worsened your degenerative disc disease is possible. This effort requires more than just showing that you are suffering from the condition. When establishing the severity of a pre-existing condition, you must also prove that your pain has increased due to the accident. This is because you are only entitled to recover monetary compensation for the harm that occurred from the car accident and not for your injuries that occurred prior.
You can establish this in part by showing how increased pain has impacted your life. This includes anything from difficulty completing day-to-day tasks to the steps you now must take to mitigate your pain.
You can also rely on expert witnesses to prove your claim. For instance, a medical professional compare your spinal x-rays before and after the crash to show the degree of damage the accident caused.
Discuss your injury with Ellis Injury Law
The steps you must take to succeed with your injury claim can be difficult to complete on your own. Thankfully, experienced California car accident attorneys can help you build your claim and work to recover the compensation you are entitled to. To discuss how to move forward with your injury claim, schedule a free consultation with Ellis Injury Law right away.