When the strong outer layer of an intervertebral disc rips or tears it is known as an annular tear. The intervertebral disc is the strong ligament that connects one vertebra to the other.
This legal professional has shown exceptional competence and dedication in their field. I highly recommend their services to anyone seeking legal representation that is committed to unwavering advocacy and support throughout the entirety of their case.
I would describe this lawyer as highly educated, sharp, and top of his game. Explains the car accident process and treatment options well. The lawyer said if they don’t pay you, we will have the jury take it from the insurance company. Great lawyer. Dynamic person.
Interviewed all the TV car accident lawyers and decided to call this law firm that had great reviews. So happy I did. What a difference!
Response from the owner: TV car accident lawyers are just mass production. This is not a good fit for litigated cases. Paralegals instead of lawyers. Monthly quotas for settlements. Car accident victims end up in a cattle call with the lawyers on TV.
Love my car accident lawyer. This law firm is a step above.
Response from the owner: Our lawyers train and track the best approaches on cases. Whether litigation in cases or the practicalities of certain treatment, the growth of our lawyers over time is paramount. Always staying ahead of and setting practice trends. Thank you.
Serious family member have a car accident injury? Look no further. This litigator is for real. Always two steps ahead of the other lawyer.
Response from the owner: This is a sad reality for car accident lawyers. The #1 passenger in an auto accident is a relative. Helping a family make it through this and putting the family back together is one of the most rewarding things I do as an automobile accident attorney.
This lawyer handles really big accident cases in St Louis. He is a lawyer, accountant and has his masters in tax so he gets the injury cases for individuals that can never go back to work or individuals own a business and cannot run it due to injury. He specializes in valuations of massive loss. Thank goodness a firm like this exists.
Response from the owner: Thank you. When accident are severe and you lose the ability to work or to continue a business, having an accounting and tax background is key. Valuing large losses are second nature for us.
Asked a trauma surgeon who operates on car accident victims who are the best injury lawyers that have taken his deposition. He said “by far” it was Mr Hoffmann. Interviewed several attorneys and this was a correct assessment. In a league of his own!
Response from the owner: Our attorney have deposed nearly all the trauma surgeons at every Level 1 Trauma Center in Saint Louis. These doctors save lives after a car accident. Whether controlling bleeding or reestablishing blood flow or bone structures, they are life savers.
Few lawyers in St. Louis can handle the biggest injury cases! This is one of them!
Response from the owner: Our law firm has made great efforts in terms of training to handle life changing injury cases. Whether in depth knowledge of the medical, loss of income and earning capacity, or lifetime medical care plans, our clients feel confident and know their case is in good hands. Thank you for the compliment.
Cannot say enough about this lawyer. Call if in an accident. This attorney handles the biggest car accidents in St Louis.
Response from the owner: Thanks Ash! Our biggest source of cases is our clients. Our second biggest referral source is defense lawyers telling their relatives to call us. Few lawyers can handle the largest cases. Our law firm welcomes and has trained for this. We don’t do mass production settlement like the lawyers on TV. Our clients can never go back to work. Their cases need massive focus and effort and often long fought litigation.
So glad I called attorney Hoffmann. This time I got it right! So glad I hired the Hoffmann Law Firm - professional, reliable and available.
Response from the owner: Thanks Taylor. Our lawyers answer the phone day, night, weekends and even during lunch. Being professional means training to beat the best defense lawyers. Client rely on us to get results and we do.
Great lawyer. Cares about his clients, knows his stuff and goes the extra mile. I recommend this lawyer for car wreck injury claim. Every other lawyer on TV would not even help with my property claim. This attorney did.
Response from the owner: Thank you for the kind words. Every case starts with a great client. You are correct the car accident lawyers on TV are mass production settlement mills. When injury clients fire them, we get their files and the cases are not worked up at all. Appreciate your confidence in us!
Major car accident injury in St Louis area for a family member. Four different lawyers we know said the same thing - call Chris Hoffmann. On another level.
Response from the owner: This is such a great compliment. Most of our cases come from prior client or lawyers that also do car accidents cases but the particular case is too large or too difficult. Being a lawyer and an accountant, we specialize in cases with total lost of income, earning capacity and/or often the inability to continue a family business. Evaluations such as these are second nature for our lawyers. Thanks.
