Back Pain After a Car Accident: The 3 Most Common Injuries We Treat in Scottsdale
Back pain is the second most common complaint we treat at Woolston Wellness Center after neck pain. While many people associate car accidents primarily with whiplash, the lumbar spine absorbs tremendous force during a collision — particularly in rear-end impacts.
Here are the three most common back injuries we diagnose and document in our Scottsdale PI practice.
1. Disc Herniations and Bulges
The intervertebral discs in your lumbar spine act as shock absorbers between vertebrae. During a crash, the compressive and shear forces can cause the gel-like center of a disc to push through its outer wall, creating a bulge or herniation. This can compress nearby nerves, causing radiating pain into the buttocks, legs, or feet — commonly known as sciatica.
Disc injuries often do not show up immediately. Inflammation builds over days, and symptoms may begin as a dull ache that progressively worsens. MRI is typically required to confirm the diagnosis, and our office coordinates these referrals as part of your treatment plan. We document the disc injury with trauma-specific codes and correlate the findings with the mechanism of your crash.
2. spinal ligament Tears
Ligaments are the connective tissue that holds your vertebrae in proper alignment. When the forces of a collision exceed the ligament’s capacity, partial or complete tears can occur. These injuries are significant: according to the AMA Guides, a spinal ligament tear carries the same whole-person impairment rating as a fracture.
Ligament tears do not appear on standard X-rays or even most MRIs. Detecting them requires specialized assessment — which is why we perform computerized spinal ligament analysis with flexion and extension films in our office. This objective, defensible documentation is the gold standard for identifying instability that other providers miss entirely.
3. Muscle and Soft Tissue Strains
The paraspinal muscles along your lower back are subjected to extreme tensile and contractile forces during a collision. Strains range from microscopic fiber tears to significant muscle damage that causes spasm, inflammation, and reduced range of motion.
While muscle strains may seem less serious than disc or ligament injuries, they can cause debilitating pain and significant functional limitation. Left untreated, they often develop into chronic patterns where the muscles remain in a protective spasm that restricts mobility and delays recovery. Our treatment protocols address these injuries with targeted therapy while documenting the trauma-related diagnosis for your case.
Related Reading
- The Anatomy of a Whiplash Injury
- What to Do After a Car Accident in Scottsdale
- Scottsdale Back Pain Treatment
Why Documentation Matters
Why Documentation Matters for Every Back Injury
Regardless of the injury type, the documentation standard is the same: trauma-specific ICD-10 S-codes, detailed clinical notes connecting findings to the mechanism of injury, and narrative reports prepared for your attorney and the insurance company. An undocumented injury — no matter how painful — does not exist in the eyes of the parties deciding your case.
Ready to get evaluated? Call (480) 556-6797 or book online for a same-day appointment. No out-of-pocket cost for injury patients.
BY: woolstonwellnesscenter
Auto Accident Care, Injury Types