• Muscle strains, ligament tears, or soft-tissue injuries. • Soft-tissue injuries with pre-existing arthritis.  • Fractures and stress fractures. Soft-Tissue Back Injuries Soft-tissue back injuries are the most common back injuries in a car accident. Most people only suffer from a muscle or ligament tear, also known as a sprain or a strain. When you sprain or strain your ankle, you have a relatively minor injury on your hands. When you sprain or strain your back, you have an entirely different issue. These injuries produce swelling and pain. They reduce and restrict your motion while they heal. Furthermore, your back and neck aren't as strong as your ankles are! The spine is much more delicate. These issues are also far more significant. Once these muscles or ligaments are torn, the neck and back begin to spasm. Those spasms prevent you from moving beyond the stretch point. The pain is meant to stop you from ripping the muscle further. Treatment could include physical therapy, acupuncture, heat, ice, electrical stimulation from a TENS unit, traction, water therapy, and exercise. All of these therapies are meant to help you regenerate the muscle and the ligaments.  Soft-Tissue Injuries with Pre-Existing Arthritis These are worth mentioning because pre-existing conditions can complicate your case a great deal. The older we get, the more arthritis threatens, and the more of an impact a back sprain or strain can have on us. It becomes harder to recover because we're less flexible.  In addition, these injuries can cause additional neurological symptoms. The trauma can create numbness, tingling, pain, and loss of feeling. These injuries can also lead to herniated discs. If the damage is bad enough, an arthritic individual is even at risk for paralysis. On one hand, this should be taken into account in your pain and suffering award. On the other, the defense will try to use your pre-existing condition against you, saying that their driver didn't really cause the extent of damage that you're claiming. A skilled attorney can help you navigate these bad-faith arguments.  Fractures and Stress Fractures If you're lucky, a fractured vertebra only needs to be immobilized for a certain period of time but heals normally. In rarer cases, the fracture damages the spinal cord, leading to paraplegia or quadriplegia. Fortunately, these types of injuries are rarer than they once were thanks to seatbelts and airbags!