Back Pain from a Slip-and-Fall Accident

A sudden slip-and-fall could instantly cause you severe back pain. A fall can prevent you from performing your daily responsibilities like working, driving, or caring for your family.

There are two categories of slip-and-falls, depending on what triggered the slip and the direction of the fall. A slip-and-fall results from a slippery surface and the victim generally falls backward. When someone trips on uneven pavement or an item in the path, they usually fall forward.

The type of fall you experience affects the way you hurt your back. If you have suffered either type of fall, and are suffering from back pain as a result, contact our office at (855) 77-SPINE immediately for an examination and diagnosis.

Slip-and-Fall Accidents

Many times, people injured in slip-and falls do not realize they are hurt until a day or more after the incident. Pain may arise from the fall itself, or the impact may have aggravated a pre-existing condition. Back pain that results from a slip-and-fall accident may be serious and should not be ignored. Some common slip-and-fall or trip and fall injuries include:

Cervical spine injuries

These injuries involve the neck. A bone may dislocate, potentially damaging the spinal cord. This unstable situation generally requires surgical correction.

Fracture

A broken bone in the spine causes intense pain. In backward falls, the tailbone is often involved. Fractures range in severity, from simple fractures to those where the bone has burst.

Herniated discs

Discs herniate when their soft centers, the nucleus pulposus, push through their harder shells, irritating neighboring nerves. Pain occurs in the affected area, which in falls may include the neck, upper or lower back, legs or buttocks. When the herniation compresses the nerves, tingling, weakness and numbness result. Herniated discs are also known as slipped discs.

Soft tissue injuries

Falls often cause strained muscles and/or tendons or sprained ligaments. Besides pain, symptoms include swelling and loss of flexibility. The most serious type of sprain after a fall involves the neck. These injuries benefit from non-surgical treatments, including physical therapy.

Whiplash

Although whiplash occurs primarily in motor vehicle accidents, a bad fall can cause the same strong rocking back and forth of the head. Unlike whiplash from a car accident, whiplash from a fall usually results in pain in the lower back or legs.

For minor back injuries, bed rest and anti-inflammatory medication will likely take care of the problem. For more serious injuries, treatment runs from physiotherapy to surgery. Some injuries from slip-and-fall accidents heal easily, while others may leave a patient permanently disabled.

Contact a Surgeon for Slip-and-Fall Accidents

An accurate diagnosis is the first step toward treatment and healing. After hearing a detailed account of what happened during the accident, the doctor can begin identifying the pain source. Risk factors, such as osteoporosis, are discussed. Typically, the doctor will perform diagnostic imaging to definitively identify the source of patient injuries and grade the injury level.

After diagnosis, they will devise a treatment and therapy plan, as well as offer pain management. If the accident results in litigation, they provide full documentation for legal and insurance purposes.

If you or a loved one suffers back pain because of a slip-and-fall injury, contact our office at (855) 77-SPINE for an examination and a full explanation of treatment options.