Workplace incidents, car accidents, slips and falls – they can all lead to back injury, which often requires treatment to manage. Finding a doctor who specializes in these kinds of injuries can make a substantial improvement to your quality of life, but it’s not always easy.
When back pain is the result of an accident or injury, the first step is often toward the nearest emergency department, where you’ll typically get a cursory examination to rule out life-threatening injuries and a referral to another physician.
What Kind of Doctor Should I See for Back Injuries?
Your primary care provider is often the first and best line of defense when you’ve sustained a back injury. They can order any relevant tests not conducted in the emergency room and provide referrals to specialists.
What to Expect From a Back Injury Assessment
In order to determine the severity of a back injury, according to the Mayo Clinic, a primary care provider or an emergency department physician may order x-ray imaging to ensure the alignment of spinal bones are correct and none are fractured or broken. Since an x-ray won’t show the condition of the disks, nerves and muscles of your back or the spinal cord itself, you may also undergo MRI or CT scans. These imaging procedures show herniated disks, musculature and skeletal problems, along with showing damage to the vascular system, ligaments, nerves, tissues and tendons.
If your injury was sustained due to a traumatic accident, treatment and assessment may differ from that offered to patients suffering from work-related musculoskeletal disorders caused or exacerbated by poor working conditions.
According to the CDC, along with the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor, work-related musculoskeletal disorders are caused by bodily reactions, like bending, reaching, twisting and climbing, resulting in sprains, strains and other types of back pain. These are classified differently from injuries caused by falls, slips and related accidents. The CDC also reports back pain is one of the top 10 reasons for medical visits in the US, and that these groups account for more than half of back injury cases: laborers, operators and fabricators, and those in precision production, craft or repair.
Whether you’ve sustained a back injury due to a fall, accident, trauma or workplace strain, you need treatment. After all, CDC figures indicate 5 percent to 10 percent of back pain patients eventually report chronic pain.
Navigating the world of specialists, pain management and injury treatment can be almost as stressful as the pain you are struggling to manage. When managing a condition, your treatment is a full-time job. You need support from an experienced attorney. Martin Gasparian at the Maison Law Firm has the experience and the expertise to help you pursue compensation you could be entitled to for your back injury. Call or email us today to schedule a consultation.