What Car Accident Victims Who Have Neck Injuries Should Know

Car accidents are a common cause of neck injuries. Seatbelts generally help keep you in your car, but even seatbelts with shoulder harnesses don’t prevent your neck from moving. Airbags may protect your organs and cushion the blow, but they generally don’t prevent neck injuries either. Drivers and passengers can suffer neck injuries due to unusual movements, internal collisions with other occupants or parts of the car, and being struck by broken metal or glass.

What are the symptoms of neck pain?
The Mayo Clinic identifies the symptoms of neck pain as including:

• A reduced ability to move your head
• Muscle stiffness
• Muscle spasms
• Neck pain, which can become worse if your neck is in one place for a long period, such as when you work at your computer or drive

Another common symptom of neck pain is a reduced range of motion.

If you are in a car accident, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. Early intervention, even when you don’t have symptoms, can help manage your pain. Insurance companies and defense attorneys will often argue that if you delay a medical review of your neck pain, it’s because you’re not hurting very much.

You should prioritize seeking help if the pain spreads to other parts of your body.

Whiplash

One type of neck pain that is quite likely to occur if you are in a rear-end accident is whiplash. Other types of car accidents, such as T-bone accidents, can also cause whiplash. Whiplash, according to the Mayo Clinic, “is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.”

How do medical providers diagnose neck injuries in Mississippi?

Your doctors will question you about how your accident happened, what other health issues you have, and what types of activities you do that involve your neck. These doctors will also conduct a physical exam to see how tender your neck is, determine how much you can move your neck (in different directions) before you experience pain, and understand how severe your pain is. These healthcare providers will also test for any numbness or muscle weakness.

Some of the diagnostic tests your Mississippi doctors may use, even if you are not experiencing symptoms yet, include the following:

• X-rays.Doctors use this test to determine if bone spurs or other changes may pinch or affect nerves or the spinal cord.
• CT Scans. This test uses X-rays and computer technology to produce detailed cross-sectional views of your neck structures.
• This test uses magnetic fields and radio waves to obtain detailed images of your soft tissues and bones. Your “soft tissues include the disks, the spinal cord, and the nerves coming from the spinal cord.”
• Electromyography (EMG).This test helps to show whether a pinched nerve is causing your neck pain. An EMG “involves inserting fine needles through the skin into a muscle. The test measures the speed of nerve conduction to determine whether nerves are working properly.”
• Blood tests. A blood analysis may help show if inflammation or infections may be the cause of your neck pain.

What are the treatments for neck pain?

Our Mississippi car accident lawyers work with your doctors (and our network of doctors when necessary) to understand all your treatment options and which treatments are most likely to work best for your neck pain. While some car accident victims with neck pain may respond to rest, pain relievers, and heat, many car accident victims with neck pain need one or a combination of the following types of medical care:

• Pain relievers for neck pain include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These include “ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).” Neck injury victims should follow the drug manufacturer’s recommendation. Your doctor may also prescribe NSAIDs or muscle relaxers.
• Physical therapy. Patients with neck pain often benefit from working with a physical therapist (PT). Your PT will help with various neck-strengthening and neck-movement exercises, ensuring your posture is correct, and helping with alignment issues. Your PT may also use ice, heat, and other treatments to manage your pain.
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).This treatment method involves placing electrodes on your skin near the site of your pain and then delivering small electronic pulses through the electrodes to help manage your pain. The Mayo Clinic questions how well TENS works for neck pain.
• A soft neck collar. This device may help support your neck. The Mayo Clinic states that you should be careful. “If used for more than three hours at a time or for more than 1 to 2 weeks, a collar might do more harm than good.”
• Steroid injections. Your doctor may inject steroid medications “near the nerve roots, into the spinal joints, or into the muscles” in your neck. Your doctor may also inject numbing medications, such as lidocaine, into your neck.
• In rare cases, car accident victims may need surgery to treat their nerve root or spinal cord compression.

What’s the value of my whiplash claim?

Our personal injury lawyers demand that responsible drivers pay for all of your neck pain damages after a car accident. At Merkel & Cocke, we demand compensation for all your current and future:

• Medical bills of every nature
• Physical pain and emotional suffering
• Loss of income and benefits for as long as you can’t work
• The property damage to your car
• The inability to enjoy life’s pleasures
• Loss of bodily function
• Loss of consortium (enjoyment of marital relations)

We understand how scared and upset you are. Neck pain can take weeks or months to heal. Some car accident victims experience chronic pain for the rest of their lives. At Merkel & Cocke, we’ve successfully represented many car accident victims in personal injury claims. Phone us or use our contact form to schedule a free consultation. Our attorneys meet clients in Jackson, Clarksdale, Greenville, and Oxford. We also serve Tupelo and the Gulf Coast regions.