Lumbar Spinal Stenosis After Rear-End Collision: Causation, Aggravation, Apportionment, and Surgery
Lumbar spinal stenosis is a common degenerative spine condition and a frequent source of medical-legal dispute. The issue becomes particularly difficult when a claimant has a long pre-accident history of progressive back and leg pain, severe central canal and foraminal stenosis on imaging, prior epidural steroid injections, chronic opioid use, and then reports worsening symptoms after a rear-end motor vehicle collision. If the claimant later undergoes lumbar decompression or fusion, the causation question becomes more complex.