Traffic accident data has revealed that more than 90% of whiplash injuries result from rear impacts. If your neck injury is a damaged spinal disc in your neck, more formally known as a cervical disc injury, then this might only impact you a little, or none at all, depending on the type of cervical disc injury you have. Another key is how the neck injury affects a particular plaintiff. Whiplash - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic We fight the insurance company and do whatever it takes to get you justice. The truck operator rear-ended the victims car in stop-and-go traffic, causing devastating neck injuries. Loss of normal cervical curve. But it still has value in an auto accident lawsuit. In Washington, Max Meyers Law can help. Chiropractic Therapy and Treatment. It is a chicken or egg statement. Soft tissue neck injury claims are worth between $5,000 and $20,000 on average. A brief explanation of mechanism of neck injuries, and injury types, in car accidents will help you understand your claim. Copyright 2023 attorney advertisement by Injury Advocates Group and licensed, practicing attorney Ray Benyamin, Esquire. Understanding Your Spine: Loss of Cervical Lordosis When this happens, you can feel pain, weakness, tingling and numbness in the neck, shoulders, arms, hands and fingers. Keep reading for the most common back injuriesfrom car accidents. Unlike minor injuries, an injury that requires spinal fusion surgery averages more than $200,000. Similarly, injuries requiring treatment by physiciansas opposed to chiropractors, or even physical therapistsare given more weight by many insurance adjusters. The C3, C4, and C5 vertebrae form the midsection of the cervical spine, near the base of the neck. With the Rectifier it is impossible to have a loss of cervical lordosis. Physical therapy, such as neck exercises or traction, may provide pain relief and help restore a normal neck curve. If yes, contact a lawyer referral service. If you are 100% better, or think you are, wait another 30-60 days and see how you feel. It can be caused by: a degenerative disc disease. The following cases detail some pretty devastating damages as well as the sizable compensation the victims received. They refer to the emotional and mental damages suffered from a car accident. Loss of cervical lordosis exercises and home tips,Also watch, 5 Best Loss of Lumbar Lordosis Correction Exercises: https://youtu.be/dQNrt98mUG8-----Join . Remember, you can only file one claim for your injuriesyou cant follow up in ten years seeking more compensation because of an inability to work. When there is a loss of lumbar lordosis, the lower spine's natural inward curvature has become straighter, making that section of the spine flatter than it should be. T-bone auto accident settlement with cervical disc injury, $1,941,000 VA disability ratings for back pain go from 10% to 100% depending on how severe your symptoms are, including your range of motion and pain frequency and level. Average Whiplash Injury Settlement | Compensation Payouts Intervertebral disc disorder with myelopathy; Myelopathy; Myelopathy due to another disorder; Myelopathy secondary; Spinal cord disease If the injured accident victim has to seek physical therapy, injections, or other procedures to treat the soft tissue . However, the association between these variables and pain conditions remains poorly understood. What these researchers did then was to examine all these factors to see if they could figure out what type of problems the curvature of the cervical spine could create in whiplash victims. A tendon is a type of tissue that links muscle to bone. We will discuss them each in turn. Looking for a record of pre-existing neck pain, theyll also be checking for evidence of any degenerative conditions if you happen to be an older person. According to clinical research and empirical evidence. Symptoms may not appear for weeks or months after the crash. Spinal cord damage can cause you to lose sensation in parts of your body or lose reflex functions altogether. In most cases that injury was brought on by car accident or sports injury. You may not want to wait 2-3 years to get your money. 2) Accidents on the cervical spine: when we talk about accidents to the cervical spine, our initial thought goes towards the classic car crash accident called "whiplash". Ross Hauser, MDCan a car accident cause straightening of your cervical spine? A loss of normal neck curve or lordosis (hypolordosis) was observed in only 4% the normal/non-injured patients. This is not always the case but it is a reality that many will have to deal with. When the impact from such events causes fractures and/or dislocation of the vertebrae (disks of the spine), a . Ultimately, those who have whiplash injuries have been often shown to have poor quality of life long after their accidents. Knowing the relationship between this injury and a specific impact type (rear-end accident) can help establish medical causation in your case. Verdict/Settlement Amount. This rapid motion causes the vertebrae to pull apart, fracturing the delicate bones. I am wondering if maybe you meant a loss of cervical lordosis. When this happens, it interrupts the communication between your brain and the rest of your body. For example, if the liable drivers insurance policy limit is not adequate, your