(914) 220-1086
Car accidents can be incredibly traumatic. In many cases, they may cause serious injuries, including ones that don’t always show up on tests. This is particularly true for soft tissue injuries like whiplash and facet joint injuries.
Facets are tiny joints in our spine that allow our spine to bend and move. They can be damaged in a car accident when the spine suffers any kind of trauma. If you have been diagnosed with facet joint syndrome after a motor vehicle accident, our New York car accident attorneys will fight to get you full compensation for your injuries.
At the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan, we advocate for people who have been hurt in all types of accidents and who have suffered a range of injuries. We offer free initial consultations and never charge a fee unless we recover money for you. Reach out to our law firm today to talk to a White Plains car accident lawyer.
What Is a Facet Joint Injury?
Just like other bones in your body, there are joints in the spine. Known as “facets,” each vertebra in the spine has two sets of these joints. When these joints are injured, it can cause both pain and disability.
Also referred to as facet joint syndrome, facet joint injury is most often found in the lumbar spine (lower back) and the cervical spine (neck). Depending on the number of facets involved and the severity of damage, people with facet joint injuries may experience:
- Localized pain in the affected area (such as a dull ache)
- Referred pain in another part of the body, such as in the buttocks, hip, thighs, knees, or pelvis
- Radiating pain down an arm or leg
- Tenderness to touch
- Crepitus or a feeling of grinding or grating in the affected joints due to arthritic changes
- Stiffness, especially in the early morning
- Greater pain in the morning, after sitting for too long, or after heavy exercise
Facet joint syndrome is often a result of age, as our joints wear down over time. However, a specific injury to the spine can cause a facet joint injury that causes facet pain. This includes being in a motor vehicle accident or getting hurt in a fall. Any type of neck or back injury can damage the facet joints, leading to facet joint syndrome.
Doctors can diagnose facet joint injury through X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans – although it isn’t always apparent. A description of an injury after a car accident, plus symptoms like headaches, neck pain, and back pain, may lead to a diagnosis of facet joint injury. The diagnosis can be confirmed by injecting an anesthetic and an anti-inflammatory into the facet joint. If pain is immediately relieved, then the condition is facet joint syndrome.
There are nonsurgical treatments to alleviate the pain caused by facet joint injuries. This includes applying heat or cold therapy, engaging in low-impact exercises and staying active, supporting your lower back, and using a supportive brace. Physical therapy can also be helpful to strengthen muscles and learn how to properly lift objects and walk.
Medication can also be helpful for people with facet joint injuries. This may include anti-inflammatory medications or muscle relaxers for spasms. Steroid joint injections can also help to reduce nerve swelling and inflammation in the facet joints. Some people may also benefit from nerve radiofrequency ablation, where a radiofrequency current is used to destroy some of the nerve fibers that carry pain signals in the joint.
For more severe injuries or in cases where a person’s pain doesn’t respond to nonsurgical options, then surgery may be necessary. This may include spinal fusion surgery.
Can You Get Compensation for a Facet Joint Injury After a Car Accident?
If you are injured in a motor vehicle accident, you can seek financial compensation for your injuries. This may include money for your:
- Medical bills
- Future medical treatment
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Emotional distress
- Scarring
- Disfigurement
In New York, your immediate medical expenses and lost wages will be covered by your personal injury protection (PIP) or no-fault insurance. If you have suffered an economic loss of $50,000+ or a “serious injury,” then you can file a personal injury lawsuit. Through legal action, you can get money for all of your losses (as described above).
Of course, insurance companies rarely want to pay out on legitimate claims and will use a variety of shady tactics to avoid doing so. For cases involving facet joint injuries, this may include trying to claim that your condition isn’t real or that your symptoms were caused by something else (like natural wear and tear).
Facet joint injuries aren’t always obvious on tests like X-rays and MRIs. There are also negative connotations about soft tissue injuries that can’t always be documented in the same way that an injury like a broken bone can be. But your symptoms – and pain – are still very real, and you should be compensated for your injuries.
Our seasoned New York car accident attorneys won’t simply accept the insurance company’s characterization of your injuries as minor or that they aren’t genuine. We have helped hundreds of people with facet joint injuries get compensation after a car accident.
Our legal team works with experts who can offer their opinion about your injuries and how they have affected your life. We know that facet joint injuries can be incredibly painful. They can also substantially limit your life and your daily activities. For example, facet joint syndrome may make it hard for you to pick up heavy objects at work or to do basic cleaning around the house.
We take a proactive approach to personal injury lawsuits. After a free consultation, we will get to work right away to build a strong case for compensation. This typically includes requesting an accident report, reviewing photos and videos of the accident scene, interviewing witnesses, and analyzing medical records. We will also work with experts and research New York case law to build the strongest case for compensation.
If the insurance company denies your claim or offers a lowball settlement, we won’t accept it. Instead, we will fight for your right to full compensation. While the vast majority of personal cases are resolved outside of court, we will take your case to trial if necessary to get you the compensation that you deserve.
Like any type of back or spine injury, facet joint injuries can be disabling, and there is no cure. Treatments can help to manage symptoms, but most people with facet joint syndrome will experience pain and other symptoms for the rest of their lives. Getting compensation through a personal injury lawsuit can be an important way to protect yourself and gain financial stability when you are dealing with a debilitating facet joint injury.
Help for New York Car Accident Victims
If you have suffered any type of back or neck injury in a car crash, including facet joint injuries, then you might be entitled to compensation. Our law firm will fight for your right to full compensation for all of your losses. We will take on the insurance company for you, leaving you the time and space to focus on healing and recovery.
Based in White Plains, the Law Offices of Thomas L. Gallivan represents New York injury victims in a range of cases. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you’ll never pay a fee unless we recover money for you. To learn more or to schedule a free initial consultation with a New York car accident lawyer, call us at 914-220-1086 or fill out our online contact form.
