Morgan & Murphy, llp | A Personal Injury Law Firm

Back injuries are perhaps the most common type of injury sustained in an accident. Each year large numbers of people endure back and neck injuries due to work related injuries, automobile accidents and slip and fall accidents. Your back is a complicated network of muscles, bones and tissues. Some common types of back injuries include sprains, strains, herniated or protruding discs and fractured vertebrae. Less common but extremely debilitating are injuries to the spinal cord that cause either total or partial paralysis.

Back and neck strains and sprains are very common injuries often associated with heavy or vigorous lifting at work. This can happen due to repetitive heavy lifting, lifting a very heavy object suddenly or lifting and then twisting in the wrong direction. When the muscles are stretched, the injury is called a strain. When the ligaments that hold the muscles are torn, the more serious sprain injury occurs. While back injuries are the most common work related injury, they are also the injury which is most likely to be denied or contested by the workers compensation insurance company. If your work related back or neck injury has been denied by an insurance company, you should call an experienced Massachusetts personal injury law firm to help ensure that you obtain proper compensation.

Car accidents are frequently the cause of neck and back sprains and strains. During a car accident the body can be violently thrown about the vehicle causing injury. Wearing a seatbelt can help avoid serious head injury or ejection from the car, but does not prevent whiplash or strain to the neck and back as it is pushed unexpectedly around the inside of the car.

Sometimes injuries to the neck and back are more serious and are diagnosed as disc protrusions or herniations commonly called “slipped” discs. Many people are unfortunate enough to sustain these injuries in car accidents, slip and fall accidents and work related accidents. These conditions are generally diagnosed by an MRI or CAT scan. If you believe that you have a disc injury causally related to an accident, you should see your doctor promptly or go to an emergency room or walk in facility where your condition can be properly diagnosed.

Treatment for neck and back injuries can be expensive. Such extra expenses can cause financial hardship for the injured person. At Morgan & Murphy we work hard to ensure that the party responsible for your injury pays for your medical treatment so the cost of expensive medical care does not have to be borne by the injury victim.

There are many different types of effective treatments for back and neck injuries. In the days immediately following an injury, many doctors will recommend either strict bed rest or, at the very least, a restriction in activity in hopes that the pain will go away spontaneously. Some other types of early medical care for neck and back injuries include medication, physical therapy and chiropractic care. These conservative measures often help reduce pain and promote healing.

Sometimes the injury will not respond to conservative treatment and your pain continues for a longer period of time. Your doctor may schedule an MRI or a CAT scan to determine if there is damage to a disc. An EMG and Nerve Conduction Study (NCS) can help determine if there is nerve damage or a pinched nerve. Once the results of these tests have been reviewed, your doctor can help you make good decisions regarding your future medical care. If you have problems with a disc, your doctor may suggest a consultation with a neurosurgeon, injection therapy, pain management therapy or continued conservative care. Some of the different types of medical care that an insurance company may pay for include:

At Morgan & Murphy, we have offices throughout Southeastern Massachusetts to assist you in getting the medical care you need to recover from your injury. Whether your pain comes from a work related accident, a slip and fall, a car accident or any other accident caused by the negligence of another, we have experienced personal injury lawyers who work with doctors and insurance companies to make sure you get the treatment you need to reach the best possible medical and legal result.



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