If you’re ever in a car accident, we hope you come out unscathed. Unfortunately, car accidents often pose serious injuries to the parties involved.
The severity of car accident injuries varies depending on multiple factors like:
- Where exactly the car got hit
- Whether the injured person wearing a seat belt
- What orientation the injured person was sitting and facing
- The speed of the collision
- Whether air bags deployed, etc.
Statistical evidence and our experience show that, even with varying types of accidents and severity, there are several injuries that happen more often than others.
Here are some of the most common car accident injuries and their common treatment plans.
Soft Tissue Injuries + Internal Bleeding
Soft tissue injuries can range from mild to severe. From scratches, scrapes, and bruising to life-threatening internal bleeding, it is common for victims to have some form of soft tissue injuries after an accident.
You may have heard of “whiplash” before. Whiplash to the neck and upper back is considered a form of soft tissue injury. In fact, this type of injury is so common in car accident cases that it deserves its own place in this list. Keep reading and we will talk more about it later.
The same strong and abrupt forces that cause whiplash in the neck can cause soft tissue damage in your middle or lower back. Actually, back injuries are arguably the most common injuries we see resulting from car accidents, mild to severe.
Please remember: if you get into a really serious car accident, please seek medical attention right away as internal bleeding can go unnoticed, yet it can be fatal.
How To Treat Soft Tissue Injuries
It all depends on the type of injury we are talking about here.
In the medical field, there is an acronym to help patients on their healing journey after a soft tissue injury: RICE (rest, ice compress, and elevate). For some mild soft tissue injuries, not much else can be done. For more severe cases, surgery may be required.
For common neck and back injuries, many treatment plans will include chiropractic (conservative care), physical therapy, injections, and even disc replacements.
As far as internal bleeding goes, you should be seen by a medical professional if you’re concerned that you may be bleeding internally. The sooner the better, in this case, if you notice that you’re coughing up blood or anything similar go to the emergency room.
To treat internal bleeding, emergency surgery may be necessary. Left untreated could have serious and life-threatening consequences.
Broken Bones
If you think you may have broken a bone after a car accident, go to the hospital. X-Rays will be needed to determine any broken bones, but you should seek immediate care. If you are injured in a car accident and are left with broken bones, there isn’t much variety when it comes to treatment options.
How To Treat Broken Bones
Broken bones are typically treated by setting the bone back into place and wrapping the bone with a cast for several weeks or months.
In more severe cases, surgery will be done to use additional hardware to set the bone(s) back into place.
After the broken bones are healed, physical therapy may be needed to recover lost function.
Whiplash
In the case of a rapid back and forth motion of the head, whiplash is a common injury among car accident victims. A whiplash injury happens when the muscles and ligaments in your neck are stretched due to sudden movements of your head and neck, putting your body into a shock.
Treatment options are fairly straightforward, however, this injury can remain prevalent long into the future.
How To Treat Whiplash
Chiropractic care and physical therapy can help to treat whiplash.
If conservative care does not help the pain from a whiplash injury, your doctor might suggest pain injections or prescription pain medication as the next step.
Treatments for whiplash can vary based on severity.
Traumatic Brain Injury
One of the most common and serious injuries after an accident, traumatic brain injuries can be more complex to treat.
How To Treat Traumatic Brain Injuries
It will be important to maintain a relationship with your healthcare providers along your treatment journey. Surgery, medications, and rehabilitation are all tools used to treat varying cases of traumatic brain injuries.
Individuals can struggle for the rest of their lives due to any number of injuries after an accident. Treatment does not always cure or solve the problem completely. Treatment plans are also tailored for each patient.
If you’re struggling with the costs of medical treatment after an accident, we urge you to seek legal representation.
Call us today to discuss your options.
