Why Do Herniated Discs Hurt My Arm Or Leg Rather Than My Low Back Or Neck? This Makes No Sense.

Though I am an expert Minnesota workers compensation attorney, I am also a former injured worker.   I have undergone 2 low back surgeries and a cervical spine surgery in the last 22 years.  What I have learned from these personal experiences is that yes sometimes a herniated disc in the low back can hurt the low back area, but they can also result in symptoms in your lower extremities (buttocks, legs, feet and toes).  Likewise, cervical spine injuries can also result in symptoms into your upper extremities (shoulder, arms, hands, and fingers).  Patients and clients are often confused when their doctors tell them they have suffered a back or neck injury and yet they only have pain their arms or legs.  Please don't be confused, your confusion is common.

Though the scanned MRI image I have attached to this blog is not my own, it could very well be mine.  This image shows both signs of healthy discs, degenerative discs, and herniated discs.  Each disc is made of a tough out ring called an annulus and a soft inner core called a nucleus.  Think jelly donut.

The white colored top discs are healthy discs.  You will note they are what spine surgeons refer to has round, plump "jelly donuts".  As we move down we see the 4th disc from the top bulging and the disc below that, a herniation.  This is when the "jelly" ruptures out the side of the disc and can impinge on a nerve or the spinal cord resulting in significant injury.  The L4, 5 and S1 discs (the lower three) are black or very dark.  These represent degenerative discs.  In the more extreme cases, the black space is almost gone and the bones appear to be touching.  This condition can result in considerable back pain and can in some cases necessitate a fusion surgery.

If you have performed heavy, repetitive lifting activities at work and you develop a disc injury of some kind, please speak to an experience expert Minnesota workers compensation attorney.  You may have sustained what is referred to as a Gillette injury and you may be entitled to free medical care, lost wages, permanent injury damages and in some cases retraining.  Our consultations are absolutely FREE!  There is never a fee unless we recover benefits.  Please note that every one of our attorneys as over 20 years of personal injury experience.  If you speak to other lawyers ask them how long they have practiced law and how long they have practiced exclusively workers compensation.  Their fancy misleading websites can be smoke and mirrors.  Contact the work comp experts of Atkinson Law Office today.  651-333-3636 and visit our website at www.mndisability.com

Low Back Injury At Work? What To Do If You Have A Minnesota Work Related Back Injury.

Every week our staff of trained professional Minnesota workers compensation lawyers and paralegals receive calls from Minnesota workers suffering low back and neck injuries.  This article answers the question; When should you contact a medical professional? 

Our attorneys understand that sustaining work related low back and neck injuries can be financially devastating and emotionally stressful.  Injured workers often have more questions than answers.  Our experienced lawyers can help. Atkinson Law Office and attorney's Tom Atkinson and Kerry Atkinson have handled thousand of Minnesota workers compensation cases involving lumbar spine and cervical spine injuries over the past 20 years.  When an injured worker sustains any of the following symptoms, we strongly urge that they immediately seek medical treatment:

• Back pain after a severe fall or blow
• Blood in your urine or burning with urination
• Loss of control over urine or stool (often referred to as incontinence)
• Pain traveling down your arms to your fingers or legs below the knee
• Pain that is worse when you lie down or that wakes you up at night
• Warmth, redness or swelling on the back or spine
• Severe pain that does not allow you to get comfortable; ie sitting, standing or sleeping
• Weakness or numbness in your buttocks, thigh, leg, or pelvis

Though we are not medical doctors we have personal experience with both neck and low back injuries.  Aside from our experiences working with injured workers, Tom Atkinson has unfortunately undergone both neck and low back surgeries due to work injuries.  These experiences are often very helpful in providing advice and guidance to other workers who have sustained similar work injuries.  Let the attorneys and staff of Atkinson Law Office share our work comp experience today.  Call for a free consultation.  651-333-3636 and visit our website at www.mndisability.com for additional information regarding Minnesota work injuries.

I Have Had Both Neck Surgery And Back Surgery; Do You Need Back Or Neck Surgery?

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Since my neck surgery I have run a marathon, and following my back surgeries I have run a half marathon and many 10k races.  I share this with you not so that you take surgery lightly, but to recognize that there are very successful outcomes to back and neck surgery.  

