Car accidents and back pain

Car accidents and back pain

If a person is involved in a car accident, they may experience sudden pain in the neck or back very suddenly. A person's pain heals naturally on its own. Others may require treatment to provide pain relief. What may not be obvious is that those involved in a motor vehicle collision may be more likely to experience back pain in the future. This article describes spinal injuries in car accidents, some recent research on the topic, and possible treatment options.

There are different types of motor vehicle collisions. In some cases, an unsuspecting person's vehicle is struck from behind and they suffer the classic "whiplash" injury to the neck. In other cases, the driver and passengers are aware of an impending collision and brace themselves, but spinal injuries to the neck and back still occur. Regardless of the type of accident, it is possible that those affected will experience back pain.

When the human body is subjected to trauma due to a car accident, several mechanisms of spinal injury occur. Let's discuss what's happening at an anatomical level. Ligaments are tough, fibrous tissues that connect from one bone to another. They allow the bones to move but should not allow excessive movement. If you imagine a guy wire stabilizing a utility pole, it would be a good analogy to the ligamentous structures of the human body.

Ligaments can be sprained in a car accident. A sprain simply tears fibers. Sprains are mild tears, moderate tears, or severe tears with a ligament being completely torn. When ligaments are damaged, they may not heal with normal tissue but rather partially, albeit weaker, scar tissue embedded in the ligament structure.

Weak, damaged ligaments allow excessive movement between the bones of the spine, also known as the vertebrae. Excessive movement between two bones is called hypermobility. Hypermobility over months and years causes wear and tear known as spinal degeneration.

On an x-ray, spinal degeneration shows up as bone-on-bone narrowing of disc spaces and bone spurs. This is a classic, objective sign of spinal degeneration.

A current scientific journal,Accident analysis and prevention, May 2020A systematic review found that people involved in a motor vehicle collision may be more likely to develop back pain in the future than people who have not been in a car accident.

Chiropractors are trained to evaluate and effectively treat musculoskeletal injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents. When visiting a chiropractor, the patient can expect to receive questions about their injuries, pain, and the details of the car accident itself. Next, a physical examination is performed to determine whether a patient has objective signs such as muscle spasms, limitation of movement of the neck or lower back, and other neuromusculoskeletal tests. Images such as X-rays and MRIs are often obtained.

If chiropractic care is determined to be appropriate, the chiropractor will begin the necessary treatment to help the patient recover from their neck and back problems. Chiropractic care can make the difference between successful back and neck pain relief and long-term spinal healing, compared to patients who develop chronic, painful back pain if not treated properly.

Inspired by James Schofield