If you’ve been diagnosed with a herniated or bulging disk after an accident in Las Vegas, it can be hard to know where to begin on your healing journey.
Two common questions about spinal injuries: what is a herniated disk, and how does it differ from a bulging disk?
What is a Bulging Disk?
The spine comprises 33 vertebrae with cushiony cartilage between them; that cartilage is called a disk. With age or an accident, the cartilage can experience wear and tear that causes it to bulge out from its average size and cause pain.
What is a Herniated Disk
As defined by the Mayo Clinic, a herniated disk occurs when the soft inner cartilage bulges, breaks, or cracks through the outer cartilage of the disk. The herniation can cause irritation, inflammation, and chronic pain, depending on the severity of the injury.
What Are the Symptoms of Herniated or Bulging Disks?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, up to 2% of people suffer a herniated disk annually. How do you know if you’ve experienced a herniated or bulging disk?
The associated pain can be challenging to pinpoint, as a bulging or herniated disk can protrude into surrounding nerves, hurting sporadically or in more than one location.
The most common symptoms of herniated or bulging disks can include:
- Back or neck pain, especially when bending or turning.
- Tingling or numbness in the back, buttocks, legs, or feet.
- Muscle weakness in the arms or legs.
- Sharp pain in the neck, shoulder blades, arms, or fingers.
- Pain that travels to the shoulders, arms, hands, or fingers.
What Are the Risks Involved with Herniated or Bulging Disks?
A herniated or bulging disk injury can majorly impact your life, including your ability to work and function independently. Sporadic or chronic back pain can make daily tasks difficult or impossible to complete.
Stiffness, soreness, and discomfort in your back may affect your ability to complete tasks at work, such as lifting, cleaning, and sitting or standing for prolonged periods.
What Causes a Herniated or Bulging Disk?
Herniated or bulging disks have many causes. From lifting heavy objects to suffering from a slip and fall. However, a car accident is also a common cause of a herniated or bulging disk.
It doesn’t take much force to throw someone’s spine out of alignment in a car accident. Even getting rear-ended at a low speed can suddenly disrupt the vertebrae in your spine, leading to a herniated disk.
What Treatment Options Are Available?
Treatment for herniated or bulging disks depends on the cause and severity of your injury.
Standard treatment options for herniated and bulging disks can include:
- Medication, including anti-inflammatory drugs or muscle relaxers.
- Physical therapy.
- Spinal injections, including pain relievers and nerve blocks.
- Surgery, in rare cases that other treatments fail or if your bladder or bowel is impacted.
Treatment costs can add up quickly, especially if your injury makes it difficult or impossible to work. If an employer or a third party caused your accident, you could seek compensation for your medical costs in court.
Can You Recover Compensation for A Herniated or Bulging Disk in Las Vegas?
If you have decided to seek damages for an accident that caused a herniated or bulging disk, you may be able to recover compensation. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you have the right to take your case to court and hold responsible parties liable.
For example, if your herniated disk makes it so difficult for you to work that you must decrease your hours to part-time or you’re unable to work altogether, you may file to get compensation for your lost wages.
If your bulging disk requires medication and physical therapy, you can sue for damages, including your medical bills.
If your herniated or bulging disk requires future or ongoing treatment, you can also seek compensation for those medical bills, therapy appointments, and more.
Recover What You Lost with O&E
Have you suffered a herniated or bulging disk? Call Oronoz & Ericsson Injury Lawyers for help recovering compensation. Call us at (702) 935-1762 or use our online contact form for a consultation at our conveniently located Las Vegas office.