What If My Injuries Aren’t Serious?

Soft tissue injuries from a car accident or other injury case are those injuries that can’t be readily seen by an observer, and usually involve injury to muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Many such injuries that result from automobile collision include injuries to meniscus (knee), cervical spine (neck), injuries to lumbar spine (low back), and rotator cuff (shoulder). Just because a person can’t actually see your injury doesn’t make your pain any less severe or the injury any less real.

Your doctor will likely perform one or a number of diagnostic tests to determine the extent of your injury. MRIs are typically used to determine injuries to cervical and lumbar spine. Use of MRIs can reveal presence of traumatic injuries such as cervical herniation or cervical radiculopathy. Disc herniation and radiculopathy are painful conditions and sufferers quite often report pain in the affected immediately following impact of an automobile collision or traumatic event.

Some sufferers of soft tissue injuries report symptoms of headaches following impact that do not decrease in frequency, duration, or level of pain. In those instances, your medical provider may want to perform additional testing to evaluate possibility of traumatic brain injury.

Trauma to the head, neck and spine, can result in severe pain in those areas that radiates to arms and legs. However, many collisions cause soft tissue injuries to upper and lower extremities, separate from those to the head, neck, or spine. Strains to arms or shoulders can occur when trying to steer away from impact resulting in rotator cuff tears or nerve impingement. In such cases, your medical provider will perform tests beyond MRI to your neck or back, such as arthroscopic exploration of the affected area, to further evaluate the extent of your injuries.

Whatever the extent of your injuries, the insurance adjuster will try to minimize your suffering by suggesting your pain is not real because it can’t be seen. Call Michael P. Fleming to discuss your options 737-201-0543. The lawyers at Fleming Law, P.C., know how to handle these situations and will fight for the compensation you deserve.