How To Deal With A Herniated Disc Injury
If you are looking for everything you need to know about how to deal with a herniated disc, then you came to the right place.
A herniated disc is one of those injuries that can take a toll on your life. It can change how you do things, what you do anymore and can sneak up on you.
In most cases, a herniated disc is the result of a back injury that may have been from being involved in an accident or a slip and fall incident.
In many cases, the accident may have happened days ago, yet the herniated disc makes itself known days later. This is why many people do not associate a herniated disc/bulging disc with an accident or injury that they suffered.
What Is A Herniated Disc?
A herniated disc is often referred to as a ruptured disc, bulging disc, slipped disc, or even spinal disc herniation.
Despite the many names that this condition has, it always refers to the rubbery cushion that keeps the spine together. The rubbery part of this jelly in between the bone pushes out when there is a herniated disc present.
What makes this injury unique is that this does not always cause pain right away. There have even been people who never even feel this injury yet is present on scans that have done by medical professionals.
The pain that is associated with a herniated disc may be different for each person out there.
There are times that this can cause pain in the nearby nerves that can make you feel pain in different areas of your body, other than just the back.
You may also experience numbness or weakens in the arms and legs, depending upon the location of the herniated disc. You could also experience muscles weakness in the areas surrounding the injury, which may take several weeks or months to build back up.
The pain of this injury can be severe at times, but it often heals on its own. You may still spend several weeks having to take it easy while the disc heals.
What Causes A Herniated Disc?
A herniated disc can have several causes. For example, these can occur naturally as we age, since the wear and tear on the bodies become more pronounced, and we are losing water content from our bodies which can lead to disc generation.
But, most commonly a herniated disc/bulging disc is caused by an injury that results in a back injury.
For example:
When involved in a motor vehicles accident, a back injury can easily occur due to the impact
A slip and fall can often result in these discs becoming more compact, or even results in a spinal cord fracture.
Physical trauma such as what you would find while playing high impact sports like football or even being hit by a vehicle suddenly.
The key to remember is that herniated disc/bulging disc is more than likely the result of something that has happened to you or something that you have done physically if this comes on suddenly with no warning.
What Are The Treatments For A Herniated Disc?
When you are dealing with a herniated disc, do not let this pain go without getting some medical attention.
When you start feeling this pain, or even start to feel as though you are weaker than normal followed with the numbness of muscles that may be in the back, see a doctor!
The sooner that you see a doctor, the better you will be when the doctor gives you a diagnosis of whether you are suffering from a herniated disc/bulging disc or not.
So, what do you do if you do have this issue?
There are some treatment options that can help you to bear the pain and to get back to normal eventually once it has healed.
1. In most cases, physical therapy can be enough to get you back on your feet. A physical therapist is going to utilize the proper techniques to get your muscles stronger, to avoid putting pressure on those nerves that may be damaged and ensure that you do not feel weaker throughout your entire body. It can take weeks or even several months of physical therapy in order to feel better.
2. Exercise has been shown to help with the pain that results from a herniated disc/bulging disc. However, this should only be under the supervision of someone who understands your injury. You do not want to exercise only to find out that you have made your injury worse!
3. Surgery is an option for those who have a severe injury that is not going to heal on its own or throughout the use of therapy or exercise. In fact, this is one of the more common surgeries that people get. Those who choose surgery may find that they have a shorter recovery time for the injury versus those who are using exercise to help rebuild this area.
4. The use of painkillers has been given to those with these injuries. However, there are risks of becoming addicted to these pain pills, which can have lasting and devastating effects on the user.
Treatments can also include a few things that you can do at home to help with the pain.
For example, using hot or cold packs on the location has been shown to greatly help relieve the pain that you may be feeling. Light stretching at home, or Yoga, can help with relieving the muscle strain that you may be feeling.
Legal Action For Your Herniated Disc: Can You Seek Compensation?
Many people who suffer from a herniated disc/bulging disc find that this greatly affects their life. Many people are unable to work as the pain becomes too intense.
As a result, there may be a loss of income, and this can result in their life being put into turmoil. Medical expenses can rack up, resulting in the person feeling as though they are drowning. So what can they do?
If this injury was due to someone else’s arrogance or due to them not paying attention, you could seek legal compensation.
If you were injured due to negligence such as a driver hitting your car, or you slip and fell in a business that did not have any warning that this floor was slippery, then you could have a case!
Simply contact us for help. We have worked with people who have suffered this same issue in the past and have them compensation that has helped them to get the time they need to heal before they get back to having a normal life.
There are people who have received a settlement for a herniated disc in a car accident, those who have succeeded in getting insurance claims from these injuries and the like. Just how much could you expect?
This all depends upon your case. That is why we invite you to contact us, tell us your scenario and how you become injured so that we can give you an idea of what to expect and if you do have a case that can be won. No one should have suffered an injury, loss of compensation and an upheaval of their entire life due to an accident that was someone else’s fault.
Contact us today for a FREE Consultation!
