Half of all Americans experience some type of back pain symptoms each year. Back pain is the second most common reason for doctor visits. The full extent of a back or neck injury may not be seen for weeks, or in some cases, months after the actual injury. Some back injuries cause permanent partial or total paralysis or disability.
Back injuries can happen as a result of sports injury or sudden jolts such as car accidents or slips and falls. Repeated strains are another common back injury. Strains can be caused by continual poor posture or requiring your body to maintain an unnatural position for an extended amount of time. Common causes include working at a computer with poor posture, sleeping on an unsupportive pillow, overextension, or too many quick head turns.
Heavy lifting can lead to overextension and even herniated discs. Herniated disk injuries occur when the soft substance inside the discs in the spine is pushed out. Lifting a heavy load with a twisted spine is a common cause of herniation. It can also result after the impact on a person’s spinal column during a car accident. With impact the victim’s discs shift, which causes a rupture in their outer surface. Also called slipped or ruptured discs, they sometimes result in pressure on the nerves in the spine causing back, neck, and leg pain.
Whiplash is one of the most common neck and back injuries, and happens when the neck is thrown forward then back. This causes a strain or sprain in the neck when the muscles reflexively contract after a hyperextension, whipping the head in the opposite direction. Car accidents are one of the most common causes of whiplash.
Whiplash often has far reaching effects, sometimes damaging joints or discs and irritating nerves around the spinal cord. Whiplash symptoms may include acute pain, weakness, numbness or tingling down the arms, stiffness, and dizziness. Often, symptoms are delayed a day or two after the injury actually occurs. Nearly 75 percent of victims who suffer from whiplash will still be experiencing symptoms six months later, and they often miss up to two months of work.
Neck and back injuries also include strains and sprains. Though most strains occur in the lower back, they may also occur in the neck. Neck sprains are commonly the result of falls or sudden twists of the neck that overextend the joints. Symptoms of sprain can include swelling and reduced range of motion as well as pain.
Certain neck and back injuries have the potential to do damage to the nervous system by pinching, stretching, or irritating the nerves. These types of injuries can be quite complicated to treat, and are not always straightforward to diagnose. Nerve and spinal damage can result in lifelong disability or medical treatment.
In the most extreme cases, a person may break their neck or back bones. A neck fracture is a break in one of the cervical bones around the spinal cord. Trauma such as a fall or severe accident can cause a cervical break. The angle of impact and the head’s position when it meets the force of impact will determine the type and severity of the break.