lawyer may consider tapping your own policys Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or uninsured/underinsured coverage before filing a lawsuit. Ringing in the ears that is constant or comes and goes. Call our Washington auto accident lawyer at 425-399-7000 today for . This can lead to shoulder pain, numbness, and pins and needles, and can even affect the movement of . However, an auto accident can worsen existing damage and create a disc herniation. Building a strong attorney-client relationship with a knowledgeable attorney is essential to your case. Do you want us to review your case to see if it has the potential for an above average whiplash or neck injury settlement payout? As mentioned above, close to 50% of all soft tissue and whiplash neck injuries are permanent. While the settlement amounts above may seem promising, thats not to say theres a fixed settlement sum for neck injuries sustained during a car accident. Rapid movements such as these can cause serious injury to the muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and nerves in the cervical spine, where your neck is located. An exercise program focusing on cervical extensor muscle strengthening and restoring the balance of flexor and extensor muscles is recommended for patients with loss of cervical lordosis. A paper published in The British Journal of Radiology (1) suggested straightening of the C-spine alignment in MDCT (as seen in a multidetector (MDCT) CT scan) alone is not a definitive sign of injury. Sagittal alignment of the cervical spine: do we know enough for successful surgery?. But, true structural permanent loss of lordosis is usually secondary to advanced degeneration , or structural changes to the bones . . Later in the article, I will explain how the Rectifier works. "We've known that the neck curve is a big deal in helping avoid structural overload . northern echo archives deaths; devonta smith rookie card; world's 101 best steak restaurants. Did you know more than800,000 car accidentsinvolving neck injuries are reported annually in the U.S. alone? Minor Cervical Spine Neck Injury Settlement Amounts. loss of cervical lordosis may be found in 14% of normal children. Loss of cervical lordosis is a diagnostic finding most often seen on MRI reports in association with chronic neck pain. After suffering a cervical spine injury, you likely have dozens of questionsamong the first may be how to reclaim the damages youre owed. pattismith said: There is a significant relationship between cervical muscle imbalance, including extensor muscle weakness, and loss of cervical lordosis. If your medical records show that there was a neck problem prior to the car accident, then with the right help from a creative lawyer, it could be proven that the accident made the existing condition worse. Seeking chiropractic help to either reverse the cervical lordosis, or improve the loss of the cervical lordosis, from a car accident can help prevent damage to the soft tissue in the neck and to the sensitive cervical spine ligaments. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, how the nature and extent of injuries affects claim value, how the "right" medical treatment increases injury settlement value, determining fault in a personal injury case, finding the right personal injury lawyer for you and your case, Tips for Getting the Best Personal Injury Settlement. In the image below are x-rays of a lordotic curve (correct neck curvature) and the gradual loss of lordosis to a straightening or military curve, an eventual reverse curve or Kyphotic curve, and eventual reverse of the reverse curve the S curve signifying cervical spine instability. It will vary depending on the type of injury, but the average payout for a neck injury is between $5,000 and $50,000. The lawyer has to fight for your case, file a lawsuit, go through depositions, and treat your case like a big case. Even if you dont feel as if the level of pain that youre suffering warrants a trip to a doctor or emergency room, you should still seek an opinion from a medical professional. You may have been told that your problems stem from the stretching of the cervical ligaments that is now allowing hypermobile or neck instability to occur. Unfortunately, many of our "normal" daily tasks may also decrease the cervical lordosis, like viewing low lying computer screens (below eye level), sleeping with two . As its name suggests, post-traumatic kyphosis is a condition that results from serious injury, such as a fall from a height, a motor vehicle accident, a horseback riding accident, or even a bounce off a wave while boating. Also referred to as whiplash-associated disorder (WAD), its actually a type of sprain caused by a tear in the necks delicate ligaments. This includes becoming . Rear end car accident settlement with cervical disc injury, $268,000 How the Straightening of Your Cervical Spine Can Impact Health There is no right or wrong answer, only a right or wrong answer for you and where you are in your life. You should speak with your pain management doctor about this. Go get the medical care that you need! Tractor-trailer accident settlement with cervical disc injury, $270,000 If youve recently injured your neck in an accident, doctors have likely referred to your injuries as damage to the cervical spine, the medical term for the bones