Auto Accident Injury Treatment

What are the Main Types of Auto Accident Injuries to Worry About?

Head and Brain Injuries
Head and brain injuries are the most common injuries that people suffer when in an auto accident. This is mostly because their head hits a part of the car violently as the car stops and they continue to move. The symptoms may vary depending on the amount of damage sustained due to the accident. There could be bleeding, bruising, or swelling on the brain without any physical signs of trauma. Therefore, people involved in an accident should get checked out regardless of how they feel.

Neck
This type of injury can range from a simple case of whiplash to a disc injury.

Spinal Cord Injuries
Damage to a spinal cord can be caused when bone fragments, ligaments, or disc material that are displaced tears the spinal cord tissue, part of the nerve cells that carry signals to the brain, or destroys the axons.

Back
The lower back is usually the most common site of injury when it comes to auto accidents. This include strains and sprains, fractured vertebrae, or herniated discs. They may cause pain and limit mobility. Not all of the accidents will show up right after the accident.

What Type of Pain Management Will Help with These Injuries?

This depends on the injury that the patient is suffering from. Many head and neck injuries can cause constant headaches. There are several injections that can be used to stop the headaches. This is where medication can be injected into several nerves that will cause them to not be able to send the pain signals to the brain which will lessen the headaches. Look into Occipital Nerve Block for more information.

Pain caused from injuries to the spine and back can be treated with various nerve blocks. The idea is to use a regional anesthetic to numb the area where the nerves are sending pain signals to the brain. The anesthetic will turn these signals off and therefore eliminate the pain. There are many different nerve blocks that can be used and it will depend on what nerves are causing the pain.

How Long will These Procedures keep the Pain Away?

There are different results for different types of pain management procedures. Some procedures will last a few months and others can last up to six months. There are procedures that may even keep the pain at bay for good. You can find out more about the procedures and the effectiveness of these nerve blocks once you know which ones will work for your particular injury.

Can These Procedures be Repeated?

Some of the procedures can be repeated as long as you need them for pain management. For example, you can have as many Visco-Supplementation injections as needed. They will not damage the tissue or cause any further damage if the process needs to be repeated. This means that if the pain comes back then you can safely repeat the process.

Resources

Dere, K., Akbas, M., Bicerer, E., Ozkan, S., & Dagli, G. (2009). A complication during caudal steroid injection. Journal of Back & Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation, 22(4), 227-229. doi:10.3233/BMR-2009-0236

Spine-Health: Trusted Information for Back Pain. (2012). Sacroiliac Joint Injection. Retrieved from http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/injections/sacroiliac-joint-injection