Injured in a Washington Car Crash? A Cervical Spine Fusion may be needed

As a Washington Car Accident Lawyer and Seattle Personal Injury Attorney, I have seen many times how Cervical fusion helps to relieve incessant pain in the neck, often caused by the far too common whiplash injury from a rear-impact Washington car accident. This sudden impact can cause the hyperextension of the soft tissue of the neck and the displacement of the intervertebral discs of the spinal column. The uppermost seven vertebrae are called the cervical vertebrae, followed by the thoracic and lumbar portions and each vertebra is separated by a disc meant to cushion the bones from each other. When these discs are damaged, the bones rub against each other and against the many nerves in the spine, all which cause severe pain. To relieve the pain, a surgeon creates a small incision in the patient’s neck, just under the chin from where he would remove the disc that is causing problems. A piece of bone is then inserted to fill the space that the disc once occupied, so that the height of the spinal column and the distance between vertebrae remains the same. The bones will fuse together into one larger piece of bone, reducing the possibility of painful situations because the bones can no longer rub together or pinch the nerves. To aid in successful fusion, most surgeons insert metal plates and screws to solidify the new bone.

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