Back Injuries vs. Spinal Cord Injuries
Injuries to the back and spine can affect everything from your ability to work to your overall quality of life. However, while sometimes used interchangeably, back injury and spinal cord injury (SCI) can be fundamentally different and may not have the same long-term consequences. The severity of your injury—to the back, spine, or both—will determine how best to proceed when seeking compensation.
At Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, our experienced attorneys have been assisting victims of back injuries and SCI for almost 50 years. With extensive experience handling both types of cases, we understand the challenges posed by each. We will carefully evaluate your injury, and assess the ways it has and may continue to impact your social, familial, and work life to help you understand if pursuing damages through legal action is the best course for your claim.
To schedule a FREE and confidential case review with one of our Providence back injury lawyers, call 401-273-8330 today. We serve victims of spinal cord injuries in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
What Is a Back Injury?
Back injuries often involve muscles, ligaments, and soft tissue surrounding the spine, but do not always impact the spinal cord itself. All the same, they can still be extremely painful and debilitating, leading to time away from work, extensive medical treatment, and limited mobility.
Two of the most common types of back injury are muscle strains and ligament sprains. Caused by overstretching or tearing of muscles or ligaments, these injuries may be a result of sudden twisting or movement, often brought about by abrupt and unexpected impact. Symptoms of both types of back injury include pain, tenderness, and reduced range of motion. Swelling and muscle spasms are possible following injury to the back as well.
Living with a back injury can be very challenging. With symptoms that may include everything from a limited ability to bend and lift to severe discomfort while sitting, these injuries can have a significant impact on daily life. When they are serious, they may also necessitate physical therapy, medications, and, in severe cases, surgical intervention to restore comfort and function. When your injury is the result of someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to seek compensation for these and any related damages.
Vertebral Fracture and Spinal Disc Injury
The spinal cord and the vertebral column are often referred to as the spine—but the spinal cord is a band of tissues and nerves that control the movement and function of the body, whereas the vertebral column is the layer of bone that surrounds and protects the spinal cord. While they can impact the spinal cord, injuries to the vertebrae are not—strictly speaking—spinal cord injuries.
Damage to the vertebrae may be caused by motor vehicle accidents or accidents in the workplace. They can result in severe back pain and, when they pinch or compress the spinal cord, may also cause numbness or tingling, difficulty walking, and loss of balance. Treatment may include medications and minimally invasive procedures like vertebroplasty or balloon kyphoplasty, but more serious injuries can require more complex surgery.
In between each of the vertebrae is a spinal disc. These discs can become damaged, resulting in either herniation or bulging, both of which can compress or otherwise impair the spinal cord, resulting in symptoms including pain and weakness in the appendages, and a loss of certain functions. Treatments including physical therapy, heat therapy, and cortisol injections may be necessary to address discomfort and spur healing.
Damage to the spinal column and discs can interfere with work, force temporary changes to your lifestyle, and require costly medical treatments. The spine injury attorneys at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell can evaluate all of the costs related to your injury for free to help you determine what your case may be worth.
What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
Spinal cord injury occurs when the bundle of nerves inside the spinal column is damaged, torn, or severed. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injury. Falls, acts of violence, sports, and recreational injuries, and medical malpractice are also common causes of SCI.
Spinal cord injuries may be complete, meaning the damage is severe enough to limit all movement and function below the level of the injury, or incomplete, meaning some level of function and mobility remains. Both types of SCI can impact multiple parts of your life for extended periods of time.
Surgery is commonly needed to address spinal cord injury. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, medications, and other treatments may be needed as well. However, even with treatment, it may not be possible to recover from SCI.
Spinal cord injuries can necessitate home modifications, adaptive technologies, and years of rehabilitation. When SCI is the result of someone else’s negligence, paying for these costly interventions should not fall on you. Having a dedicated spinal cord injury lawyer on your side is a good way to make sure your best interests are protected and full compensation is sought.
Should You Talk to an Attorney?
No matter if you are dealing with a soft tissue injury, an injury to the vertebral column, or an injury to the spine itself, when your injury was caused by someone else’s actions, it’s a good idea to talk to a qualified attorney as soon as possible. A spine injury lawyer will be able to assess your claim to help you determine if you are entitled to seek compensation for:
- Medical and rehabilitation expenses
- Current and future lost wages
- Home modifications
- Adaptive technology
- Pain and suffering
- Forced changes to lifestyle
- Emotional duress
Why Choose Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell?
The spinal cord injury lawyers at Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell have decades of combined experience helping victims of serious and life-altering injuries receive the compensation they deserve.
Our commitment to fully investigate every claim to uncover all liable parties allows us to properly assess the value of each claim—and our relentless approach has resulted in some of the most significant verdicts and settlements in Rhode Island and beyond. Proven negotiators and accomplished trial attorneys, our lawyers stay involved in every case. Thoughtful, thorough, and attentive, we welcome the opportunity to meet with you for a FREE consultation where we can listen to you talk about how your injury has impacted your life and help you determine if taking legal action is the best way to pursue just compensation.
For a complimentary case evaluation, contact Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell online or call our office today. Located in Providence, we serve victims of spinal injury living in Cranston, Pawtucket, and all nearby areas of Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
