Your spine is more than a simple stack of bones. Between each vertebra, there are soft, rubbery cushions called discs. These discs act like shock absorbers that help your back move and bend without the bones grinding against each other. However, when one of those discs slips or breaks open, it becomes what doctors call a herniated disc.
This injury happens when the disc’s inner gel pushes out through a tear in the outer layer. That gel can press on nearby nerves, causing pain that travels down the back, arms, or legs. The pain can be mild or intense, and it may not go away for weeks or even months.
In Las Vegas and elsewhere in Nevada, herniated discs are common. Take a closer look at how these injuries happen and what to expect in terms of impact and recovery.
How Do Herniated Discs Happen?
Most discs get herniated because of some type of force. Car crashes, falls, or lifting something heavy the wrong way are some of the most frequent ways people hurt their backs. Even low-speed accidents can jolt the spine hard enough to cause damage.
Sometimes, the disc injury doesn’t show up right away. You may notice no symptoms on the day of the accident, or even for a day or two. At some point, though, the pain starts to set in. There’s often a delay because swelling, nerve irritation, and muscle tension can take time to develop. The result can be very painful.
Symptoms of a Herniated Disc
A herniated disc causes more than just discomfort in the back. Depending on where it is, the disc can send pain, tingling, or weakness throughout your limbs.
People with herniated discs often describe these symptoms:
- Sharp or burning pain in the lower back or neck
- Pain that radiates into the buttocks, legs, arms, or shoulders
- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
- Weakness in the muscles
- Pain that gets worse when coughing, sneezing, or sitting for too long
It’s easy to confuse a herniated disc with a pulled muscle or pinched nerve. If you’ve been in an accident and experience these symptoms afterward, a herniated disc could be the culprit.
How Do Doctors Diagnose It?
A herniated disc needs to be confirmed by a doctor so that you can get the right treatment. They’ll usually start with a physical exam, where they check your muscle strength, reflexes, and range of motion. From there, they might order imaging tests to get a clearer picture of the spine and verify whether a disc is pressing on a nerve.
Your symptoms may not match exactly what shows up on the scan. The human body is complicated, and pain doesn’t always follow a straight line. However, medical records like imaging results do make a difference, especially when it comes to proving an injury for a legal case.
How Herniated Discs Impact Daily Life
Living with a herniated disc can be exhausting. Simple things like walking your dog, tying your shoes, caring for your kids, or simply sleeping through the night turn into painful ordeals. The discomfort often leads to missed time from work, a need for physical therapy, or even surgery, if the pain and damage are advanced enough.
The mental side can get just as challenging as the physical. Chronic pain wears you down over time, and it can easily impact your mood, your sleep, and your relationships. Anxiety and depression aren’t uncommon for patients with back injuries, and when the injury wasn’t your fault, the frustration feels even worse.
That’s why it’s so important to seek a lawyer’s advice if you believe someone else was responsible for your herniated disc. A lawyer may be able to help you file a claim for compensation that covers losses like medical bills and a reduced quality of life.
What Does Recovery Look Like?
There’s no one-size-fits-all timeline for any injury, and that’s even more true with a back injury. Some herniated discs heal with rest, physical therapy, and medication. However, others may need steroid injections or surgery to correct. Depending on the severity and your overall health, recovery can take weeks or stretch into years.
Healing isn’t just physical, either. It’s also about getting your life back on track, which means making sure your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering are all accounted for if someone else’s negligence caused your injury.
Contact De Castroverde Accident & Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
A herniated disc may be invisible from the outside, but the pain and disruption it causes are very real. If someone else’s carelessness put you in this situation, you shouldn’t be the one left to pick up the pieces. Contact De Castroverde Accident & Injury Lawyers at (702) 222-9999 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