and tissue that make up your neck. Lumbar Spinal Injuries from Car Accidents | Max Meyers Law PLLC Its key to work alongside a car accident lawyer to determine how your neck injury affects your lifetime income. Treating Cervical Lordosis Issues - Raveling Chiropractic Center For example, if the plaintiff is an avid violin player, but can no longer hold the instrument properly because of the neck injury, his damages based on "loss of quality of life" will likely be higher in the eyes of a jury. A sprain is a soft tissue injury caused by a tear in the ligaments. an iatrogenic disorder. This is why its crucial to receive medical attention immediately after the incident, even if youre not experiencing significant pain. Get our FREE 4th Edition Prolotherapy e-book! Whiplash is one form of soft tissue neck injury. Military Neck (Cervical Kyphosis): Causes, Treatment, and More - Healthline They usually have taken a long medical journey bouncing from one clinician to another looking for answers to problems that seemingly evade all treatments. A fracture that affects the spine can cause the vertebrae to slide forward which leads to anterolisthesis. February 9, 2023. Can the straightening of the cervical spine lead to a worsening or delayed development of whiplash-related symptoms. It can be as much as 100% or as low as 1%. In 2012, a 31 year old teacher was driving a car in Boynton Beach when was hit by a car that ran a red light. If a spinal injury or trauma has damaged the spine and caused the loss of cervical lordosis, the injury must be addressed proactively to improve the spine's health . Both your past and future medical care costs are recoverable in your neck injury settlement. loss of cervical lordosis car accident settlement. $2,840,000. The other major factor in valuing a case is the likelihood a defendant will be found liable at trial. Let us help you win. A strain is a soft tissue injury caused by a tear in the muscles or tendons. In more severe cases, whiplash can cause chronic headaches, dizziness, and vertigo. The best way to know if your injury is serious is to contact a medical professional and get the proper testing. The only way to know if youre receiving fair compensation is to ask the opinion of a trained personal injury lawyer. He suffered C4-5 and C5-6 protrusions and spondylosis. It boils down to all the intangible facts, which we discuss in our case valuation page. If your job requires you to stand for hours on end or sit for long periods of time, you may not be able to return to work at all. Vehicle accident settlement with cervical soft tissue injury, $93,000 Block. Further testing revealed hEDS and joint hypermobility (please see my article Whiplash injury in the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome patient for more discussion). Car accident verdict with cervical soft tissue injury, $23,000 a congenital disorder. It is also possible to separate the injuries and prove that car accident caused a different type of neck injury. Upper or lower back pain. Secondly, you have a complete reversal of the lordotic curve (x-ray on the right). They tell the story of a bad whiplash that reversed their cervical spine lordosis. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2018. loss of cervical lordosis car accident settlement Please reference the Terms of Use and the Supplemental Terms for specific information related to your state. Before diving into a lawsuit, your car accident attorney will first attempt to work with the at-fault drivers insurance company to recoup damages. Tearing, sprains, or strains to the ligaments, muscles and tendons in the neck following a car accident are described as soft tissue damage. -ABNORMAL CERVICAL CURVE; CAR WRECKS AND LOSS OF THE One of the most common ways to really foul up a cervical curve is to be involved in a MVA (MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT).). Injury Advocates Group Attorneys, L.L.P, all rights reserved. A man in New York received a $5,160,916 verdict after being in a hit-and-run car accident case. She was taken to the hospital and complained of neck pain. . A compression fracture occurs when a vertebra partially or completely breaks. The more identifiable symptoms are in your medical records, the more ammunition your lawyer will have to argue for a larger settlement. Would you rather have $30,000 today or $55,000 in 2 years? Some damages, like medical bills and lost income, are fairly easy to quantify. Despite his efforts, his range of motion was severely impacted, and he was unable to return to his career as a landscaper. The insurance company will scrutinize your past medical records to try and bring forth the argument that you had a pre-existing condition. Loss of lordosis can begin in early childhood, however, whiplash from automobile accidents, stress, injuries from falls and sports injuries can cause this issue in adulthood. Car Accident Case With Spinal Injury Settled for $380,000. Let your body go through the recovery motions and keep an eye on yourself so that your neck injury settlement amount comprehensively covers everything you went through because of the accident. For instance, a no-fault state like Florida may handle a case differently than a fault state, like Arizona or Texas. However, thats not to say general damages dont increase the value of your case. This