Car accidents need not be catastrophic crashes to result in back injuries. As a matter of fact, many fender benders cause drivers or passengers ongoing, chronic back pain. Whether or not you were taken to the emergency room after a collision, you may have pain and mobility issues that the physiatrists at Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine can effectively address.
How Our Treatments Can Help You Recover from Your Car Accident Back Injuries
Our reputation for exacting diagnosis and individualized, multifaceted care is well-established. We offer a broad range of treatments for back pain — all focused on relieving your pain and restoring your function without surgical intervention. Even if your car accident injuries require surgery, we can provide you with excellent therapies, both traditional and complementary, to accelerate healing after your operation, such as :
- Acupuncture
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to promote quicker healing
- Physical therapy, including electrical stimulation, to restore strength and range of motion
- Ultrasound-guided injections to relieve pain and inflammation directly at the source
- PEMF (Pulsed Electromagnetic Field) therapy which, in addition to treating pain and inflammation, increases blood flow to your cells to promote more rapid healing
- Fluoroscopically guided spinal injection procedures
Our methods are, at most, minimally invasive (e.g. injections) and have a high rate of success in restoring normal function and alleviating pain.
Back Injury Symptoms
The complex structure of the back includes interconnected bones, muscles, joints, tendons, ligaments and nerves, all in service to protect the spinal cord — the delicate and vital center of mobility and sensation. Injuries that affect any of the back’s components can be painful and disabling. Because not all back injuries are evident immediately, it is crucial to have a full check-up after any car accident.
The examining physician will be looking for any of the following symptoms:
- Pain at the site of impact
- Pain that radiates down the buttocks and legs
- Stiffness and lack of flexibility
- Numbness or tingling in arms, legs, hands, or feet
- Difficulty standing, walking, bending, reaching
- Muscle spasms
Common Car Accident Back Injuries
Car accidents can result in back injuries in any region of the back: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and coccyx. Common car accident back injuries include:
- Whiplash
Whiplash occurs when the head and neck jerk suddenly back and forth. This sudden motion strains, and may tear, neck muscles, ligaments, tendons, and damage other soft tissues. Whiplash most often occurs in rear-end accidents. Its symptoms, such as pain, stiff neck, muscle spasms, vertigo, fatigue, or blurred vision, may take hours or even days to appear.
- Herniated discs
Herniated discs can be the result of a forceful impact that causes vertebral discs to slip out of place, crack or rupture. The resulting nerve compression can cause intense pain, weakness, tingling, or numbness radiating to the limbs and extremities.
- Compression spinal fractures
Compression (hairline) spinal fractures are frequently the result of the seatbelt holding the body in place to protect the face and head. Symptoms vary. Depending on where the fracture occurs, patients may experience pain when walking, sitting or breathing, and/or numbness, muscle weakness, or bladder dysfunction.
- Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis occurs when stress fractures force vertebrae to slip out of place, compressing nerves or the spinal canal itself. Numbness, pain, weakness, and difficulty walking may result.
- Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis, the narrowing of the spinal canal due to aging, is not caused by car accidents but may cause individuals who have been unaware that they have the condition to become symptomatic. The symptoms of spinal stenosis include pain, weakness, difficulty walking or bending.
As disheartening as it may be to develop back or neck problems as a result of a car accident, or to have existing conditions exacerbated by a collision, treatments by a highly-skilled physiatrist can make a major difference in how quickly and thoroughly you heal.
Contact Long Island Spine Rehabilitation Medicine to Accelerate Your Recovery
Our doctors and therapists are good listeners. We will not offer you a cookie-cutter approach to treatment. Rather, we will listen carefully to what your say so we can personalize your treatment plan to your particular needs. We will work collaboratively with you to decide which combination of treatment methods to use because we are well aware that you know your own body best. Contact our office today.