Common Auto Accident Injuries Requiring a Neurology Specialist in Brooklyn, NY

March 21, 2022

Car Accidents

An injury from an auto accident in Brooklyn, NY can have a serious effect on your quality of life. The trauma from impact may damage nerves and leave you with pain or impair your range of motion. You may find it difficult to work or enjoy family activities. In January of 2022, there were 724 car accident injuries in Brooklyn, New York, from 2506 collisions. Many accident victims need neurological care.

Some injuries have a delayed onset of symptoms. This is often a dangerous situation if you’ve suffered head trauma. It is essential to see a neurologist if you have back and neck pain or persistent headaches following an accident. A neurology doctor at Metro Healthcare Partners thoroughly evaluates your condition and personalizes your treatment plan.

What Does a Neurology Doctor Do?

Neurology is a medical specialty for treating the nervous system and brain. Neurological injuries and disorders are unique health conditions that require specialized skills in detecting nerve damage and impairment.

Neurological conditions include certain movement disorders and common diseases like Multiple Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s Disease, but many conditions can occur as the result of an accident. Since pain is often linked to neurological problems, many neurologists become pain management specialists.

A primary care doctor may refer car accident patients to a neurologist to determine the root causes of nerve-related pain. A neurologist diagnoses your condition and performs advanced diagnostic tests to assess nerve injury and uses various procedures to treat nerve problems.

When Are Nerve Injuries from Car Accidents Dangerous?

Symptoms from car accident injuries fall into two categories: immediate and delayed. Immediate symptoms occur at the time of the accident. Delayed symptoms appear over time and with varying degrees of severity. Car accidents injuries that have a delayed onset of symptoms can be extremely dangerous depending on the level of trauma.

It can take several days or longer for your body to process the effects of injuries. Thus, your brain may take time to catch up with the physical issues affecting your well-being. Even with treatment in an emergency room, you may not know the extent of your injuries.

If you have worrisome symptoms, see a neurologist for a thorough examination. Neurological injuries often present in frightening ways. At Metro Healthcare Partners, we don’t want you to wait for necessary care. We welcome walk-ins at our facility.

What Are Symptoms of Neurological Injuries?

A neurological injury can lead to increasingly debilitating or life-threatening health conditions over time. It is crucial to seek neurological treatment immediately if you have any of these symptoms after a car accident:

Information comprehension or retention problems
Anxiety or agitation
Headaches
Ear ringing or humming noises
Light hypersensitivity
Dizziness or feeling faint
Dissociated feelings (detached from your body)
Pain (sharp or dull) in head, neck and spine
Nausea or vomiting
Slurred speech or difficulty speaking

While frequently upsetting, nerve injury symptoms are important indicators of health problems and a reason to seek prompt medical attention.

What Are Common Neurological Disorders Caused by Car Accidents?

Car accidents wreak havoc with the head, neck and back regions of the body. These are three frequently diagnosed nerve disorders resulting from car accidents.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

TBI occurs when there is blunt force trauma to the head. This typically happens when the head strikes something inside the car in an auto accident, causing bruising or bleeding on the brain. Car crashes cause 14% of traumatic brain injuries in the U.S. each year. TBI symptoms can take time to appear in the form of headaches, confusion, speech problems and balance problems.

The results of these injuries and the outcomes are often devastating. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics, 30% of TBI cases worsen over five years. Our neurology doctors assess patients by using advanced neurodiagnostics to find and treat the source of the trauma.

Neuropathy

Neuropathy is a condition of the peripheral nervous system. This system includes all the nerves not located in the brain or spinal cord. When these nerves become compressed, crushed, stretched or severed, you feel numbness, tingling, and weakness. A neurologist can diagnose broken bones or other injuries causing dysfunction in the peripheral nerves.

Radiculopathy

This condition occurs due to compression or damage to nerves exiting the spinal column. This occurs primarily in the neck and lower back, although it can affect any part of the spine. Impact in a car accident jars the spine with tremendous force. A neurologist looks for impingements (pinched nerves) or damage to the spine that causes pain, numbness, or weakness.

What Are the Types of Auto Accident Injuries Neurologists Treat?

Neurologists treat various auto accident injuries involving the nervous system and brain. These are common types of injuries that occur in car accidents:

Whiplash

Whiplash occurs from the whipping motion the head and neck undergo in an accident due to impact force. Whiplash can cause soft tissue damage and fractures that irritate or compress nerves. In the U.S., three million people sustain whiplash injuries annually. Whiplash can become a chronic and potentially debilitating health issue, so we recommend prompt medical care.

