Common crash injuries to the spine
- Herniated, bulging or torn discs in the neck (cervical) or lower back (lumbar)
- Nerve root compression causing radiating pain, numbness or weakness (radiculopathy)
- Vertebral fractures
- Facet joint injuries
- Aggravation of existing degeneration or stenosis
No-fault benefits come first
Your PIP insurer pays reasonably necessary treatment: physical therapy, chiropractic care, pain management, injections, imaging, surgery and medications, up to your PIP coverage level. If your doctor takes you off work, PIP pays 85% of gross income up to $7,455 per 30 days for accidents from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027. If you cannot do chores, replacement services pay up to $20 a day. These benefits do not depend on fault or the threshold.
The threshold fight
To recover pain and suffering from the at-fault driver, you must show a serious impairment of body function. The impairment must be objectively manifested, affect an important body function, and affect your general ability to lead your normal life (MCL 500.3135(5)). Michigan courts stress that the impairment, meaning the effect on how your body works, must be observable by someone other than you. Pain complaints alone are not enough, but evidence of a physical basis for the pain is.
Evidence that tends to show an objective back or neck impairment:
- MRI findings that match your symptoms and the physical exam
- EMG and nerve conduction studies showing nerve damage
- Measured loss of range of motion, strength deficits or reflex changes
- Epidural injections, nerve blocks or radiofrequency ablation
- Surgery, such as discectomy or fusion, and the surgeon’s operative findings
- Written work and lifting restrictions from treating doctors
In February 2026 the Court of Appeals affirmed dismissal of a neck injury case (Jones v Hammons, unpublished) where the plaintiff offered diagnoses, including a radiculopathy finding her own records contradicted, but no evidence that others could observe her limitations. Records that describe function, not only diagnoses, are what win these cases.
The degeneration defense
Disc degeneration is a common MRI finding in adults who never had symptoms. Insurers use that to argue your symptoms came from aging, not the crash. Michigan law allows recovery for aggravation of a pre-existing condition, and the threshold compares your life before the crash with your life after it. The best evidence is a pre-crash record of normal function (or limited prior treatment), a clear change after the crash, and a treating physician willing to explain the difference.
Insurer medical exams
Expect the insurer to send you to a doctor of its choosing, who often concludes your injury has resolved or was degenerative. That report is then used to cut off PIP benefits and to argue against the threshold. See insurer medical exams for how to prepare, and benefits denied or cut off for what to do next.
Habits that protect a back or neck claim
- Get evaluated promptly after the crash and report every area of pain
- Follow through with therapy and referrals; gaps are used against you
- Tell each provider specifically what you cannot do: lifting, sitting, sleeping, driving
- Do not post photos of physical activity (see social media and your claim)
Two deadlines. Give your no-fault insurer notice within one year of the crash (MCL 500.3145), and file any suit against the at-fault driver within three years (MCL 600.5805(2)). See the deadline calculator.
Sources: MCL 500.3135(1), (5); McCormick v Carrier, 487 Mich 180 (2010); Jones v Hammons (Mich App, Feb. 18, 2026, unpublished); MCL 500.3107; MCL 500.3145; MCL 600.5805(2); DIFS Bulletin 2026-20-INS.
Questions people ask us
Is a herniated disc a serious impairment in Michigan?
It can be, but the diagnosis alone does not decide it. The question is whether the disc injury caused an objectively manifested impairment, such as measurable weakness, nerve findings or documented restrictions, that affected your general ability to lead your normal life.
The insurer says my MRI shows degeneration, not a crash injury. What now?
Degenerative findings are common in adults and do not end a claim. A crash that aggravates a pre-existing condition is compensable, and the key evidence is how you functioned before the crash compared with after, explained by your treating doctor.
Do I need surgery to have a back injury case?
No. Surgery is strong evidence of an objective impairment, but the threshold can be met without it. Injections, nerve testing and documented work and activity restrictions also help.