Fractures

Many vertebral fractures are missed, or not adequately demonstrated or proven by Michigan personal injury lawyers unfamiliar with fracture injuries. If you currently have a Michigan personal injury attorney or law firm serving you, always ask how much experience the personal injury lawyers have in handling these types of cases.

Fracture of one or more parts of the spinal column (vertebrae) of the middle (thoracic) or lower (lumbar) back is a serious Michigan personal injury usually caused by high-energy trauma like a Michigan auto accident, fall, sports accident or act of violence (i.e., gunshot wound).

Males experience back injury four times more often than females do. The spinal cord may be injured depending on the severity of the fracture.

Symptoms include:

• Moderate to severe back pain made worse by movement.
• In some cases when the spinal cord is also involved, numbness, tingling, weakness or bowel/bladder dysfunction.

When you fracture the thoracic and lumbar spine, surgery or bracing is often necessary. Often, patients also have other life-threatening injuries. People with osteoporosis, tumors or other underlying conditions that weaken bone can get a spinal fracture with minimal trauma or normal activities of daily living.

Bone fractures tend to heal "inside-out" which means that the middle of the bone heals first, and the outside heals last. The inside of the bone is called the medullary canal, and cells called osteoblasts begin to fill the fracture area inside the medullary canal of the fractured bones. In time, these tube-like structures form bridges which cover the gap caused by bone fractures. Eventually, these soft, "fibrous" tubes turn into cells that will form reparative bone matter.

After a fracture repair has begun on the inside of the bone, the process of repairing the outside of the bone begins. The outside of the fracture is covered with a substance called callus, which covers the exterior gap in the fracture. Callus can be seen by x-ray, and assists medical personnel is determining that the body's innate system of healing is functioning correctly.

Of course, while the human body performs many functions in the healing process, medical intervention can expedite and assure that this process succeeds. Surgical reduction of bone fractures, often with the use of hardware, is necessary in certain circumstances. Immobilization with casts and other devices aids in the healing process of fractured bones. Other, simple fractures simply require time to heal.

Events resulting in a Michigan car accident bone fracture injury are often the subject of litigation. To protect your legal rights following a Michigan automobile accident bone fracture injury, it is generally wise to consult a Michigan car accident lawyer who is experienced in such matters.

A Michigan auto accident attorney can help "level the playing field" by providing Michigan automobile accident bone fracture injury victims with information regarding the practical and legal aspects of Michigan personal injury law.

For a review of your claim, please contact us.

Classification | Treatment | Diagnostic Imaging
Lumbar Strain/Sprain | Recovery Strain/Sprain | Fractures | Recovery
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