Upper & lower back injuries

Upper & lower back injuries

Back problems are among the most common reasons people in the UK miss work or seek legal advice after an accident. Although we often talk about “the back” as a single area, injuries tend to fall into two very different zones, each with its own signs and day-to-day challenges.

Upper Back Injuries

The upper back sits between the base of your neck and the bottom of your ribcage. Because this section is bolted to the ribs, it is naturally rigid, so injuries here usually come from sharp, unexpected forces rather than everyday wear and tear. A sudden jolt in a road collision, a heavy object falling onto the shoulders or a slip from a ladder can all strain or even crack the bones and soft tissue in this area. People often describe a stabbing or burning pain between the shoulder blades, sometimes spreading around the chest like a tight band. Breathing deeply, twisting to check a blind spot while driving or even lifting a kettle can make the discomfort flare. While serious damage to the upper spine is less common than in the lower back, any injury close to the ribcage can feel alarming, as it may pinch nerves that wrap around the chest.

Lower Back Injuries

The lower back—just below the ribs down to the top of the pelvis—works like a hinge for almost every bend, lift and twist. Because it carries most of the body’s weight, it is more prone to both sudden mishaps and gradual strain. Lifting a heavy box with bent knees, a rear-end shunt at a junction or months of poor posture at a desk can all trigger trouble here. Pain may feel dull and aching or shoot down one leg if a disc presses on the sciatic nerve. Routine tasks such as putting on socks, sitting through a meeting or driving long distances can become exhausting, and many people struggle to find any position that feels comfortable for long. Unlike upper-back problems, which often stay local to the shoulder-blade region, lower-back injuries frequently affect walking speed, balance and the ability to carry children or shopping, making them particularly disruptive to family and working life.

Whether your pain lies high between the shoulder blades or low across the waistband, the difference matters: it points to how the injury happened, what activities will aggravate it and how a solicitor might present your loss in a compensation claim. The scale of the problem has been highlighted in a recent Health & Safety Executive (HSE) report “Musculoskeletal disorders such as back injuries accounted for 7.8 million lost working days in Great Britain in 2023/24, with each affected worker off for an average of 14.3 days.”  https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/dayslost.htm

If someone else’s carelessness left you with ongoing back pain, specialist legal advice can help you recover both financially and physically while you focus on your much needed recovery.

Employers must take steps to reduce the risk of back injury and therefore the consequent loss of days at work by providing suitable training, equipment, support and minimising the time spent working on lifting, prolonged driving periods and sitting. For example, if your job involves a lot of heavy lifting you should have been trained on how to do this safely. Risk assessments should always be carried out as part of their duty of care in order to identify potential causes of back injury within the workplace and reports of potential risk should always be followed up. Failure to do this can render them liable to compensate injuries caused.

Our team of experienced solicitors are here to help answer any questions you may have. Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Back Injury claim – either by calling us free on 0800 028 2060, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

We’re here to help – contact us today.