5 Most Common Orthopedic Injuries Resulting From Car Accidents

While the vast majority of car accidents in the United States aren’t fatal, thankfully, over 5 million lead to some kind of medical care each year. Virtually any body part can be impacted by a fender bender or full on crash, from your muscles and ligaments to the vertebrae in your spine.

Dr. Nicholas Perenich and his team at Spine Institute of Florida in Dade City and Spring Hill specialize in treating spine-related injuries from auto accidents. Many of these injuries are orthopedic, meaning they involve your bones or surrounding tissue.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common orthopedic car accident injuries, including ways we can help.

Common orthopedic injuries from car accidents

Most car accidents involve some type of impact, along with a jolting motion. The severity of any injuries you acquire vary, based on factors like the intensity of the impact, how many cars were involved, whether or not you were wearing a seatbelt, and your overall health.

Five common orthopedic injuries that result from car accidents include:

Whiplash, or a neck injury caused by the overstretching of ligaments
Disc herniation, or a compressed spinal nerve
Vertebral fractures, or broken bones in your back
Soft tissue injuries, such as muscle or tendon sprains, strains, and tears
Spinal stenosis, when compression places pressure on nerves around your spine

Most of these injuries cause some amount of inflammation, pain, stiffness, numbness, or tingling. You might also notice redness, tenderness to the touch, and mobility problems, such as the inability to walk or use an affected limb normally.

Orthopedists and spine experts may also treat a concussion, a traumatic brain injury that commonly derives from car accidents. In addition to physical symptoms, such as a headache, concussions can affect your memory, vision, and moods.

What to do about your car accident injury

In most cases, seeking medical care is important after a car accident. Doing so might seem obvious if you have an overt injury or severe pain. Given that some injuries seem asymptomatic at first, because of factors like the adrenaline rush from the accident, consulting an expert even if you feel physically fine at first may be wise.

At Spine Institute of Florida, our team customizes auto accident injury treatment based on your unique needs. Your plan may include over-the-counter pain medication, a brace for your back or neck, or epidural or facet joint injections. We may also recommend radiofrequency ablation, which uses heat to diminish nerve-related pain, or, for severe injuries, spine surgery.

To learn more about orthopedic injuries after a car accident or get the personalized care you need, call Spine Institute of Florida or schedule an appointment through our website today.