Soft Tissue Injuries and Memorizing Back Pain from a Car Accident

Speaking as someone who has had lower back surgery, I truly empathize when I speak with people who are suffering from constant back pain.  Many of my legal clients who have been injured in car accidents suffer from injuries to their neck or back; and many of these same people endure constant pain on a daily basis with no relief.  Often times these injuries are “soft tissue” injuries, meaning there are no broken bones, no torn ligaments, no ripped tendons.  In other words, we cannot as clearly see the injury.  Soft tissue injuries are typically sprains or strains.  We may be able to see the symptoms of the injury such as increased swelling, but there is no clear objective sign as compared to the situation where you have a broken bone.  Just because an injury is labeled “soft tissue” does not mean that the injury is not significant and painful.  Insurance claim adjusters and injury attorneys defending car accident claims tend to write off soft tissue injuries as not a big deal, when in reality a soft tissue injury triggered by an accident may plague someone for months or years into the future.  Recently on his show, Dr. Oz interviewed Dr. David Hanscom regarding a book Dr. Hanscom authored titled, Back in Control: A Spine Surgeon’s Road Map Out of Chronic Pain.  During the interview, and throughout his book, Dr. Hanscom discusses how pain works and how pain is perceived in the brain.  For anyone who has been battling chronic pain with little to no relief, the book provides an interesting new approach to pain management and is worth taking a look at.