Back & Neck Injuries

The most common causes of back and neck injuries include road traffic accidents, accidents in the workplace and medical accidents. Back and neck injuries range from strained muscles and ligaments (commonly referred to as whiplash injury), damaged intervertebral discs, broken vertebrae and spinal cord damage.

Whiplash injuries commonly resolve in six weeks to six months, although a small percentage of people may experience pain indefinitely. Damage to discs may result in "bulging discs" or "herniated discs." The difference between a bulging disc and a herniated disc is that the outer disc material is physically torn in a herniated disc. Both bulging discs and herniated discs cause pain because disc material may physically contact the spinal cord, which may cause radiating pain in the arms and legs.

Common treatments for back and neck injuries include: heat therapy to increase blood flow and healing, electrical stimulation to promote muscle rebuilding, physical therapy to increase flexibility and muscle strength, epidural steroid injections to decrease inflammation and surgical intervention.

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