Common Causes of Lower Back Pain After A Car Accident

Lower back pain after a car wreck can be a sign of serious injury

Car accidents in Texas often cause serious injuries, and one common injury that individuals may experience after a car wreck is lower back pain. This type of pain can be indicative of various underlying injuries, including spinal injuries, herniated discs, or soft tissue damage. As such, it's crucial not to overlook lower back pain following a motor vehicle collision, as seeking immediate medical attention is essential for proper diagnosis and treatment.

Understanding your legal rights is also crucial when dealing with lower back pain or any other injuries after a car accident in Texas. A knowledgeable car accident attorney can be your guide, helping you navigate the complex legal process and ensuring you receive the compensation you rightfully deserve for your injuries, medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

In Fort Worth, the car accident attorneys at Coby L. Wooten, Attorney at Law, P.C. are here to help. If you were injured in a crash, schedule a free consultation with our law firm to review your potential legal options.

How common are lower back injuries in car accidents?

Numerous studies have highlighted the prevalence of lower back pain among car accident victims, with findings indicating that a significant portion of those injured in such incidents experience ongoing lower back discomfort. For instance, research has revealed that as many as 31 percent of individuals involved in car accidents report lower back pain persisting even one year post-accident.

To put these statistics into perspective, consider that 31 percent translates to approximately 74,400 individuals in Texas alone and a staggering 1,674,000 individuals nationwide. These figures, derived from accident data compiled by both the Texas Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), highlight the widespread impact of lower back injuries resulting from car accidents. This underscores the importance of understanding your legal rights and seeking the right legal representation.

How do motor vehicle accidents cause lower back pain?

Car accidents can cause lower back pain through various mechanisms, depending on the type and severity of the accident. Some common accident types that can result in lower back pain include rear-end collisions, T-bone accidents, and side-impact collisions.

During a rear-end collision, the force of impact can abruptly jolt the vehicle occupants forward and then backward, placing strain on the muscles, ligaments, and soft tissues of the lower back. This rapid back-and-forth motion, known as whiplash, can cause acute lower back pain due to sudden stretching and compression of the spinal column.

In T-bone accidents, where one vehicle is struck from the side by another vehicle, occupants may experience lateral forces that can twist the spine unnaturally, leading to lower back injuries such as sprains, strains, or herniated discs.

Additionally, rollover accidents, where a vehicle overturns onto its side or roof, can cause severe trauma to the spine and lower back as occupants are tossed or crushed by the vehicle's movement or impact with the ground.

Overall, the sudden and forceful nature of car accidents can subject the lower back to various types of trauma, including impact, compression, torsion, or hyperextension, all of which can contribute to the development of lower back pain.

Injuries associated with lower back pain

If you experience lower back pain after a car accident, you might have a lower back injury. However, such symptoms might also be a warning sign of an injury in another part of the body.

Some of the most common reasons why crash victims suffer from lower back pain include:

