How to Treat Neck and Lower Back Pain After a Car Accident
Neck and spine injuries comprise the most commonly reported injuries suffered from car accidents. As you collide into opposing forces, your body absorbs some energy and reacts to the rest. Typical collision injuries include whiplash-associated disorders, discogenic injuries, and soft tissue injuries to the neck and back. As you heal from the damages, your care team may prescribe a combination of treatments to help manage your neck and lower back pain.
Find out how to treat neck and lower back injuries and which professional pain management doctors Brooklyn practices offer the most options.
Treatment Tips
Treatment immediately following a car crash is the best advice you can follow for quick healing and speedy recovery. Be patient with yourself as you experience the ups and downs of progress while specialists create your care plan.
Seek Care
The first step in treating your neck and lower back pain after motor vehicle accidents is seeking medical expertise. Professional evaluation from experienced personal injury physicians has no substitute even if you do not appear to be seriously injured and your aches and pains are more annoying than debilitating. Rather than wait for neck and lower back pain to creep up on you with delayed symptoms in the hours or days following, you can prevent further damages by immediately getting a medical assessment following your collision.
Proper Diagnosis
When you seek professional evaluation directly after your collision, accident injury doctors have the best chance of diagnosing your initial injuries accurately. Some symptoms can even be alleviated by swift diagnosis and pinpoint treatment. To properly diagnose your injuries, Metro Healthcare Partners used advanced imaging equipment in combination with neurodiagnostic.
Imaging
A selection of clear images can help specialists determine the exact nature of your neck and lower back pain. Identifying the source of the injury will help your healthcare team build a treatment plan to manage your chronic pain.
X-Ray
X-rays are often used to generate images further to examine bone fractures and breaks or joint issues. However, X-rays can also be used to identify some soft tissue injuries from time to time. This imaging test is quick and painless, rendering images on site within moments. X-rays are usually the first line of defense in establishing a diagnosis before moving to an MRI if more detailed information is required.
MRI
An MRI is magnetic resonance imaging. The scanner in an MRI produces digital images of soft tissues in your body. Thanks to the powerful magnetic and radiofrequency energy generated in the scanning process, specialists can obtain clear views of smaller internal areas where you are injured. MRIs can significantly help identify TBIs because they are detailed enough to examine blood flow and function in the brain.
EMG/NCV Neurodiagnostics
Rest assured, the professionals at Metro will also explain and clarify the medical jargon as they recommend procedures to help obtain the most accurate diagnosis. NCV stands for nerve conduction velocity test. During an NCV diagnostic, electrodes are used to signal electric pulses to other nerves and muscles. EMG is simply an abbreviated term for electromyography used to record the electrical signals from the nerve conduction test. EMG measures the speed at which the signals travel and response times to determine muscle and nerve health.
Doctors may perform a nerve conduction velocity test for old or new injuries and as a way to rule out other diagnoses. Underlying conditions or pinched nerves may cause lower back pain after a car accident. NCVs are often used to detect or measure:
- Location of injury: muscle or nerve
- Muscular dystrophy
- Pinched nerves
- Nerve injuries
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Guillian-Barré syndrome
- Herniated disks
- Nerve dysfunction
Dedicated Rest
As you prepare for your treatment plan, your body will likely begin experiencing the effects of the crash. To mitigate the painful discomfort, attempt to block out your schedule and replan any obligations with the explanation of injury. The longer it takes you to rest fully, the longer it will take you to heal completely.
Treatment Options
Metro Healthcare Partners offers a diverse selection of neck and back pain treatments following your car accident injuries in New York City and Long Island. A conveniently located state-of-the-art healthcare facility in Brooklyn houses advanced medical equipment and experienced staff who have diverse professional training.
