Car Accident Injury Care
A motor vehicle accident can change your life in a moment. One day you are living life to the fullest. The next day you may be struggling to walk, sit or even sleep comfortably at night. Even minor fender-benders can leave you with car accident injuries that result in chronic neck or back pain. As a leader in Minnesota spine care, Summit Orthopedics offers advanced diagnostic and treatment options for spine pain resulting from a car accident, whether it happened yesterday or several months ago.
Common Car Accident Injuries We Treat
Even if your car only has minor damage, your body may have experienced a serious impact. You may experience immediate pain, or it could take weeks or longer to develop. Some types of injuries caused by car accidents can lead to chronic spine pain, especially in the facet joints. These types of injuries often don’t go away and won’t improve without treatment.
Summit Orthopedics treats people experiencing a range of car accident injuries, including:
- Cervical radiculopathy: Also called a “pinched nerve” in your neck, this condition can develop if a disc in the neck herniates or moves out of place, pressing on a nerve, among other causes.
- Fractures: The force of impact in a car wreck can lead to vertebral fractures, which might require intensive treatment.
- Herniated discs: The spine is made up of vertebrae cushioned by discs. A herniated disc occurs when one of these discs is damaged, compressing nearby nerves and resulting in pain.
- Lumbar radiculopathy: A pinched nerve in your lower back can lead to leg pain.
- Sprains and strains: The muscles and ligaments of the back can be severely strained in a car wreck. This may lead to discomfort and limited mobility.
- Spinal cord injuries: Severe car accidents can lead to damage to the spinal cord, which may cause long-term effects such as paralysis.
- Whiplash: This is one of the most common injuries resulting from a car crash, particularly in rear-end collisions. It occurs when the neck is subjected to a sudden jolt, causing sprains and strains of the neck muscles and ligaments.
Our goal at Summit Orthopedics is to evaluate the cause of your pain and develop a treatment program that will help you recover as quickly as possible.
When to Seek Care
After a motor vehicle accident, it is a good idea to seek medical evaluation, even if you feel fine initially. It’s common for pain and discomfort to appear immediately after a car crash, but it can also take several hours to a few days for certain symptoms to emerge. If you experience any of the following symptoms, you should seek medical attention:
- Numbness, tingling or weakness in limbs
- Persistent neck or back pain
- Severe headaches
- Unexplained dizziness or fatigue
Seeking medical care shortly after an accident can also be important for insurance claims in case of an injury. A crashed car is always a situation where you are better safe than sorry in deciding to go see a doctor quickly.
Summit Orthopedics’ Approach to Car Accident Injuries
At Summit Orthopedics, your treatment after a motor vehicle accident will begin with a thorough physical examination and often diagnostic imaging. Once your provider has a diagnosis, we will work with you to develop a treatment plan that will aid recovery and improve your quality of life. We take a conservative approach to spine care, using nonsurgical methods to relieve pain whenever possible. We recommend surgery only when it is medically necessary, or other treatments have not worked. Treatment options may include:
- Injections: Targeted injections of certain medications such as steroids may help alleviate pain for some conditions.
- Medications: Anti-inflammatory medications can relieve swelling and pain in many cases. We specialize in a non-narcotic approach to pain management.
- Physical medicine and rehabilitation: After a severe car crash injury, our physical medicine and rehabilitation team can help restore function.
- Physical therapy: After a car accident, physical therapy can often help you regain strength and mobility. Physical therapy (PT) involves guided exercises and treatment in our clinic, as well as an at-home exercise routine, that are individually tailored to improve symptoms and reduce pain. PT may be the main component of your treatment plan, or it may be just one part of a comprehensive post-injury care plan.
- Surgery: In cases of severe injuries such as spinal fractures or severe herniated discs, surgical intervention might be necessary. Summit Orthopedics surgeons use minimally invasive techniques whenever possible to facilitate faster recovery times.
If you’ve been in a car accident, make an appointment with a Summit Orthopedics provider.