• Herniated discs – Also known as a slipped disc or bulging disc, a herniated disc is an injury to the rubber-like cushions in the spine called discs. If a disc breaks, the center of soft rubber-like material expands and puts pressure on the nerves in the lower back, which often causes back pain.
• Facet joint injuries – Located on the back of each vertebrae bone, a facet joint helps connect the bones in the spine. If the facet joints are pushed out of place, pain often occurs in the injured area.
• Whiplash – One of the most common car accident injuries, whiplash often involves injuries to the neck muscles caused by being quickly thrown forward and backward. However, as mentioned above, it’s also common for whiplash to cause lower back pain.
• Torn back muscles – The back has 40 muscles located in pairs on each side of the spine. If one or more of these muscles is torn, back pain often occurs. Lower back pain is especially common if back muscles are torn in the lumbar region of the spine, which refers to the lower part of the back that includes the five lumbar vertebrae bones known as L1 through L5.
• Spinal stenosis – This is a back injury caused by the spinal cord and nerves in the back being compressed in the spinal canal. When this occurs, back pain is a common spinal stenosis symptom.
• Spinal fractures – The spine contains 33 bones, known as vertebrae. If one of these bones is broken or fractured, back pain often occurs. Specifically, lower back pain is especially common if a spinal fracture involves one or more of the five lumbar vertebrae bones.
• Bone fractures – Broken bones in other parts of the body besides the spine sometimes cause lower back pain. For example, hip fractures or leg fractures may result in pain in the lower back and other parts of the body.
• Compressed nerves – Sometimes referred to as a pinched nerve, a compressed nerve is an injury in which muscles, bones, or tendons apply additional pressure to the nerve, which results in pain. There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves located in the back. Spinal stenosis often causes lower back pain.
• Sciatica – The sciatic nerve is located in the lower back and connects muscles in the lower back with muscles in the legs. When this nerve is compressed or stretched, pain often occurs in the sciatic nerve, a medical condition often referred to as sciatica.
• Torn ligaments – Ligaments are fiber-like bands that connect bones and help hold the bones in place. There are 220 ligaments located in the spine. If a spinal ligament is torn, lower back pain often occurs.
• Strained tendons – Tendons are fiber-like tissues that connect muscles to bones. There are many tendons located in the back. When these tendons are pulled or strained, pain often results in the injured area or nearby in the body.

How do doctors diagnose an injury causing lower back pain?

Diagnosing the cause of lower back pain typically involves a comprehensive evaluation by a healthcare professional, such as a primary care physician, orthopedist, or spine specialist. Here are some common steps involved in diagnosing lower back pain:

• Medical history: The doctor will start by gathering information about the patient's medical history, including details about the onset, duration, and severity of the pain, as well as any factors that worsen or alleviate the symptoms.
• Physical examination: A thorough physical examination may be conducted to assess the patient's range of motion, reflexes, strength, and sensation in the lower back and surrounding areas. The doctor may also perform specific tests to identify areas of tenderness or discomfort.
• Imaging tests: Depending on the suspected cause of the lower back pain, the doctor may order imaging tests such as X-rays, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), or CT (computed tomography) scans to obtain detailed images of the spine and surrounding structures. These tests can help identify abnormalities such as fractures, herniated discs, or degenerative changes in the spine.
• Diagnostic injections: In some cases, diagnostic injections, such as epidural steroid injections or facet joint injections, may be used to help identify the source of pain by temporarily numbing specific nerves or joints in the spine.
• Laboratory tests: Blood tests may be ordered to rule out underlying medical conditions, such as infections or inflammatory disorders, that could be contributing to the lower back pain.

By combining information from the patient's medical history, physical examination, imaging studies, and diagnostic tests, healthcare providers can often pinpoint the underlying cause of lower back pain and develop an appropriate treatment plan tailored to the individual needs of the patient.

How do you treat your back after a car accident?

Once doctors have diagnosed your injury and determined what’s causing your lower back pain, many different medical treatments are often used to reduce pain, swelling, and other medical conditions. Such medical treatments may include:

• Rest, ice, compression, and elevation, often known as RICE, are common treatments for strained or torn muscles.
• Prescribing pain medications.
• Spinal injections to treat the pain, including epidural steroid injections and facet joint injections.
• Back surgery, especially for back injuries such as fractured vertebrae or herniated discs.
• Physical therapy, especially if you experience chronic lower back pain weeks or months after your car accident.

Seeking compensation for a lower back injury

If you've sustained a back injury in a car accident, it's crucial to understand that you have legal rights to seek compensation for your losses. Back injuries can result in significant medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and other damages that can impact your quality of life. By consulting with an experienced car accident lawyer, you can explore your legal options and pursue a claim against the at-fault party to recover the maximum compensation you deserve.

The attorneys at our law firm in Fort Worth, TX, can help you navigate the complex legal process, gather evidence to support your claim, negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf, and advocate for your rights every step of the way. Don’t take chances with your future. Take action. Contact us and schedule a free case evaluation.

Click here to download a printable PDF of this article, “Common Causes of Lower Back Pain After A Car Accident.”