Car Accidents happen a lot more than any of us would like. Moreover, car accidents can result in a lot of trouble for the victim in terms of bodily injuries, damages, and legal issues.

Some bodily injuries can be less severe whereas some can lead to serious complications and life-long side-effects. A common condition between most physical injuries in car accidents is spinal injuries.

Spinal injuries can be mild in some cases. However, sometimes they can be very severe. The symptoms you experience would depend on this. If you are experiencing symptoms of spinal injury after a car accident in Birmingham, AL, it is of paramount importance that you reach out to an expert for treatment.

National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports that there are an estimated 17,000 cases in the U.S. every year for spinal injuries. It is safe to say that a lot of these cases are caused by car accidents.

What Would I Experience in Terms of Symptoms of Spinal Injury After a Car Accident in Birmingham, AL?

If you have been involved in a car accident, you might experience the following symptoms:

• Impairment in your reflexes
• Experiencing muscle spasms
• Experiencing a sensation of numbness or tingling in your limbs
• Experiencing issues in controlling your bladder
• Experiencing a loss of movement in your limbs
• Experiencing severe pain in your spine or the surrounding back muscles
• Experiencing pain or other issues in breathing

Diagnosis of a Spinal Injury

There are several procedures that are deployed to diagnose spinal injuries. After observing the symptoms of spinal injury after a car accident in Birmingham, AL, a medical professional would recommend a few tests. These tests would help a medical professional determine the exact point of the injury as well as the severity. The tests a medical professional would recommend can be one or more of the following:

X-Rays

X-rays are typically used to check for trauma to the bones. A spinal x-ray would help determine the damage of the bones in your spine. They can also help in ensuring if there are any degeneration issues in the patient's spine.

CT Scans

CT scans can provide a much better insight into the spine's condition as compared to an x-ray. Cross-sectional images are drawn through computers in a CT scan which can diagnose issues in the bones, disks, or other problems after a car accident.

MRI's

Utilizing magnetic fields and radio waves, a computer produces images that can give a very detailed look at the spine. An MRI can help in identifying any nerve compressions, disc bulges or herniations, and blood clots that could have occurred after a car accident.

The Treatment for a Spinal Cord Injury

The treatment protocol for any spinal injury can vary from case to case depending on the symptoms of spinal injury after a car accident in Birmingham, AL. There are many treatments currently being studied as well as experimented with to better treat patients with spinal cord injuries.

Among the treatments available for spinal injuries, the following are the most common being practiced:

Surgical Procedures

Spinal surgeries can be deployed as a treatment option in injury cases to remove foreign objects or bone fragments that could have resulted from a car accident. It can also be used to relieve severe nerve compressions of treating a herniated disk.

Medication

There are a wide variety of medications currently being used for spinal injuries. The medication would be prescribed depending on a patient's injury severity. Medication for treating spinal injuries comes in 2 options primarily; steroid treatments (oral or intra venal) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Steroid treatments are usually utilized for more severe cases. If the degree of the injury is mild, a medical professional might only recommend NSAIDs and physiotherapy.

Physiotherapy

Being the most common out of all the treatment options available, physiotherapy is helpful in alleviating pain, reducing inflammation, and restoring movement. There are many treatments available when it comes to physiotherapy such as diathermy, infrared heat, or electroshocks. Manual therapy, as well as physical exercises, are also a crucial part of physiotherapy and it not only helps reduce pain but also helps in strengthening the spine.

Contact Us

If you or your loved ones are currently experiencing any symptoms of spinal injury after a car accident, feel free to contact us at AlaMed Injury Clinics. Our Birmingham physical therapists are more than driven to help car accident victims recover from their injuries and help them live a better, pain-free life!