Right Leg Pain After a Car Accident: Causes, Treatment & Compensation

• Medical records
• Crash reports
• Bills for medical care such as wheelchair or fees for therapy
• Pictures of the crash scene or injuries

• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

This is a blood clot that forms from a leg injury or the surgery needed to fix the injury.

• Broken Bones

There are several types of leg fractures wherein the damage can range from mild to severe. For example, femur fractures can cause immediate and serious pain since it’s the strongest and longest bone in the body.

• Compressed Nerves and Herniated Discs

Herniated discs occur when discs in your back rip or bulge due to the force of the accident. These can also cause compressed nerves that result to leg pain.

• Knee Ligament Damage

The knee has three kinds of ligaments:

ü  Medial collateral ligament (MCL) – ensures stability of the insides of the knees. It can cause swelling, pain, and sense of weakness.

ü  Posterior collateral ligament (PCL) – located at the back of the leg, connecting to the thigh bone. Although not as serious as an ACL injury, it can still hinder movement.

ü  Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) – connection of the femur and tibia. ACL damage makes it difficult to twist and pivot the leg

• Torn Meniscus

This can lead to severe pain after a car crash. While some victims can still walk, the damaged soft cartilage makes it hard to put weight on the injured knee.

• Tendon injury
• Lacerations, Severe Bruising

Bruises and lacerations can be dangerous if not treated right away. These may lead to development of severe side effects such as infections.

• Joint dislocation

Some knee injuries involve the knee cap to destabilize or become dislocated. This causes pain and may hinder you from walking.

• Sciatica

The sciatic nerve runs from the lower spine to the thighs. Even minimal spinal misalignment can put undue pressure on the nerve and cause tingling, numbness or shooting pain.

• Physical therapy
• Rest to avoid putting too much weight on the injury
• Use ice to reduce swelling and ensure the injury will heal properly
• Medical treatment such as corticosteroids for pain

• Severity of the accident
• Your seating location in the car
• Were you wearing a seatbelt
• Part of the vehicle affected by the collision

• Bruises – also known as contusions. They appear when blood vessels under the skin tear or burst.
• Herniated disc – a spinal disc was dislocated during the accident. This causes pressure on the nerve that affects sensations in the leg
• Sciatica – a misalignment in the back due to the accident resulted to inflammation or pinching in the nerve running down both thighs. You may feel a shooting pain or leg stiffness.
• ACL injury – victims who have damaged Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) cannot put weight on their leg and may need surgery.
• Permanent nerve damage – severe damage to the nerves usually happens to those whose legs got crushed at the accident. Amputation may be needed.

• Cuts, bruises, and hematomas – blunt force trauma can lead to cuts and bruises in your legs and other parts of the body. A cut can be easily detected, but deeper bruises may take several days to fully appear.
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) – a type of blood clot that forms deep within the body. This may be due to trauma to the leg or surgery done to treat the trauma.
• Sciatic nerve injury – the sciatic nerve begins in the spine and runs into the thighs. This can get pinched if the spinal cord becomes misaligned because of the car accident.
• Broken bones – bones located in the legs, hips, knees, and feet may have clean breaks, small fractures, or worse, be shattered. Severe leg fractures are quite obvious due to pain, and in some cases, visibly misplaced.