Best in St Louis for auto accident cases. Nobody else is even close.
Response from the owner: So kind of you to leave this review. Whether our lawyers are going after big insurance or their lawyers, skill and experience are essential and win the day for our auto accident clients. Thanks!
This attorney is very smart, very experienced, returns phone calls and knows the answers when asked. One call and I knew this was a great law firm for auto accidents.
Response from the owner: Our law firm appreciates this. This is a comment we get from so many people who call…”none of the lawyers we called told me all the things that you did.” Whether we take a car accident case or not, helping people is a good thing.
5 Star Lawyer for sure! Best you will find in Saint Louis.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the 5 Star Rating. Reviews like this are great. Injury victims quickly figure out the TV advertisers are not good. We work hard at being the best we can be and it reflects in our representation of car accident victims.
Watch this lawyer in action. Was way better than all the others. Get this lawyer for an automobile accident for sure.
Response from the owner: Thanks for the recommendation. Besides doing cases, our attorneys train for this. Hard work, case knowledge and technique is key to success in car accident litigation.
Very pleased with The Hoffmann Law Firm. Lawyers are attentive, friendly and go the distance to force the settlement you want. The TV lawyers recommend low offers. This law firm gets the maximum.
Response from the owner: We get calls from car accident victims that had to fire the TV lawyers that they hired. They give the same two reasons: 1) they never spoke to a lawyer at the Big TV law firms, only a paralegal, and 2) the paralegal recommended they accept a low offer. At our law firm, you only talk to the lawyer and if an offer is low we tell you to sue. Thanks!
Several lawyers said to call this lawyer because he is the best. You will appreciate this law firm. Helped with the injury and property claims. Attentive and knowledgeable. Great reputation in St Louis.
Response from the owner: Thanks Lexi. Our #1 source of cases is other lawyers referring us cases that are too big for them to handle.
Would use this accident law firm. Best in Saint Louis. Highly rated and it shows. After one phone call, you just know this attorney is better. 5 Stars!!
Response from the owner: Thanks for recommending our lawyers in St Louis. There is a major difference in lawyers as you well know.
Car accident lawyers on tv are not good . Get this attorney ! He is a pro !!
Response from the owner: Thanks Nathan. TV lawyers market for car accidents, use paralegals instead of lawyers and give their employees settlement quotas hence forcing cheap settlements. At our law firm, you get a lawyer who keeps pushing forward for more.
Quality lawyer. Best law firm for a car accident. Advice was way better than other lawyers I called in St. Louis. Helped with property and injury.
Response from the owner: Thanks. The TV lawyer advertisers are just car accident settlement mills. As soon as people call a real attorney, they always tell us how much better and more helpful we were. Appreciate this.
This lawyer is big time. Smooth. The other lawyers on the other side were not nearly as good as this attorney. I recommend friends in St Louis to him for accident injuries and they all say the same thing…”that lawyer is great.”
Response from the owner: Very nice of you to say. Our lawyers work hard on auto accident cases.
Family used this car accident attorney after a crash. Located in St Louis. This lawyer answers the phone and will walk you through the process. Knows his stuff!
Response from the owner: Taking calls, going over the car accident injury and property process is important. Clients that call always say we are the only lawyers that explained everything. Much appreciated.
Tried the lawyers on TV. They were not good. Hired this car accident lawyer instead because he had great reviews. The reviews are correct. This attorney is as good as they get. He does big injury cases that need to be litigated.
Response from the owner: Car accident lawyers on TV do not litigate cases. It is mass production. They have quotas. Local attorneys are best on auto accidents.
Used this attorney for an auto accident. Highly recommend this lawyer in St. Louis. Communicates well.
Response from the owner: Communicating with clients is essential. Taking the client though the car accident claims process is important otherwise major mistakes can occur. It is an effort that we make. Thanks!
Fantastic law firm, I would recommend! Received free consultation related to an auto accident when my parked car was damaged by a baseball. Very supportive advice, these guys are good!
I was in a car accident in St.Louis and hired Chris as my lawyer. He was amazing!!! He helped me every step of the way and was able to get me a great settlement!!!Highly, highly, highly recommend him!
Response from the owner: Each step is important in a car accident. Thanks for recommending us for car accidents injury claims.