For most injured workers, spine surgery is “elective”, meaning that it is considered as a possible approach to enhance an injured worker’s ability to function and decrease pain. However, just because spine surgery is elective or recommended by a spine surgeon does not mean the workers compensation insurance company will agree to pay for it.  Almost without exception, the work comp insurer will require an independent medical examination.

"Elective" just means that surgery of the spine is rarely an absolute necessity. Like myself, most often surgery is performed to relieve significant pain or reduce symptoms such as radiating pain, numbness or tingling down one’s legs or arms.  Only in rare instances, such as for patients who have a progressive neurological loss of function or sudden onset of bowel or bladder incontinence, is spinal surgery actually necessary on an emergency basis.

Spine surgery can basically accomplish two tasks:

1. Decompress a nerve root or the spinal cord
2. Stabilize an unstable or painful segment with cervical, thoracic or lumbar fusion

Some injure workers with back or neck pain wonder by a surgeon doesn’t perform exploratory surgery.  I have never heard of exploratory spine surgery. The cause of a patient’s pain is not readily apparent with opening and exploring the spine. The preoperative evaluation and imaging results are what identify the problem and guide the design of the procedure.

If you have been injured, contact the attorneys of Minnesota Disability and Atkinson Law Office, P.A. For a FREE consultation call 651-333-3636.  Our phones are answered 24 hours a day.

Exploring Back Surgery - Part II

Like some of my clients, I sustained a work related back injury resulting in the need for surgery. In Part II of Exploring Back Surgery, I will discuss the procedure I underwent to repair a large free fragment disc herniation in my back.

A discectomy is a surgery done to remove a herniated disc from the spinal canal. When a disc herniation occurs, a fragment of the normal spinal disc is dislodged. This fragment may press against the spinal cord or the nerves that surround the spinal cord. This pressure causes the symptoms that are characteristic of herniated discs.

The surgical treatment of a herniated disc is to remove the fragment of spinal disc that is causing the pressure on the nerve. This procedure is called a discectomy. The traditional surgery is called an open discectomy. An open discectomy is a procedure where the surgeon uses a small incision and looks at the actual herniated disc in order to remove the disc and relieve the pressure on the nerve.

How is a discectomy performed?
A discectomy is performed under general anesthesia. The procedure takes about an hour, depending on the extent of the disc herniation, the size of the patient, and other factors. A discectomy is done with the patient lying face down, and the back pointing upwards.

In order to remove the fragment of herniated disc, your surgeon will make an incision over the center of your back. The incision is usually about 3 centimeters in length. Your surgeon then carefully dissects the muscles away from the bone of your spine. Using special instruments, your surgeon removes a small amount of bone and ligament from the back of the spine. This part of the procedure is called a laminotomy.

Once this bone and ligament is removed, your surgeon can see, and protect, the spinal nerves. Once the disc herniation is found, the herniated disc fragment is removed. Depending on the appearance and the condition of the remaining disc, more disc fragments may be removed in hopes of avoiding another fragment of disc from herniating in the future. Once the disc has been cleaned out from the area around the nerves, the incision is closed and a bandage is applied.

What is the recovery from a discectomy?
Patients often awaken from surgery with complete resolution of their leg pain; however, it is not unusual for these symptoms to take several weeks to slowly dissipate. Pain around the incision is common, but usually well controlled with oral pain medications. Patients often spend one night in the hospital, but are usually then discharged the following day. A lumbar corset brace may help with some symptoms of pain, but is not necessary in all cases.

What is endoscopic microdiscectomy?
This is a newer technique utilized by my surgeon. This technique may allow your surgeon to perform a procedure called an endoscopic discectomy. In an endoscopic discectomy your surgeon uses special instruments and a camera to remove the herniated disc through very small incisions.

The endoscopic microdiscectomy is a procedure that accomplishes the same goal as a traditional open discectomy, removing the herniated disc, but uses a smaller incision. Instead of actually looking at the herniated disc fragment and removing it, your surgeon uses a small camera to find the fragment and special instruments to remove it. The procedure may not require general anesthesia, and is done through a smaller incision with less tissue dissection. Your surgeon uses x-ray and the camera to "see" where the disc herniation is, and special instruments to remove the fragment.