The Anatomy of a Back Injury

• Back pain is the second leading cause of missed time from work.
• 80 percent of the population will have back pain during their lifetime.
• Musculoskeletal problems cost the economy more than $215 billion annually.
• 14 percent of the population suffers a back impairment during the year that will limit activities of daily living.

Professor Sam Hodge's The Anatomy of a Back Injury provides an anatomical overview of the spine that will help ascertain trauma-related abnormalities. You will learn the individual parts that make up the back, and you will learn the function of vertebrae, spinal cord and spinal nerves individually and as a system. Special focus on the mechanism of injury gives you insights on how to maximize or minimize a claim of a herniated disc or soft tissue injury. You will explore the physical examination of the spine and translate that knowledge into actions for cross-examining a doctor when confronted with positive diagnostic or physical findings.

You can expect to have these questions answered…

• When do you obtain a radiological review?
• How do you identify a pre-existing condition?
• How do you use a pre-existing problem to your advantage?
• How can you minimize positive findings on a CT scan, X-ray, or MRI?
• How do you present or defend a herniated or bulging disc claim?
• How do you cross-examine the physician to discover the real origins of the problem?

Program Outline & Schedule (3 hours)

[Part I: 90 minutes]

Basic Anatomical Terms

• Keys terms for understanding medical reports and diagnostic test results dealing with the back
• Difference between ligaments, tendons, muscles and fascia

Anatomy of the Back

• Parts of the spine
• Why the spine has four curves
• Different parts of the vertebrae, discs and spinal cord
• Which parts are more prone to injury

[15 minute break]

[Part II: 90 minutes]

Anatomy of the Back (cont’d)

• Spinal surgery — laminectomy, discectomy, fusion, foraminotomy, percutaneous laser discectomy and artificial disc
• Why physicians order X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs
• The difference between the tests

[Adjourn]