Back Injuries & Treatment After A Slip & Fall Accident

A slip and fall injury can be devastating to your current lifestyle. The injuries from the fall may need more than immediate medical treatment. When the fall is due to another person’s negligence you may want to take the time to evaluate your injuries to seek fair compensation for your injuries. Falling on a wet floor, poorly maintained set of stairs, or an icy sidewalk could create a life altering medical issue.

Symptoms of Back Injuries

Slip and fall injuries may result in more than superficial bumps and bruises. When you slip and fall, your body is being propelled into motion prior to being abruptly stopped by a surface. The injuries can be devastating to your daily routine. The injuries can be as minor as soreness to complete loss of cognitive abilities. Different levels of back injuries can occur as you fall. The main symptom of back injury is pain. A pain can be a dull ache or over powering sensation that creates even more symptoms. The following can also result from a fall:

• Spasms from muscle strains and sprains.
• Ruptured discs or torn disc which creates a herniated disc.
• Spinal cord injury which can result in permanent or complete paralysis. The injury may be localized to one area of the body or affect multiple body functions.
• Compression of nerves can create severe pain.
• Damaged vertebrae.
• Torn ligaments.
• Severe pain may cause the injury to create headaches or migraines. In some cases, severe pain can result in losing consciousness.
• Numbness or tingling feeling in the local area of the pain or in other extremities.
• Fractures in the thoracic and lumbar area may occur. Different types of fractures can give a person an overwhelming sense of pressure, numbness and even loss of bowel or bladder functions.

You may not even realize the severity of the back injury until you have visited a health care professional. The injury can affect your spinal cord creating severe pain and limiting your overall mobility.

Treatment for Back Injuries

The treatment of back injuries will be determined by a health care professional. Each individual patient will have a different type of approach based on the severity of the case and medical history. Medical help should be sought especially if intense pain is occurring.

In minor cases, bed rest and pain medication may be the only necessary form of treatment. Beyond the simplest forms of first aid, a back injury can leave a person in need of further and ongoing treatment. These treatments may include:

• Physiotherapy
• Manipulative therapy which usually involves a chiropractor
• Medications to lower inflammation
• Surgery
• Pain management
• Heat and ice packs may be utilized to help relieve symptoms while reducing the inflamed areas
• Epidural steroid injections or other steroid medications

The treatments utilized are designed to get the injured area free from inflammation. In some situations, the injured area may never return to normal creating life changing health issues. Other symptoms may not occur until future health care issues arise. Future medical issues should be part of calculating a fair settlement for your injuries.

Settlement For Your Injuries

A settlement for a slip and fall injury will be calculated for compensatory damages. Each slip and fall case is different which means settlement amounts will vary. When pursing compensation for a slip and fall injury, the settlement will depend on numerous factors such as:

• Medical treatment is one of the largest factors when determining compensation for the injury. The settlement will cover all medical bills acquired as a result of the back injury. The compensation will also include future health care costs if ongoing treatment. Long term care can be a costly expense.
• Loss of income will be calculated into the settlement. When the injury occurred was the person working full time? The loss of  income while seeking medical treatments can result in unforeseen hardships. In extreme cases, a loss of earning capacity can be factored into the settlement. If you cannot return to your current occupation as a result of the injury, you will need to be able to pay your bills or continue in the lifestyle you are currently accustomed.
• Pain and suffering can be difficult to calculate. In most cases, a percentage of the medical bills are utilized to cover the pain and suffering compensation amount.

Other incidental expenses may be calculated into the final amount. The final result will be dependent on the severity of the injury and the area the slip and fall occurred. Seeking out the help of a slip and fall expert can help in determining if you have a case. In 2012, Walmart was required to pay a million dollars in a slip and fall case (read more about the case here). The judgement was for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of current and future wages. The final judgement may not be a norm for each situation; the compensation is based on all the factors involved in the case.