Lower back pain is one of the most common causes of back pain in the U.S. Approximately 80% of people in the U.S. report lower back pain at some point in their lives. When considering the causes of lower back pain, lower back pain after car accident does not immediately spring to mind. After all, whiplash and neck injuries get the most press. Back pain does not discriminate, though, and delayed back pain after car accident is very common.
Do people typically suffer from lower back pain after being rear-ended?
The lower back and neck are particularly sensitive to injury after a car accident. Your spine consists of four separate parts:
- Sacral area
- Lower back, or lumbar spine
- Thoracic spine
- Cervical spine
Looking at each of these parts can help us understand why lower back pain occurs after someone rear-ends us.
The sacral area
The sacral area is the very bottom of the spine. This area consists of the sacrum, a flat, nearly triangular shaped bone that is joined to the lumbar spine with a sacral hinge.
This hinge is the first place that brings movement into the spine. In general, the sacral area of the spine is a stable area for the hips. This area typically does not move.
The lower back, or lumbar spine
The lower back is an almost elastic part of the spine that consists of five lumbar vertebrae held together by tendons. These are cushioned by jelly-like intervertebral discs.
These vertebrae have different ranges of motion depending on the person’s anatomy, but there is a considerable amount of movement possible.
The thoracic spine
The thoracic spine consists of 12 vertebrae attached to the 12 ribs that enclose our vital organs. This middle part of the spine is solid and mostly immoveable.
It plays a critical part in protecting us when we get into car accidents. Instead of unprotected organs, ribs absorb much of the impact of the seatbelt when an accident occurs.
The cervical spine
The six bones of the cervical spine win the award for most-mentioned when it comes to car accidents.
These are the bones that allow us to swivel our heads, but they are some of the smallest, most vulnerable parts of the spine in a car accident.
The spinal mechanics of a car accident
When a person is involved in a car accident, generally that means that the car they are in stops suddenly. It does not matter why the car stops. Dramatic breaking to avoid an animal or being T-boned: the physics are the same. Once the car stops, the car’s occupants keep moving until they reach something that stops the