Each year millions of Americans are involved in car accidents. They happen for a number of reasons and result in a wide range of injuries and consequences.
Back and spinal injuries are among some of the most common types of injuries an auto accident victim can face. When the injury is severe, the results can be devastating to both the victim and their family. One such type of spinal injury is an annular disc tear. While this type of injury often results from the natural aging process, it can be caused by a traumatic injury, like being involved in a car accident.
What is an Annular Disc Tear?
When the strong outer layer of an intervertebral disc rips or tears it is known as an annular tear. The intervertebral disc is the strong ligament that connects one vertebra to the other. The shock-absorbing cushions between each vertebra are the discs. Each of these discs has a very strong outer ring of fibers known as the annulus fibrosus.
These discs are important because they provide support to the bone structure for the neck and back. In addition, they act as shock absorbers of the spine and body for a person’s everyday movements.
An annular tear occurs if there is too much stress placed on the disc by either the routine stresses of everyday life or by a traumatic event, such as a car accident.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
The spine includes the vertebrae and spinal discs that lie between each vertebra. Injuries to the vertebrae are easily visible in X-rays and MRIs. However, the concern arises when an injury has affected the spinal discs. The spinal discs between the vertebrae act as shock absorbers to the spine, protecting the spine from trauma. Spinal discs are made up of four parts:
The vertebral end-plate that is above and below the disc.
The nucleus pulposus, the inner part of the disc made of soft cartilage.
The annulus fibrosis, the outer shell of hard, fibrous cartilage, is flexible and allows movement and holds the vertebrae together.
The nerves around the outer edge of the disc.
Injury can occur on the outer part of the disc, the annulus fibrosis, causing a tear. The nucleus pulposus then pushes out of the tear causing a herniated disc. When it pushes out, it pushes the surrounding nerve fibers causing pain, tingling sensations, or numbness.
Types of Annuls Fibrosis Tears
Tears that occur in the annulus fibrosis are categorized as follows:
peripheral tears – these tears occur on the outer layer of the annulus fibrosis
concentric tears – occurring between the layers of the annulus fibrosis, these are indicative of degenerative damage
radial tears – radial tears begin at the center of the disc and radiate to the outer layers
Identifying Annular Tears
When a car accident trauma results in annular tears in the spinal discs, victims usually exhibit symptoms of pain in the back and the legs and pain that increases while sitting. It is not unusual for annular tears to show up on MRIs and may require a discography test or a discogram to diagnose the extent of damage to the disc.
Symptoms of an Annular Tear
Some of the most common symptoms associated with this type of injury include:
Numbness
Weakness in arms and/or legs
Tingling
Back or neck pain
Many people find that the pain is worse when sitting compared to standing. When a person sneezes, coughs, or lifts an object, these positions can load pressure onto the disc and aggravate the symptoms.
After suffering a back injury in an auto accident, it is important that you seek immediate medical attention. If you find that your back or neck pain increases in the days, weeks or even months after the accident, it is important that you keep a written record of your pain and symptoms. Be sure to note when you feel an increase in pain or intensity.
Treatment of an Annular Disc Tear
Once a person has been diagnosed with an annular disc tear by either MRI scan or discography test, they will likely be prescribed a physical therapy program. This may be in addition to anti-inflammatory medication, pain medication, low-impact exercises, and rest.
Annular disc tears can take a long time to heal. Medical practitioners recommend the following treatments:
physical therapy
chiropractic treatment
pain medication
low-impact exercise
epidural steroid injections
anti-inflammatory medications
surgery
hot/cold therapy
Most people find pain relief through these treatments over the course of weeks or a few months. However, if the pain persists, there may be other treatments necessary. A spine specialist may recommend surgery or other advanced treatments.
Contact a St. Louis Car Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one have suffered a back or neck injury to the negligence or carelessness of another person, you deserve to receive all of your compensation. Monetary compensation cannot erase the effects of a physical injury after a car accident. However, it can help provide the necessary tools to help you or a loved one recover.
Our sole focus is on helping the victims of motor vehicle accidents receive full and fair compensation. We never rush to settle your case for less than its full value. We do not hesitate to take cases to court when insurers won’t treat you fairly.
Call our 24-hour call center at (314) 361-4242 or fill out our online contact form to request your FREE consultation.
