When a car accident in Indianapolis leads to fractured vertebrae, or spinal fracture, the ramifications can be very serious. If the accident that caused your injury was a result of another person’s recklessness or carelessness on the road, you may be eligible for compensation through an Indiana injury claim.
Types of Fractured Vertebrae Injuries after a Car Accident in Indianapolis
Fractured vertebrae injuries can occur in different places on the spine, and where they occur largely determines how they’re treated and what they affect. Among the different places a spine injury can occur, the most common are in the middle of the back (thoracic), the lower back (lumbar), or the place on your back where the midback and lower back connect, the thoracolumbar junction. These fractures are particularly more likely to occur in high-energy traumatic events, such as falls and car crashes.
Back injuries are also classified based on the pattern of the vertebrae fracture. There are 3 main types of fracture patterns:
- Flexion fractures, in which the vertebra breaks and loses height on the front but not the back (compression fracture), or breaks and loses height on both sides (axial burst).
- Extension fractures pull the vertebrae apart, such as when the back is over-extended in a traumatic event.
- Rotation fractures occur when the vertebra is pushed off or forced off another vertebra, and less commonly occur when the back is bent or rotated too quickly.
Prognosis for Fractured Vertebrae after a Car Accident in Indianapolis
Depending on the particular manifestation of your injury after an accident, your doctor may select a combination of therapeutic treatments and medication to mitigate the pain and discomfort associated with a serious back injury. In some cases, such as with flexion injuries, you may be required to wear a back brace as part of your treatment. Wearing a brace and engaging in reparative therapies may be enough to avoid further injury complications.
Some complications are associated with vertebrae fractures in the lower and middle back, such as pressure sores and blood clots in the legs from constant immobility, and pneumonia. Others include bleeding, infection, nonunion of the vertebrae, and spinal fluid leaks, although those are largely specific to surgery.
Recovering from Back Injury
Whether or not you undergo surgery, your doctor will prescribe rehabilitative treatment such as inpatient or outpatient physical therapy. These therapies help to reduce the pain and discomfort and strengthen and stretch your muscles and ligaments so that you can move more easily.
The cost of the procedures necessary to return a patient with a back or spine injury to his or her pre-injured state can be quite high when you factor in hospital fees, surgeon fees, medical equipment, therapy sessions and other medical expenses. If the car accident in Indianapolis that caused your injury was someone else’s fault, you may be eligible for compensation through an Indiana injury claim, so speak with a lawyer for your no-cost case evaluation.