What Is Nerve Damage?
Nerve damage is harm to the network that carries messages between your brain, spinal cord, and body. Injured nerves may send too many signals, too few, or the wrong ones.
Injuries can affect:
- Nerve roots: where nerves leave the spinal cord, often hurt in back and neck injuries
- Peripheral nerves: the nerves in the arms, legs, hands, and feet
- Facial nerves: which control expression and feeling in the face
How Nerve Damage Happens
Most traumatic nerve injuries come from one of three forces:
- Laceration: a cut from glass, metal, or a tool
- Traction: stretching, such as a shoulder or arm pulled hard in a crash
- Compression: pressure from swelling, a disc, a fracture, or a cast
Common accidents behind these injuries include car crashes, motorcycle accidents, falls, workplace accidents, and surgical errors.
Common Symptoms of Nerve Damage
Symptoms depend on which nerves are hurt. Common signs include:
- Sensory: numbness, tingling, burning, or sharp shooting pain
- Motor: weakness, muscle twitching, or loss of grip or coordination
- Autonomic: changes in sweating, blood pressure, or bladder and bowel function
Report any new numbness or weakness to a doctor promptly. These are common signs, not a diagnosis.
How Nerve Damage Affects Your Claim
Nerve damage can be hard to see but easy to feel every day. The claim must show what the injury is, how long it will last, and what it costs.
Damages can include:
- Medical care, nerve testing, surgery, therapy, and pain management
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity when weakness or pain limits work
- Future care for chronic pain
- Non-economic damages for pain, impairment, and lost enjoyment of life
Proving liability and medical cause are both needed. A free case review can help you understand your nerve damage claim.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can nerve damage heal on its own?
Some nerve injuries improve over months as the nerve recovers, while others are permanent. Healing depends on the type and severity of the damage, and only a doctor can give a prognosis. Because recovery is slow, it often makes sense to wait for a clear medical outlook before settling a claim.
How is nerve damage proven in an injury claim?
Doctors may use nerve conduction studies, EMG testing, MRI, and physical exams to identify the injured nerve. Treating physicians can then explain how the accident caused the damage and what care you will need. Records of your symptoms and work limits help show the injury's real impact.
What is a pinched nerve?
A pinched nerve happens when surrounding tissue, such as a herniated disc, bone, or swollen muscle, presses on a nerve. It can cause pain, tingling, or weakness that spreads into the arm or leg. Pinched nerves are a common result of back and neck injuries in car crashes.