Cervical-Related Pain From an Accident

A motor vehicle collision and other types of accidents may cause a wide array of injuries. The cervical spine is susceptible to injury in a roadway crash, commonly those involving rear-end wrecks or head-on collisions. Nerve compression, disc herniation, and other conditions after an accident may be the cause of neck pain or cervicalgia. There is no better substitute for the treatment of cervicalgia and accident-related injuries than a visit to a healthcare provider immediately following a traffic collision or another type of accident.

If you suffered injuries, such as cervical-related pain, in an accident, a skilled California personal injury attorney can help you seek full compensation for damages. Contact our legal team at AutoAccident.com for free, friendly advice on your cervicalgia case at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400.

When a traumatic injury, like a cervical sprain, from an accident leaves you with mounting medical bills and time missed at work, you may be unsure of how to move forward in your situation. Your legal rights, physical health, and well-being need protection. Fortunately, assistance is on the way and is just a phone call away. Our legal team at AutoAccident.com have protected the rights of clients and has sought full compensation on their behalf since 1982. We offer free consultations and multilingual services. Our California personal injury lawyers serve clients in Sacramento and throughout the Golden State.

Cervicalgia is characterized by the presence of pain that originates in the neck region and may radiate to the back, upper limbs, or shoulders. This condition may cause persistent pain described as dull, stabbing, or sharp. The severity of cervicalgia generally depends on the extent of the neck injury. Most cervicalgia cases generally involve mild discomfort.

One of the most common musculoskeletal disorders is cervicalgia. The prevalence of this condition is approximately 30 percent in the adult population in the United States. In this number, around 50 percent of individuals experience chronic cervical-related pain.

Neck pain may be described as a burning or stabbing sensation, one that radiates from the neck to the arms or shoulders, or a persistent ache. Other symptoms of cervicalgia may include:

• Cervicogenic headaches (CGH)
• Difficulty tilting the head or turning the neck
• Stiffness in the upper back, shoulders, and neck
• Tingling sensation or numbness in the arms or shoulders

Neck pain, or cervicalgia, may occur for a wide array of reasons, such as an accident that causes injury, like whiplash. Common causes of cervicalgia include:

• Bad posture
• Disk herniation
• Nerve compression
• Osteoarthritis
• Physical strain
• Stress
• Tumors
• Other underlying health conditions

Neck pain has been found to cause a significant economic burden. This may be attributed to employment-related issues, decreased productivity, and costs of medical care.

Given that there is no single definitive treatment for cervicalgia, the cause and symptoms of neck pain will determine the treatment plan. Conversely, various non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments are recommended. Treatments include aquatic therapy, yoga, acupuncture, massage, and laser therapy. If there is persistent pain, a patient should schedule an appointment with a physician for further evaluation.

While neck pain is generally managed through non-surgical treatments, surgery may be the best choice. A physician may recommend surgical intervention if there is a risk of spinal cord damage or for patients who do not report relief with non-operative management. Surgery may be effective in managing the progression of neurological decline. Surgical treatments may include:

• Anterior Cervical Discectomy: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) involves the removal of a damaged intervertebral disc from the cervical spine. ACDF is often performed with other procedures, including fixation and fusion, to stabilize the spinal column. Fixation is the implantation of plates, rods, or screws to hold the bones in place. Fusion involves a bone graft being implanted and fused with the vertebrae.
• Laminectomy: Cervical laminectomy is a procedure intended to create more space within the spinal canal by removing the lamina and spinous process. Most patients are expected to have decreased or no numbness in their hands, improvement in walking capabilities, some spinal cord function, and improvement in hand function.
• Laminoplasty: Cervical laminoplasty may be recommended in cases where conditions cause the spinal canal to narrow and put pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves. This procedure is a type of decompression surgery to provide the spinal nerves and spinal cord more space. Cervical laminoplasty may be used to treat cervical stenosis, cervical spondylotic myelopathy, and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

Cervical-related pain may be associated with injuries from an accident, such as a fractured cervical spine, pinched nerve, or herniated disc. Neck injuries, such as a cervical sprain, are common in motor vehicle crashes where occupants are unprepared for impact. It is often caused by the rapid and forceful forward and backward movement of the neck. If the incident was the result of someone else’s negligence, the injured party may be eligible for financial compensation. This requires filing a bodily injury claim against the at-fault party and their insurance provider.

When serious injuries and significant damages are involved in an accident case, there may be concerns regarding liability coverage. If the at-fault party carries state minimum limits or no auto insurance, an injured party may have recourse through their plan if they have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. An experienced personal injury lawyer in California can investigate liability, sources of financial recovery, injuries, and damages following an accident. At AutoAccident.com, our legal team has decades of combined experience and would be honored to put it to work for you and your injury case.

California law provides for the recovery of economic and non-economic damages in personal injury cases. Economic damages are losses of a specific monetary amount, whereas non-economic damages are intangible and subjective losses. These include medical expenses, lost earnings, diminished earning potential, loss of consortium, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and other accident-related losses. Working with an injury attorney on a cervicalgia case with the experience, knowledge, and resources necessary to prove economic and non-economic damages is key to a successful result.

It is recommended to seek medical care immediately after a traffic collision or another type of accident that causes cervical-related pain and other injuries. Prompt medical treatment is not only important for your health and well-being but also protects your right to recover damages from the individual or entity who caused the incident. Insurers often handle cases of cervicalgia as minor injuries that do not involve significant damage. However, cervicalgia may result in limited motion and chronic pain.

Immediate medical documentation of accident-related injuries may increase your chance of receiving a favorable resolution in a personal injury case. A gap or delay in medical care may be used by the insurer to claim that cervical-related pain is not as severe as the claimant reports or was not caused by the incident. When prompt treatment is sought, medical records and summaries of crash-related injuries eliminate that uncertainty for insurance carriers.

A bodily injury claim for an accident that causes cervicalgia and other trauma may be challenging to handle. Insurers are businesses and operate as such. Insurance companies may attempt to undervalue and deny personal injury claims to maximize profit margins. Many claimants without legal representation may receive much less than they deserve for their cases because they fall for the various defense tactics taken by insurance carriers and defense counsel. Do not let this happen in your accident case, and retain experienced legal counsel immediately.

An experienced California car accident lawyer is aware of the tactics used by insurers to devalue, delay, or deny bodily injury claims and knows how to protect the rights of their clients. You do not have to handle your bodily injury claim alone. There is assistance available and just a phone call away. At AutoAccident.com, our legal team has helped injured parties rebuild their lives and seek the full compensation they need in settlements or verdicts. For more information about our law office and our services, watch this video or set up a free case evaluation today.

The legal team at AutoAccident.com is committed to assisting those who have been seriously injured in all types of accidents. A traumatic injury from a traffic collision or another type of incident may impact all aspects of your life. If you were injured in a recent crash through no fault of your own and find yourself dealing with cervical-related pain, contact an experienced California personal injury lawyer at our law office for a free consultation at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. We are available to review your case in detail, discuss the legal options available to you, and offer free, friendly advice.

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