Question
I was involved in a auto accident in 2/08 in Michigan,  The person was at fault as he hit my husband's suv on the passenger side where I was sitting. My question is this,  I had been experiencing mild lower back pain before the accident.  Since the accident I am in share agony with my back my shoulder and my neck.  I have had MRIs that showed that I have herniated disks in my back and neck and have damaged my rotary cuff. I have sought legal help but I wanted to know if I would be compensated for the injury to my back even though I was experiencing some pain there before and solved thisa new mattress.  I did see my family doctor andhe advised me to get firmer mattress which helped.  Now after the accident, I am am living everyday with severe pain and agony .  I am in therapy 4 times a week.  Thanks for your answer.

Answer
Hello, Kathy.

Your question about compensation is outside my area of expertise.

Your injury is my area of expertise.

The universal reaction to shock and injury is to tighten up.  That reflexive reaction would make your low back pain worse and add additional contraction patterns, which you are experiencing as pain.

A mattress won't make a significant difference because it's your muscular system that's contracting; it's not the fault of the firmness of the mattress (unless your previous mattress was broken down and too soft).

Therapy four times a week tells me that the therapy isn't getting much done.  If you were working with me, I would expect completion in something around four sessions, total.  This is a realistic estimate, using the methods I employ.

For you to learn more and get the fastest possible recovery, may I direct you to articles on recovery from injury, whiplash injury, and back pain at somatics.com/page4b.htm.

best,
Lawrence Gold