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Auto accidents can occur from driver distraction, fatigue, recklessness, intoxication, and/or weather. However, many car accidents occur due to the other driver or from an object or living thing in the road. Liability involves who caused the accident and whose insurance will pay for the costs of the car accident.

The human back is made of muscles, tendons, ligaments, which are intertwined around the vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and the spinal cord. Depending on the force of impact in an auto accident, one or more parts of the back can become injured. Back injuries include:

Herniated and bulging discs - The discs are positioned between the 24 vertebrae. With disc herniation, a portion of the disc breaks open and the inner material protrudes outside the disc. Bulging disc occurs when the disc is pushed out of its natural position.

Compression fractures - Trauma to the vertebrae and spine can cause the front portion to compress downward.

Cervical strain - Often called whiplash, cervical strain occurs when the impact sends the head forward and backward in a violent motion. This jerking motion (like cracking a whip) strains the structures of the neck, resulting in severe pain.

Soft tissue bruising and tearing - During a car crash, many of the soft tissue structures surround the vertebrae can violently tear or stretch. When this occurs, it affects the nerve endings and results in mild to severe pain.

Axial burst - The impact from the auto accident force can cause multiple vertebrae to disintegrate. The result is axial burst, which involves loss of mass at the ends of the vertebrae.

Flexion distraction fractures - These occur mostly in head-on crashes where occupants are wearing seatbelts. When the impact occurs, the upper vertebrae and spinal cord is bent violently forward. The seatbelt will hold the lower back and pelvis in place, but the upper body is violently moved, putting pressure on the upper back vertebrae.

Dislocation fractures - These injuries occur when one or more vertebrae fracture, and the soft tissue from around the disc moves into the injured and damaged area.

Transverse process fractures - In a car accident, the occupant’s vertebrae and spine will pitch forward, side-to-side, and/or backward. This twists the spine in unnatural positions, which causes a crosswise fracture.

When a person is involved in an auto accident, he/she is usually taken to an emergency department for evaluation. Diagnostic tools used to assess the patient’s condition include: X-ray - This test is used to identify spinal misalignment and bone fractures.

MRI - Magnetic resonance imaging scans are ordered to detect injuries of the spine and surrounding nerves. These are necessary to diagnose herniated disc, nerve damage, and spine damage.

CT scan - A computed tomography test identifies damage to the spinal cord and intervertebral discs. This tool is used to assess cartilage and fluid damage, which occurs when discs rupture.

Following an auto accident, treatment is focused on the type of injury. Options include:

Medications - When soft tissue inflammation occurs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed. For severe pain, the doctor can prescribe pain relievers short-term, such as Percocet, Stadol, and Vicodin.

Physical therapy - For mild strains and sprains and slight tearing of tendons, muscles, and ligaments, the doctor may recommend a course of physical therapy. The therapist will use heat, massage, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation to provide pain relief.

Chiropractic care - For whiplash and spinal alignment problems, the doctor may recommend chiropractic care. The practitioner will offer various alignment and manipulation techniques, as well as adjustments.

Trigger point injections (TPIs) - For people with soreness of the back or trigger points, the doctor can insert a small needle into the area to inactivate the contracted muscle. The instillation of an anesthetic agent into the muscle is often done to provide a numbing effect. Several recent clinical reports show that TPIs have a 98% success rate.