Motor vehicle accidents can lead to various kinds of injuries, including broken bones,  nerve damage, and spinal cord, neck, and limb injuries. These accidents may happen in any vehicle, like a car, motorcycle, or truck, and the damage caused can range from mild to debilitating.

In addition to the physical damage, a motor vehicle accident may cause emotional and psychological consequences. Issues like anxiety, depression, or PTSD could appear after a traumatic situation like a car or motorcycle accident.

Addressing motor vehicle accidents using a multidisciplinary approach that covers physical and psychological damage is crucial for optimal recovery.

The most common causes of motor vehicle accidents are often preventable. Some of them are related to unsafe driving. These may include:

• Distracted driving: Using the phone or eating while driving increases the risk of an accident. 
• Impaired driving: Driving under the influence of alcohol and drug use is one of the most common causes of motor vehicle accidents. 
• Exceeding speed limits: Driving faster than legally allowed means that the error range in case of sudden encounters is severely decreased. 
• Fatigue: Driving while fatigued can mean less attention and focus, increasing the risk of a car crash or other motor vehicle accident. 
• Weather Conditions: Rain, snow, or fog results in poor driving conditions, potentially increasing the risk of a motor vehicle accident. 

A motor vehicle accident can severely impact different parts of the body. Some injuries may be more severe than others. Medical attention is essential after a motor vehicle accident to rule out internal injuries which may not be evident on the body.

• Head and Brain Injuries: Physical head trauma could cause a concussion or a brain injury. 
• Spinal Cord Injuries: Conditions like a herniated disc, pinched nerve, spinal stenosis, sciatica, and chronic lower back pain may develop from physical trauma directed to the lumbar area. 
• Neck injuries: Strains or sprains in the neck or conditions like radiculopathy may develop after a motor vehicle accident. 
• Bone Fractures: Fractures in the limbs (arms and legs) or ribs can often be caused by motor vehicle accidents. 
• Soft Tissue Injuries: Lacerations, cuts, sprains, and strains are typical results of a car or motorcycle accident.
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Treatment after vehicular accidents may include multiple approaches depending on the kind of injury suffered and its severity.

For minor injuries, treatment may focus on the following:

• Disinfecting your wound
• Applying bandages
• Medication to alleviate mild pain and swelling

If the motor vehicle accident caused a soft-tissue laceration or muscle tear, the best treatment may involve a surgical procedure to restore damaged tissues or align misplaced bones.

Non-opioid medications can help reduce muscle swelling and nerve pressure without the risk of developing an addiction or side effects. These may range from anti-inflammatory medications to muscle relaxants and antidepressants.

Injections can be useful to administer medications directly into the injured area, allowing the anesthetic to block pain signals. These can include:

• Steroid injections help provide quick inflammation reduction and symptom relief. They target the nerves that send pain signals into the brain, blocking them almost instantly.
• Facet joint injections are targeted into the joints on the vertebra, which could be causing nerve compression in the lumbar area due to a physical injury.

The best pain management procedures to help alleviate the pain from a motor vehicle accident include the following options:

• Radio waves use radiofrequency stimulation to disrupt the pain nerve signals sent into the brain.
• Spinal cord stimulation uses electrical impulses to modify the nerve activity in the spine, stopping pain from being felt.

Neuromodulation aims to reduce nerve stress caused by physical trauma using electrical nerve stimulation. For motor vehicle accidents, the best neuromodulation treatments can involve transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), which uses low-voltage electrical currents to disrupt the transmission of pain signals. 

Another option could be to use peripheral nerve stimulation, which uses electrical stimulation to target peripheral nerves around the spinal cord for injuries located in the lumbar area.

Minimally invasive interventions aim to reduce recovery time and the risk of complications from spinal or neck injuries. Some of the best minimally invasive interventions to treat motor vehicle accidents include:

• MILD procedure: MILD® (minimally invasive lumbar decompression) uses X-ray guidance to insert a special needle in the lower back area. Using a radiofrequency device, your doctor will remove the bone and ligament excess in your spine, allowing it to release pressure and pain. 
• Vertiflex (interspinous spacers): These interspinous spacers are placed between the vertebrae spaces using a small tube inserted into the spine. These spacers help keep the vertebrae in place and reduce the nerve pressure caused by a physical injury in the spine.

At Spinal Diagnostics, we aim to help patients with spine, neck, and limb injuries from motor vehicle accidents. Our team of specialists are recognized leaders in clinical research and offer updated diagnostic processes and treatment options. 

We have dedicated our practice to improving our patient’s quality of life without using opiate medications, including minimally invasive interventions as our ideal treatment plan. Over ten years of experience makes us the top choice for those with multiple health issues.

If you want to learn more about our services, call us, schedule an appointment online, or visit our locations in Tualatin and Newberg in Oregon.