occurs when there is an impact to the face while the head is in a neutral or bent position, and can produce fractures of the spinal processes, damage to the load bearing surfaces, and spine dislocations. Whiplash is the rapid movement of the neck and head forward and then returning to the head rest. Even if the potential damages are high, a defendant will be less willing to settle and more inclined to take their chances at trial. Depending on the literature you rely on, some doctors will call it a permanent injury after 6 months or 12 months. As the disks dehydrate and shrink, signs of osteoarthritis develop, including bony projections along the edges of bones (bone spurs). Your head tends to rush forward on impact, which can severely damage the fragile structures there. The second reason the all in approach often is not an option is it takes a lot of time. Paralysis is forever. Whiplash and the Reverse Cervical Curve - Doctor Schierling In this image, we see the reversal of the cervical lordosis and the characteristic disc narrowing of disc thinning at the C3-C4, C4-C5, and C5-C6. Your neck is left virtually unprotected during a car accident. If the at-fault driver was working when the accident occurred, such as in the UPS example above, you might be able to file a claim against their employer as well. This type of injury typically occurs at the base of the spine, but much like a compression fracture, can happen anywhere in the back. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier; 2018. https://www.clinicalkey.com. If it is related to posture and/or obesity, lifestyle issues might also need to be addressed. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. If you suffered a disc injury in your neck and had surgery, that always causes and leaves permanent issues and symptoms. The more serious your injury, the more problematic that becomes for you and your case. Neck Pain at times is also caused by a fall or injury to the neck. They in fact felt fine and had no symptoms, then as a year or two passed their symptoms became progressively worse. Likewise, auto insurance companies like to blame injured parties byciting comparative fault laws, which can slash your settlement amount. When you get an offer, especially a quick offer, it is a red flag that the insurance company wants to settle with you before you lawyer up. Along with this injury came the new onset of symptoms of headaches, vertigo, vision problems, anxiety, blood pressure problems, and other neurologic and cardiovascular-like symptoms. During a car accident, the rapid forward-backward or side-to-side motion can cause these delicate tissues to stretch or tear. Generally speaking, spinal fusion surgery can increase the overall price of a settlement. Medically, the spine is classified into three sections: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar. Rollover vehicle accident verdict with cervical soft tissue injury, $125,000 Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. In comparison, another client of ours sustained a cervical strain that resulted in only 8 weeks of physical therapy. It can also lead to referred pain in hand, vertigo and many other symptoms which we will discuss later on. (800) 400-5050 Free Consultation 247. The association between prevalent neck pain and health-related quality of life: a cross-sectional analysis. If it is that simple (which, by the way, it is), how come all lawyers do not do this for every case? Without a medical explanation of the mechanism of injury in your neck injury claim, your case would boil down to I was in a car accident and now my neck hurts, give me money. Meaning, without the jurys understanding of this topic, how much money you get for a neck injury will be negatively affected. Your attorney will investigate all aspects of the collision and document each detail of the case beforesubmitting a demand letterto the other partys insurer. Introduction. No fee unless we win. Generally speaking, the answer to this question depends on your injury severity and the treatment you get after your injury. Post-Traumatic Kyphosis: An Overview - Hospital for Special Surgery If your medical records show no prior complaints of neck pain prior to the accident, it could increase the value of your injury case. Individuals with permanent injury may have to undergo cervical fusion surgery or an alternative type of spinal surgery to repair the damage. In turn, this factor increases its overall settlement amount. san jose state basketball recruiting; 5 types of imagery in the pedestrian. The bones, muscles, nerves and tendons of the neck may be injured in both whiplash and WADs, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. A 30 lbs (13.6kg) 3-year-old boy should ride in a booster seat in the rear center seat . Some neck injuries and the pains associated with them will be permanent. There should be cervical lordosis. There are instances in which a direct injury to the cervical spine or injury due to persistent muscle spasms may change the degree of the neck curvature. loss of cervical lordosis car accident settlement If you give up work permanently or even on a short-term basis, the money lost through unearned wages are recoverable. For this reason, the typical neck injury in an accident is a combination flexion-extension injury. 