Back Pain After a Car Accident

Why Does Your Back Hurt After a Car Accident?

Your car and body move at the same speed when driving. When the car comes to an abrupt stop after hitting an object in a crash, your body keeps moving forward at the original speed until an external force, such as a seatbelt, airbag, or dashboard, stops you. This is Newton’s first law of motion (inertia). 

In a rear-end accident, the seat pushes forward, resulting in the torso and lower back moving forward as well. The head will lag behind before snapping forward violently within milliseconds. This delay forces the neck (cervical spine) into an unnatural “S” shape, which can overstretch or tear muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the neck and spinal column, which can cause whiplash.

Additionally, during the initial impact, the seatback can force the upper/mid-back (thoracic spine) and the lower back (lumbar spine) upward and forward, causing the spine to flatten or lose its natural curve, which, in turn, compresses the vertebrae.

Vertebral compression, overstretching, and tears can lead to back strains and other rear-end car accident injuries that result in back pain.

In a frontal car crash, your body, including your torso and head, will keep moving forward until it’s stopped by the seatbelt, airbag, or dashboard. The lower body is usually anchored by the seatbelt, while the upper body bends sharply forward against the external force.

This can also lead to abrupt forward-and-backward overstretches of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the mid and lower back, or twisting of the spine, resulting in back pain.

What Types of Back Injuries Can Result From a Car Accident?

A car accident can lead to different types of back injuries, including:

• Sprains and strains: It’s not uncommon to sustain a soft tissue injury from a car accident. This includes sprains (stretching or tearing of ligaments) and strains (stretching or tearing of muscles or tendons).
• Herniated or bulging discs: The violent forces of a crash or compression can tear the tough outer ring of a spinal disc, causing the soft, jelly-like center to push through the tear, pressing against nearby spinal nerves. This can result in sharp pain.
• Facet joint injuries: A crack or break in a facet joint (the small joint connecting adjacent vertebrae) can cause inflammation or fracture.
• Vertebral fractures: These are cracks, compression fractures, or burst fractures in one or more of the 33 bones (vertebrae) that make up the spinal column.
• Spinal cord injury: This is an injury to the spinal cord itself. It can happen when a broken bone fragment pierces or pushes into the spinal canal, severe whiplash affects the spinal cord, or a vertebra shifts out of alignment.

Can Back Pain Start Days After a Car Accident?

Yes, back pain can start hours or days after being involved in a car accident.

When an accident happens, the body is flooded with adrenaline, which can temporarily mask pain to help you get to safety. It can then take hours for adrenaline to wear off before you notice pain.

Furthermore, inflammation often develops gradually. Strained muscles, torn ligaments, bulged discs, or damaged spinal joints can take 24 to 72 hours to swell, stiffen, or trigger pain. In the case of a herniated disc, it can take days for fluid accumulation around an injured disc to increase and the pressure on nerves to intensify.

Also, some people only notice back pain from a car accident when they resume normal activity, such as sitting at a desk or driving.

What Symptoms of a Back Injury Should You Watch For?

The following symptoms could indicate a back injury:

• Local sharp/burning pain
• Radiating pain
• Stiffness
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Weakness in the leg or arm
• Muscle spasms
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Reduced range of motion

When Should You Seek Medical Attention for Back Pain After a Collision?

It’s crucial to see a doctor after a car accident, even if you feel fine. Immediate medical attention ensures injuries are discovered and treated on time. For delayed symptoms after a car accident, seek medical attention within 24 to 72 hours of noticing pain.

How Are Car Accident-Related Back Injuries Diagnosed and Treated?

Car accident-related back injuries are diagnosed through a combination of detailed medical history, physical and neurological examinations, and imaging tests.

Typically, a doctor will ask about your symptoms and inquire when they started. Then, they perform physical and neurological examinations to test how far you can bend, twist, or turn your spine; check your reflexes, muscle strength, and sensation; and check your range of motion.

Imaging tests, such as an X-ray, CT scan, and MRI, are used to find physical structural damage and confirm the source of pain. Special diagnostic tests can also be done. For instance, electromyography (EMG) can be used to detect nerve damage or compression.

Treatment will depend on the type and severity of the injury. It can include:

• Rest: Brief rest combined with early, gentle movement.
• Medications: Prescriptions or over-the-counter medications, pain relievers, muscle relaxants, and corticosteroids.
• Physical therapy: Guided exercises and chiropractic care.
• Interventional procedures: Image-guided treatments, such as epidural steroid injections (ESIs), facet joint injections, selective nerve root block (SNRB), and radiofrequency ablation (RFA).
• Surgery: For severe injuries.

Can You Receive Compensation for Back Pain After a Car Accident in Colorado?

Yes, you can.

You can be compensated for economic damages stemming from back pain, such as medical expenses, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, and home modifications. Also, you can recover non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life. 

You have three years from the date of the car accident to recover damages in Colorado.

What Factors Affect a Back Injury Settlement?

A back injury settlement depends on:

• Severity: Minor injuries, like strains and sprains, yield lower settlements than severe ones, like herniated discs or spinal cord injuries.
• Damages: Your financial losses and non-economic damages determine your settlement.
• Degree of fault: Under Colorado’s modified comparative negligence system, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault if you were partially at fault for the accident, provided your degree of fault is not greater than the other party’s.
• Insurance limits: Compensation is often capped by the at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability limits.

How Can a Colorado Car Accident Lawyer Help You Pursue Compensation?

A Colorado car accident lawyer can help you build a strong case. At Bachus & Schanker, we help injured victims gather enough evidence, link back pain to an accident, deal with the at-fault party’s insurance company, and determine the true value of a claim.

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