Posts Tagged ‘back pain’

Ten Steps to Buying Auto Insurance - Continued

Monday, August 16th, 2010

When it comes to auto insurance, you want to be adequately covered if you get in an accident, but you don’t want to pay any more than you have to.  Navigating your way through this murky subject is tricky, so here on some tips to follow:

 

Continuing from the last post on July 19th:

 

Step 3 – Review your driving record and current insurance policy:  First, verify your driving record with the state DMV. If your record will soon improve and the points you earned will finally disappear, wait until that happens before you get quotes.  Nothing drives up the price of insurance like a bad driving record.

 

Next, should contact your auto insurance company or pull out a recent bill.  Jot down the amount of coverage you have and what you are paying for it, noting both the yearly and monthly costs since many of your quotes will be given both ways.  Then you’ll know what you need to beat.

 

Step 4 – Solicit Competitive Quotes:  It’s time to start shopping.  Try to set aside at least an hour for this task.  Bring all your records—your current insurance policy, your driver license number and your vehicle registration.  Have a phone at your elbow and power up your computer.

 

Begin with the on-line services.  If you go to InsWeb.com or other online insurance quote sites, you can type in your information and get a list of comparative quotes.   You can also try getting quotes from the insurance companies’ web sites.

 

A few things to keep in mind:  1) when you use quote sites, you may not get instant quotes.  Some companies may contact you later by email and some companies that use agents may put you in touch with a local agent, who will then calculate a quote for you.  2)  Its not easy to get quotes from these sites in all states.

 

Adapted from an article by Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor of CarInsurance.com

 

Next Blog- Steps 5 and 6 of Ten Steps to Buying Auto Insurance.

 

Law Offices of Buckland & Schumm, P.S.  We offer free consultations and have over 27 years experience EXCLUSIVELY in personal injury law, with a long history of success helping accident victims understand their legal rights.

 

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The Major Causes of Low Back Pain

Monday, February 1st, 2010

 

As we age, most of us will experience some wear and tear to the discs and vertebrae that make up the structural components of our spines.  Here are the most common things that can go wrong:

 

1.    Joint & nerve problems

a.    Spinal Arthritis-Inflammation of the facet joints between the vertebrae.

b.    Sciatica-Pain that radiates down one or both legs.  It may be caused by compression of the sciatic nerve.

2.    Disc Problems

a.    Degenerative Disc-a disc that is gradually wearing down and thinning over time.  Most likely due to the natural aging process.

b.    Bulging Disc- one that is shifting out of its normal radius, extending beyond the circumference of the vertebrae.

c.    Herniated Disc-occurs when the inner material of the disc pushes through its outer membrane into the spinal canal.

3.    Vertebra Problems

a.    Bone Spur-occurs when the body builds more bone as a natural response to the age-related deterioration of vertebrae.

b.    Spinal Stenosis-refers to a narrowing of the spinal cord, typically as a result of bone spurs or joint enlargement.

c.    Spondylolisthesis-forward or backward slippage of one vertebra relative to another, causing pressure on spinal nerves.

d.    Osteoporosis-a disease marked by progressively decreasing bone.  In the spine, this can lead to a compression fracture.

 

Adapted from an article by Perry Garfinkel in the AARP Magazine

 

If you sustain an injury, consult with an experienced injury attorney.  Buckland & Schumm offers free initial consultations by telephone or in person.

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INVASIVE TREATMENTS FOR LOW BACK PAIN

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

In our previous blog we discussed conservative approaches to the treatment of chronic low back pain.  This blog will discuss more invasive procedures.  If conservative approaches do not work, many physicians refer their patients for more invasive procedures—typically injections or surgery.

 

Injections:  A neurologist injects anesthetics, steroids, or narcotics into the soft tissues and joints around your spine to reduce inflammation and relieve pain.  One of the most commonly injected medications is a synthetic version of cortisone, which is a natural steroid released by the adrenal glands when your body is under stress.  However, a review of studies found insufficient evidence that injection therapy is more effective than other treatments.

 

Surgery:  The most invasive approach “is the last resort—even for surgeons,” says James Weinstein, D.O., chair of the Orthopaedic Surgery Medical School and Dartmouth Medical School and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.  Three of the most common operations include:

 

1.    Discectomy, or surgical removal of part of the damaged disc, is most often performed on herniated discs.  A 2006 study, though, found that lumbar discectomy offered only modest short-term benefits. 

2.    Laminectomy is the removal of part of a vertebra, and is used in certain cases of spinal stenosis or spondylolisthesis to decompress the nerve.

3.    Spinal fusion is the fusing together of vertebrae using bone grafts and metal rods.  In a 2001 study of patients with severe long-term back pain, pain was reduced by 33 percent after two years of those who had spinal fusion, compared with 7 percent for those who received more conservative treatment. 

 

Adapted from an article by Perry Garfinkel in the AARP Magazine

 

If you sustain an injury, consult with an experienced injury attorney.  Buckland & Schumm offers free initial consultations by telephone or in person.

 

Next Month—The Major Causes of Low Back Pain

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