Injuries related to a motor vehicle collision (MVC) can be both physically and emotionally debilitating. Many people do not pursue care for their injuries right away because of pain, fear of expenses, questionable insurance coverage, or lack of transportation.
After a collision, emergency medical specialists check for injuries that may be life-threatening such as fractures, abrasions, bleeding, internal organ damage, or neurological problems. Patients are often released once these conditions are ruled out, even though they often have soft tissue injuries, which include damage to the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. In emergency rooms around the country, common advice is to go home, apply an ice pack, take anti-inflammatory medication, and to consult with the family doctor if symptoms persist beyond two weeks. Unfortunately, this advice is probably responsible for at least some of the more than 30% of whiplash victims who never fully recover or the 10% or more who become disabled. Rational therapeutic intervention during that initial two weeks can greatly reduce the likelihood of long-term symptoms.
There are many conditions that are attributed to injuries from a motor vehicle collision including:
- Single and multiple cranial nerve palsies
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Brachial plexopathy
- Dizziness and otoneurological disorders
- Thoracic outlet syndrome
- Oculomotor or other visual disturbances
- Posttraumatic stress disorder
- Herniation of cervical discs; rupture of ligaments and adjacent tissues
- Rim lesions (disc/bone interface)
- Spinal cord injury
- Retropharyngeal hematoma
- Damage to subarachnoid space
- Mediastinitis
- TMJ injury/disruption
- Hypopharyngeal, tracheal or esophageal perforation
- Brain injury
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis disorder
- Damage to the posterior cervical sympathetic nerves
- Menstrual disorders
- Tremor and movement disorders
- Occipital neuralgia
- Cervical dystonia
- Fibromyalgia syndrome
- Allergy
- Breathing disorders
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Digestive disorders
- Low back pain
- Headache
Even if you do not feel hurt, it is vitally important that you receive proper evaluation and treatment when in motor vehicle collision. The best time to contact your doctor is immediately after the collision. Early evaluation and treatment for injuries caused by a motor vehicle collision by a doctor who is trained to specifically treat auto-related and soft tissue injuries is crucial for the best chance of full recovery.
Our doctors have completed extensive training in injuries relating to motor vehicle collisions by receiving the Advanced Certification in Whiplash and Brain Injury Traumatology from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego. The program includes the most in-depth, science-based training available today ranging from the physics of motor vehicle crashes to human biomechanics to diagnostics and management.
* Information provided by the Spine Research Institute of San Diego
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