Have you been involved in a car accident and now suffering from low back pain. You may have what’s called a low back strain or “LBS.” Low back strain is an injury to your lower back muscles and/or tendons. Muscles help the spine and other bones maintain their position. Tendons are strong tissue that connects the muscles to the bones. Your lower back supports most of your body weight and helps you move, bend and twist. the Maryland car accident lawyer with Rice, Murtha & Psoras have put together this information for victims of car crashes and are now suffering from low back strain and pain.
What Muscles Are Injured After a Low Back Strain From A Car Crash?
Car accidents are often violent and abrupt. the force involved in a car accident will often cause the human body to move in unnatural and awkward directions. There are three sets of muscles in the lower back that can be damaged in a car accident. Those muscles that are mostly affected are:
- Extensor muscles – these muscles are attached to the back of the spine and enable an individual to stand and lift objects. They include a large pair of muscles in the lower back call the erector spinae. These muscles help keep the spine straight along with the stomach muscles.
- Flexor muscles – flexor muscles are attached to the front of the spine and enable a human being to flex, bend, lift and arch the lower back.
- Oblique muscles – oblique muscles are attached to the side of the spine and enable an individual to rotate the spine and maintain the appropriate posture in normal settings.
Why Lower Back Muscles Get Injured In A Car Accident?
There are two main reasons why your lower back is in pain after a car accident. the muscles in the lower back may become over-stretched and inflamed. This can cause the muscles to swell, tense, or tighten past their normal condition. Once these muscles become overstretched or inflamed, they irritate the nerves around the muscles as well as the tendons that connect the muscles to the bone.
If the nerves are irritated, they will send a message to the brain that your lower back is in pain and you need treatment.
The other cause of low back strain is the counterforce on the muscles in your lower back. If you’re involved in an accident and anticipate the collision, you may tense your muscles to prepare for impact. If your muscles are tense or tightened, the counterforce from the accident may damage the muscles. This will again cause inflammation and irritate the nerves and subsequently inform your brain that your low back has been injured.
Should I Go to the Hospital if I Have a Low Back Strain?
After any type of car crash, it is advised that you seek medical attention and examination by a medical provider. When determining if you should visit the emergency room, the following conditions may require a trip to the hospital:
- If you feel or hear a pop or snap in your lower back.
- Increased swelling or pain in your lower back that is unbearable.
- If you have trouble moving or operating your legs or if your legs become numb.
While these conditions may require a trip to the emergency room, you may want to see your doctor if you notice any of the following symptoms:
- You develop a fever for more than a day.
- Even after treatment the pain continues in your lower back.
- The use of medicine or painkillers is not bringing any relief.
Medicines Prescribed for Low Back Strain.
After a car accident, a doctor may prescribe medication for a low back strain. Those medications may include:
- Ibuprofen – ibuprofen is prescribed to decrease swelling, pain and fever.
- Acetaminophen – acetaminophen is prescribed to decrease pain and reduce fever.
- Muscle relaxers – muscle relaxers may help decrease pain and reduce or alleviate muscle spasms.
How to Treat a Low Back Strain?
Typically after a car accident, a doctor will recommend or refer an injury victim to physical therapy. Physical therapists may stretch, massage or apply ice and heat to the lower back to treat the pain. Therapist also use electronic stimulation to encourage healing and increase blood flow to the lower back. In addition to physical therapy after a car accident resulting in low back pain, the following activities may help reduce low back strain:
- Rest for extended periods of time.
- Avoid lifting heavy objects and placing any strain on your lower back.
- Apply ice for 10 to 15 minutes every hour.
- The use of heat on your lower back may decrease pain and reduce muscle spasms as well as encourage blood flow to the area.
How to prevent low back strain in a car accident?
Car accidents are often unavoidable, therefore low back strains as a result of a car accident maybe unpreventable. Defensive driving as well as wearing a seatbelt can prevent some minor injuries in a car accident, however, low back strain is common in a car crash.
Car Accident Lawyers With Experience in Client with Low Back Strain Injuries
Our personal injury lawyers are familiar with the damages and injuries incurred in a car accident. the Maryland car accident lawyers with Rice, Murtha & Psoras ensure that their clients’ medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering is reimbursed after an accident.
Many insurance companies will discount low back strain injuries because they don’t believe the victims and the pain they are going through. Ensuring that your medical bills are paid for and that you receive the proper and adequate treatment for your low back strain is imperative after a car crash.
Contact their injury lawyers today to schedule free consultation. There is no fee unless we win and it doesn’t cost a penny up front to let their lawyers file a claim for your low back strain.