Neck Pain

The neck absorbs a lot of force to protect you in an accident. Neck pain often radiates throughout the neck, shoulders, and skull from trauma in a car crash. This results in numbness and tingling in extremities from nerve injuries. You may also have headaches and dull aches or sharp pain in the neck.

Back Pain

Lower back pain is quite common after an accident, as the impact on the spine is traumatic. A neurologist does a physical examination to check for mobility problems and pain sources. Nerve impingements are painful outcomes of back injuries. Getting neurological care is essential because back problems left untreated often worsen with time.

Concussions

A concussion is a mild TBI. Concussions are serious injuries that require treatment to help with full recovery. It is also important to observe any head injury post-accident to ensure there are no further complications. While concussions do cause trauma to the brain, these are usually not life-threatening injuries.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal injuries can happen anywhere in the spinal column during a collision. Frequently, compressions, dislocations or herniations in back discs put pressure on or injure the spine. The pain can be dull to acute. Acute pain appears immediately after an accident. With spine treatment, acute pain often decreases after a few weeks, but you may require ongoing therapeutics for pain management.

Chronic Headaches

Many injuries in the neck and shoulder regions affect the cervical root nerve that can cause headaches. Some conditions from car accidents trigger chronic headaches. A chronic condition usually takes time to present, but the effects can be recurring or long-lasting. Many headaches begin from the strain and stress of trauma. Chronic headaches may have more serious root causes from undetected injuries.

Does a Neurologist Do a Physical Examination?

A primary diagnostic tool of neurologists is a thorough physical examination that checks mental alertness, speech, vision, reflexes, and balance and coordination to determine if there is head trauma or nerve damage present. We have specialized diagnostic tests that provide a fuller picture of your injuries to understand the severity of your condition.

How Do Neurology Specialists Diagnose Your Injuries?

After the initial physical exam, you may need an advanced neurodiagnostic evaluation to pinpoint the root cause of injury. These are five tests neurology doctors use for diagnoses:

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Computed tomography (CT)
Computer-assisted tomography (CAT) scans
Electroencephalography (EEG)
Nerve conduction velocity and electromyography (NCV/EMG)

MRIs provide neurologists with a dynamic picture of the body and locate abnormalities. These tests give specific information about nerve activity and impairment that aid neurology doctors in your treatment.

What Does a Neurology Doctor Do To Manage Pain?

After a car accident, a neurologist may start with these methods to treat your pain.

RICE: Rest, ice, compression, and elevation for soft tissue injuries and lower back problems that are painful due to swelling and bruising
NSAIDs: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce inflammation and pain
Prescription medications for chronic pain or sleep
Neck or back braces or casts to immobilize an area to promote healing

It is important to note that nerve-related injuries occur on a scale of uncomfortable to incapacitating. Treatment methods are always evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may include surgical treatment.

How Does a Neurologist Improve Your Health Long-Term?

Many patients wonder, “what does a neurology doctor do to help with long-term health management?” If you are seriously hurt in an auto accident, your condition may require months or years to heal, or you could need pain management throughout your lifetime. We determine your physical and mental status, personalize your treatment plan, and reevaluate objectives and treatment options as your health needs change. We provide comprehensive care designed to manage pain and improve quality of life.

Get Person-Centered Neurology Services in Brooklyn, NY

Metro Healthcare Partners, located in Brooklyn, New York, are the health professionals you need when you suffer nerve injuries due to an auto accident. We treat you as an individual because each person’s case is unique and deserves personalized patient care.

Our experienced neurology and neuromuscular medicine specialists know where to search for pain triggers and how to treat and manage your injuries. Our team is here to help. We don’t want to wait for the care you need after a car accident. Our state-of-the-art facility provides multispecialty services, and we welcome walk-ins. Our neurologists accept no-fault, PIP (Personal Injury Protection), workers’ compensation, medical liens, and other insurance plans. Contact us to learn more about our neurology doctors and our services.

Sources:

https://www.aan.com/tools-resources/what-is-a-neurologist

https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/traffic_data/cityacc-en-us.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/moderate-severe/index.html

https://treatnow.org/knowledgebase/car-accidents-and-brain-injury-statistics-2020/

http://www.srisd.com/consumer_site/epidemiology.htm