What Is a Spinal Ligament Assessment? Why It Matters for Your PI Claim
If you have been treated at Woolston Wellness Center or been referred by a personal injury attorney, you may have heard us mention computerized spinal ligament assessment, or CSLA. It is one of the most important diagnostic tools we use, and it is often the single most impactful piece of documentation in a personal injury case.
What Are Spinal Ligaments?
Ligaments are the strong bands of connective tissue that hold your vertebrae together and maintain the structural integrity of your spine. When these ligaments are torn or stretched beyond their capacity — as commonly occurs in a car accident — the result is spinal instability.
Why Standard Imaging Misses Ligament Injuries
X-rays show bones. MRI shows soft tissue in a static position. Neither is designed to detect how your spine behaves under movement and load. A ligament can be torn and your spine can appear normal on a standard X-ray — but when the spine is put through its range of motion, the instability becomes visible.
How the Assessment Works
Our CSLA protocol involves taking flexion and extension X-rays — imaging your spine at the end range of forward bending and backward bending. These films are then analyzed using software based on the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. The software measures intersegmental motion at each spinal level and compares it to established normal ranges. Any level showing excessive motion indicates ligament damage.
The result is an objective, computer-generated report that quantifies the injury. This is not a subjective clinical opinion — it is a measurable finding that can be reproduced and verified.
Why This Matters for Your Case
According to the AMA Guides, a condition called Alteration of Motion Segment Integrity (AOMSI) — which is what a spinal ligament tear represents — carries the same whole-person impairment rating as a vertebral fracture or a herniated disc. That is an 8 to 25 percent whole-person impairment rating at a single level.
Without a CSLA, this injury would never appear in your medical record. The insurance company would never know it existed. And your settlement would reflect a case with less documented injury than you actually sustained.
Related Reading
- How We Document Injuries for Maximum Case Value
- How Pre-Existing Posture Problems Affect Your Case
- CSLA Technology at Woolston Wellness Center
For Attorneys
If you are a PI attorney evaluating our practice, the CSLA is a key differentiator. It provides objective, defensible documentation of an injury that most providers never look for. The software-generated reports withstand deposition scrutiny and give your cases a measurable impairment foundation.
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
Attorney Resources, Auto Accident Care