9+ loss of cervical lordosis after car accident most standard $1,200,000 settlement for aggravation of pre-existing neck injury, requiring surgery, after plaintiff rear-ended in an, what the person being sued (the defendant) would be willing to pay, and. srini devadas linkedin The man also suffered a mild traumatic brain injury. Special damages are expenses that are capable of exact calculation. So, the settlement amount for any one motor vehicle accident must be decided on a case-by-case basis. Cervical spine neck injuries can be physically, emotionally, and financially devastating. Q. Slowly turn your head from neutral position to the right and left side of your body and back to neutral position again. 2020 Aug 1;20(8):1229-38. neck pain, loss of the normal cervical curve, and spinal degeneration The problem is usually detected on X-ray of cervical spine and it should be . If you proceed with legal action immediately after sustaining cervical spine damage in a car accident, you likely wont have to worry about your statute of limitations expiring. Your body has 23 spinal discs, and each holds an important purpose. Both that physical pain and emotional suffering are recoverable and impact your Car accident neck injury settlement amount. Hyperextension injuries can also cause vertebrae and spine dislocation. Five years after the accident, whiplash casualties still have poorer quality of life in the physical domain than other mildly injured casualties: analysis of the ESPARR cohort. Yes, whiplash can be a serious injury that can cause you to have lifelong chronic pain that will require medical treatment and possibly physical therapy. Find loss of cervical lordosis settlement accident amount information. Treatments discussed on this site may or may not work for your specific condition. Learn more about determining fault in a personal injury case. Depending upon the severity of the neck injury, the overall cost of medical and chiropractic treatment can be hundreds of thousands of dollars. For instance, an injury that requires minimal treatment and recovery time will average roughly $25,000. Damage to the spinal cord is one of the more serious injuries you could sustain in a car accident. Having a surgery also means you endure the risk of infection and complications. Lane change tractor-trailer accident settlement with cervical disc injury, $1,600,000 Not only does the impact of a collision affect the neck, but the anticipation of impact often causes the individual to tense their neck muscles, meaning that theyll have more potential for injury than if their muscles were relaxed. In the state of Arizona, you need to file an insurance claim with the at-fault drivers insurance company to seek compensation for your damages. Improper posture and muscular spasm are two important causes for loss of cervical curvature. Compression fractures generally occur in the thoracic (mid-back) or lumbar spine (lower back). You need to be careful with neck injuries that do not seem serious. Most of the people have neck pain at one point or the other, especially people who spend long hours sitting in front of the computer at work and have a job which requires them to lift things overhead. No recovery no fee guarantee includes a promise that if there is no recovery, our law firm will cover the case costs on your behalf. Neck disc injury cases that result in surgery average over $200,000. From rear-end collisions to side-impact wrecks, car accidents are the primary cause of neck injuries in America. Cervical Spondylosis. Another study concluded that the loss of normal lordosis represented mechanical derangement of the . Obviously, the individual's case, who underwent the neck surgery, is valued much higher than the . However, a person with pre-existing spondylosis has a much greater risk of intensifying the illness or causing other types of back problems to occur. Along the way, spinal cord injury victims may have several complications, including infection, bleeding blood clots, and pneumonia. Muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nerves help maintain the structure and integrity of your spine. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site. Median: $320,000. We are an out-of-network provider. As for bulging cervical discs, call an injury attorney ASAP because otherwise, you may be very disappointed in your neck injury lawsuit settlement. It is in your interest to have an attorney on your side in this situation. Car accident neck injury amounts will be greatly affected by the steps you take in the period following your accident. Average: $462,900. For this reason, theyre referred to as non-economic damages, since theyre not tied to a number. What is the average settlement payout for a whiplash injury? More severe cases, such as herniated disk, bone spurs or pinched nerves, are . The first two injury types are typically caused by an excess of bending, shearing or displacements produced by force pushing the head and neck away from your upper body. In this article, you, and other auto accident injury victims, will learn why that is. Much like any type of personal injury claim, neck injury settlements vary wildly depending on the individual factors of each case. A cervical vertebrae injury is the most severe of all spinal cord injuries because the higher up in the spine an injury occurs, the more damage that .