HELPLINE: ☎ 1800 633 634

Our low back injury solicitors operate the no win no fee scheme which is totally without risk. You only pay legal charges if the case is won. There are no upfront charges to pay whatsoever. If you would like to discuss your potential compensation claim with a specialist medical negligence solicitor just complete the contact form or email our lawyers offices or use the solicitors helpline. Once you have provided sufficient information you will speak with a low back injury solicitor who will advise you on the prospects of success for your claim and an estimated amount of compensation that may be awarded. Our advice is totally without cost and there is no further obligation to use our legal services. Do yourself justice and give us a call.

Our low back injury solicitors have offices situated in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Darwin, and Sydney.

Low Back Injury Overview

Low back injuries are common injuries caused by heavy lifting, twisting the back in the wrong way or perhaps due to a motor vehicle injury, fall or sports injury. The most common cause of a back injury is lifting something in an inappropriate way. At least $2 billion dollars are spent on low back injuries and low back pain each year. Its occurrence is second only to headaches among neurological problems. Most back pain is relieved by rest and anti-inflammatory medication but some low back injuries are serious, leading to paralysis and the possibility of surgery.

Most cases of low back pain are mechanical. This means that there is arthritis of the back or a tearing of the tendons and ligaments of the low back. The pain can be a shooting pain down the back and leg or can be an aching pain in the back region. One can suffer the inability to stand straight with a low back injury and there can be numbness or tingling down the leg. Pain can be acute and lest less than three months in duration or can be chronic, lasting greater than three months. Chronic low back pain can be very debilitating.

Low back pain, as mentioned, can be due to an injury or to lifting or twisting the back the wrong way. It happens more often as a person ages and is partly due to a loss of elasticity of the normal back ligaments, causing the vertebrae to sublux or fall into place in the wrong place upon one another. Such subluxations are very painful and need chiropractics or time to fall back into the right position. Subluxations cause the muscles to spasm and the ligaments to become inflamed. This causes pain and spasm of the back. In other cases, the bones are in the right position but the muscles, ligaments or tendons become strained. They cause pain and spasm of the muscles, which makes it difficult to get around or move the back in certain directions. Irritation of the spinal nerves can result, which makes it painful to move the back.

Low back injuries that hurt when you cough or that interfere with bowel and bladder function can be serious. It can mean that there is a pinched nerve that regulates bowel or bladder function. You need to see a doctor right away if there are bowel or bladder function problems so that permanent injury doesn't result.

Men and women get low back injuries at the same rate. People between the ages of 30 and fifty are more likely to get a low back strain and people of all ages can get low back injuries from motor vehicle accidents or falls and sports injuries. Children can get low back injuries from carrying heavy backpacks loaded with heavy schoolbooks.

Some conditions associated with low back injuries include a ruptured disc, which is a condition where the soft material between the vertebrae squishes out into the spinal canal or where the nerve roots exit the back. It may require surgery to remove the ruptured part of the disc. The spinal cord can be affected and can cause pain shooting down the back and legs. A serious complication of having a ruptured disc is a condition called cauda equina syndrome. This is when the ruptured disc interferes with the function of the bundle of nerves located in the lumbar and sacral areas of the low back. It can damage the nerve bundle, leading to bowel and bladder dysfunction and extreme leg and low back pain.

Doctors diagnose a low back injury by examining the back for range of motion, spasm of the muscles, location of tenderness, and deep tendon reflexes of the lower extremities. A lumbar spine x-ray can show osteoporosis and arthritis of the low back. It doesn't do a good job of checking the spinal nerves and spinal cord, however. You need a CT scan of the lower back or an MRI of the low back to see the nerves and any ruptured disc present. Discography is a test done that puts dye into a spinal disc and checks for the integrity of the disc. A myelogram is a test that checks the spinal canal and can tell if there is pressure on the spinal cord or spinal nerves.

Most of the time, low back injuries resolve with rest and pain medication. Heat and/or ice are used to reduce inflammation of the back and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications are used to reduce pain and settle inflammation. Narcotic pain relief is sometimes necessary. Some mild stretching exercises help return the back to its normal state. In some cases, tricyclic antidepressant medications are used to help low back pain. Some people see a chiropractor to straighten out the back and resolve subluxations. Acupuncture can be used to reduce back pain, as can biofeedback and yoga.

HELPLINE: ☎ 1800 633 634

Medical Negligence Solicitors

Our personal injury solicitors operate a specialist medical negligence compensation service. Our Low Back Injury solicitors deal with claims using a no win no fee arrangement which means that if you don't win then you don't pay them their professional costs. If you would like legal advice at no cost with no further obligation just complete the contact form or email our lawyers offices or use the helpline and a low back injury solicitor will review your medical negligence compensation claim and phone you immediately.