Physical Therapy
When you choose a physical therapist, be sure to select specialists with experience and professional credentials. At Metro, our licensed therapists treat neck and back pain from car accident injuries and back pain from car accident treatment elsewhere. Professionals will work with you to correct past treatment issues and manage chronic pain through a series of purposeful movements designed to help you heal. The purpose of our physical therapy program is to build strength and flexibility while supporting independence. The treatment you can expect from physical therapy includes:
- Restoreing range of moiton
- Improving flexibility
- Goal setting and measurement Specialized care team support
- Patient education
- Self-care techniques
- Biodex Balance System option
- State of the art rehab facility access
Chiropractic Care in New York City
Chiropractic care focuses on the complexities of your musculoskeletal system to help you heal. Professional chiropractors make manual adjustments to your spine to increase mobility and function while managing pain holistically. Through repeated sessions, chiropractors can relieve the pressure that may affect nerves or vertebrae injured in an auto accident.
Orthopedics
Just because you now know that seeking treatment directly after a car accident is best practice doesn’t mean you always did. The specialists at Metro will also work to treat your neck and back pain from older injuries. Some damages from older injuries may have progressed into more degenerative conditions because of lack of treatment. Orthopedic options for comprehensive care at Metro Health Partners include:
- Non-invasive
- Minimally invasive
- Advanced surgery
- Advanced recovery modalities
Pain Management in New York City
Medically managed pain treatment for your neck and back injuries can be complex. While professionals want to relieve your pain with the administration of medical pain relief, other alternatives may better foster independence in the long run. Because of the sensitive nature of pain management, your recovery team will work with your to determine which options are ideal for your care plan. Other options besides prescription medicine include:
- CBD Therapy
- Prolotherapy
- Ablation
- Injections
- Topical analgesics
- Hot/cold therapy
- Surgically implanted devices
- Electrotherapy
Massage
Massage is often used with chiropractic care to enhance the manipulation of your musculoskeletal system. Massage therapists are specially trained in how pressure points and muscle groups work together to keep you operating smoothly. When you are injured, massage can help release tension surrounding an injury to increase flexibility.
CBD Therapy
CBD encompasses cannabidiol and cannabinoid products. Metro carries ECS Care products that contain full-spectrum, whole-plant hemp extract blended in organic hemp seed oil. CBD therapy is a holistic approach to pain management that deviates from chemically produced pharmaceutical options to provide a more comprehensive nutritional effect. Long used to promote natural healing, CBD is increasing in popularity as the first approach to pain management.
Mind-Body Therapies
Focused thought and controlled breathing have long been a remedy in Eastern medicine. Western medicine has just begun to return the research that proves the efficacy of meditation, yoga, and relaxation therapy for healing. At the beginning of your recovery journey, pain management and gentle stretching may be your biggest goals. Training specialists can guide you on the principles to start your mind-body therapies and continue them at home.
Electrotherapy
Electrotherapy can be applied through different techniques. Primarily, TENS or IFC devices are used at Metro. Electrotherapy is also an option for an at-home approach to pain management for your neck and back issues. Electrotherapy sends small electrical currents to your muscles to stimulate them. As they are encouraged, regrowth occurs. When your body grows more potent, recovery moves faster.
Nutrition
Metro’s trained specialists have been helping people recover for long enough that we know food is medicine too. Making intelligent nutrition choices that will boost your immune system and promote healing supports recovery. Your care team will educate you on which nutrition choices are best for your recovery to enhance healing and decrease neck and back pain. Choosing an anti-inflammatory diet that includes supplements and vitamins will help treat neck and back pain by promoting whole-body wellness.
Exercise
Controlled movement is an essential part of building strength and flexibility. When you are present for your in-house sessions at Metro, you can take advantage of the equipment in the 7,500 square foot state-of-the-art health care facility. When you return home to continue your training, you will be equipped with the proper form to execute at-home exercises without your trainer. Bodyweight resistance exercises are an excellent way to continue your neck and back pain treatment between sessions.
Treatment Specialists
Metro Healthcare Partners are skilled professional medical staff with the expertise and experience to help you treat your neck and back pain after a car wreck. Metro has the road to wellness covered, from correctly diagnosing your medical condition, documenting your injuries, through advanced imaging to creating an individualized medical treatment plan that includes the best combination of care to manage your pain and promote healing.
If you have neck or back pain from a car accident injury, contact Metro Healthcare Partners today to make an appointment for a consultation. We accept no-fault insurance, PIP (Personal Injury Protection), worker’s compensation, medical lien, and most health insurance plans. Same-day appointments may be available.