St. Louis Dog Bite Lawyers
Symptomatic Worsening of Prior Back Problems Following A Dog Attack
Low and chronic back pain is one of the most common symptoms bringing people into the doctor's office. Many people have chronic back conditions, such as degenerative disk disease (or arthritis of the spine), a non-symptomatic disk herniation, muscle spasm, and osteoporosis leading to compression fractures of the spine. In a dog bite or dog attack, the chronic injury already present could worsen because it is more susceptible to further injury.
Mechanism of Injury
With most chronic conditions of the back, the injuries you would be most susceptible to would be vertebral fracture, muscle sprain, and disk herniation. During a dog attack, individuals are frequently knocked over or forced to move quickly in various directions or positions to protect themselves. If the individual has an already weakened back from previous muscle injury, disk disease, or osteoporosis the force of you hitting the ground on your back may be enough to fracture your spine. Alternatively, with weakened back muscles, the quick movements made trying to protect oneself from a dog attack can further injure the muscles or result in disk herniation.
Symptoms and Treatment
Symptoms after a dog attack will depend on the injury. A vertebral fracture will cause localized pain along with possible weakness, numbness, and/or tingling in an area on her abdomen or legs. The same symptoms could occur with a disk herniation. A muscle sprain however will only cause generalized low back pain.
Treatment for any of these conditions will most likely include an anti-inflammatory pain medication like Motrin or Aleve. Any condition causing neurologic deficits or sign of nerve injury (the weakness, numbness, tingling) will typically require surgery to relieve the pressure off of the nerve. Finally, heat and ice for a muscle sprain, as well as continue to do your normal daily activities.
Prognosis
The typical course for any of these conditions is a good recovery.
Clear Legal Guidance Through a Complex Process
The Missouri dog bite law firm of Page Law is vigilant in providing aggressive representation to dog attack victims. Our injury lawyers understand how important it is for injury victims to obtain compensation for hospital visits, surgery, physical therapy, scar revision, lost wages, and other damages. To find out how we can assist you with your case, call us today at (314) 322-8515.
