Spine Injuries In Washington, DC Car Accidents
Car accidents cause a variety of injuries. Some injuries are mild while other injuries result in permanent disabilities that change the accident victim’s life forever. Spine injuries are common in car accidents due to the force of the impact and the violent, unnatural positions caused by the collision. Even in a low-speed impact, a person’s back can suffer severe, traumatic injuries. In a matter of seconds, your life can be changed forever due to a back injury in a car accident.
Common Back Injuries in Washington, DC Car Accidents
A muscle strain may heal in a few weeks; however, some back injuries result in months or years of severe pain. Some of the most common back injuries in Washington
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However, for some victims, this is not always the case. Ligaments, tendons, and muscles can easily be stretched and torn during a car accident causing severe pain. This can result in chronic pain and reduced mobility.
• Dislocation Fractures – This type of bank injury results when one or more vertebrae in the back break allowing the soft tissue surrounding the discs to move into the damaged area.
• Compression Fractures – If the impact from the collision causes the vertebra and spine to be compressed downward, the vertebra can fracture.
• Herniated Discs – The impact of a car crash can cause one of the 24 discs in the spine to break apart. When this happens, the disc is shifted out of position as the inner cartilage bulges outward.
• Spinal Cord Damage – The spinal cord is a vital part of the body’s communication network. Signals from the brain move down the spinal cord toward all other areas of the body. Damage to the spinal cord can result in partial or full paralysis. In many cases, the damage is permanent.
• Flexion Distraction Fractures – During a collision, especially a head-on crash, the upper back can jerk violently forward while the lower back is held in place by a seat belt. This can cause the vertebrae to fracture from the forced
Papa J. 2012. Conservative management of a lumbar compression fracture in an osteoporotic patient: a case report. J. Can. Chiropr. Assoc:29-39
The first thing that one needs to consider is the situation that victims are normally under. No one chooses to be in an accident, it is something that is unexpected. Because of that those who are affected are often not at a point financially where they can handle the results of the accident such as lost time at work, medical bills, and other associated cost. Worsening the situation is the fact that the injuring party in the accident often does not want to compensate the victims for their actions. This results in an even
There are many injuries in general, but sports injuries? Sprains and Strains are the most common injuries in sports. “Sprains are injuries to ligaments, the tough bands connecting in a joint. Suddenly stretching ligaments past their limits deforms or tears them” (Hoffman 1). Ligaments are like springs in a sense that when you stretch a spring, it will return to it’s normal state unless they are
Osteoporosis is a disease of the bone. The bones become weak and brittle and are prone to fractures. A person with osteoporosis can fracture a bone just by hitting a table or turning while in bed. Most people with osteoporosis keep on getting fractures because the weight of the body cannot be supported by the bone and normal body movements, including walking, will strain the bone. This condition arises when the rate of bone growth cannot keep pace with bone loss. Osteoporosis can affect any bone including the hip, wrist or spine.
A persons Spinal Cord is the cord of nervous tissue which extends from the brain and goes all the way down their back in the vertebral canal. It gives off pairs of spinal nerves and carries impulse to and from the brain, it also serves as the centre for initiating and coordination of many reflects acts. Without the spinal cord a person’s body would not be able to maintain its composure and would cave in on its self. An injury to the spinal cord can be catastrophic to the person, many injuries to the spinal cord result in quadriplegia and/or paraplegia and in some cases death. A Spinal Cord Injury can be classed as a complete spinal cord injury (meaning all functions below the injured area are lost even if the
The injury produces pain, muscle guarding, and transitory paralysis of the soft structures. This causes pain in the rotation or flexion of the trunk.
If you have never seen a chiropractor before, then you may be wondering if chiropractic care can benefit you. You can benefit from seeing a chiropractor if you have ever been involved in a car accident. Car accidents can not only be traumatizing, but they can also take a toll on your body. Fortunately, a spinal adjustment can help improve your quality of life.
The spinal cord is a major channel in the body where motor and sensory information travels from the brain to the body. It has white matter that surrounds a central gray matter. The gray matter is where most of the neuronal cells are located. Injury to the spinal cord will affect the conduction of information across any part of the spinal cord where the damage is located (Maynard et al., 1997). This will often result in permanent disability of a certain muscle or region of the body (Meletis et al., 2008) and a loss of tissue where the damage is located (Peng et al., 2009). As of now, there is no treatment for spinal cord injury expect for steroids. All steroids can do is provide protect of the spinal cord from secondary injury for specific patients (Peng et al., 2009).
Skull fractures called a contusion cause a distinct area of swollen brain tissues mixed with broken blood vessels. When a brain is shaken back and forth within the confines of the skull the injury is called a Countertop. This often occurs in a high-speed car accident and in shaken baby syndrome. This type of injury can also cause injury to the nerves and loss of connections among the nerves called shearing. Contusions can lead to fewer connections in the brain.
Cervical strain and sprain are injuries that affect the tissues that connect the bones in the neck (cervical spine). A strain is when muscles or tissues (tendons) that connect muscles to bones stretch or tear. A sprain is when the tissues (ligaments) that connect bones to one another stretch or tear. Cervical strains and sprains usually happen because of "whiplash" injuries. These are injuries caused by a sudden forward and backward whipping movement of the head and neck.
During side impact crashes, cars can potentially flip. Side impact crashes are said to be the most dangerous type of car crash. The rear facing seat is the best option during this type of crash. If the car flips the sides of the seats are better equipped to harness the child in the seat. The seat is able to make pivoting motions because of the attachments to keep the child in a straight line. Keeping them in a straight line reduces the risk of injuries especially in the spinal cord.By having their back straight it won't bend or come close to snapping. A rear facing car seat protects the child by using a 5- point safety harness which is a system of hooks even used for race car drivers, and flight pilots.This allows the child to stay In the seat without them fal...
For the elderly there are a few precautions one can take to reduce the chance of one of these injuries. Staying active and living a healthy lifestyle can go a long way in maintaining bone density and reducing the chances or severity of osteoporosis. Being active does not mean one will not be affected by osteoporosis which is why getting a bone mineral density test is a great idea for the elderly. This test will show how brittle one’s bones are and allow for the patient to plan accordingly. There are medications one can take to influence one’s bone density, calcium supplements help keep bone dense and reduce the chances of fracture of
One of the most common fractures accompanying perimortem trauma is a ‘butterfly fracture’, commonly located on long bones like the fibula (as seen in Figure 1). The analysis of perimortem trauma was also aided by detailed identifying characteristics of fracture-like topographies. Out of 111 perimortem skeletal traumas observed in this study, 38 (34.2%) of them featured these types of characteristics (Moraitis, et al, 2008). Figure 2 details the breakdown of these characteristics.
Your spine is the center of your body. It’s your universe. It connects your head, torso, arms and legs together, and when your spine is compromised, the rest of your body feels it’s effects. Your back pain doesn’t have to come from a sudden injury. While automobile collisions and contact sports cause immediate injuries, a majority of the pain we treat at my clinic is caused by bad habits that have compounded over many years.
Spinal cord injuries can range from minor, meaning the injured will recover, to very severe injuries that can cause significant damage to someone’s body and self-esteem. Approximately 12,000 people per year experience spinal cord injuries in the United States. 50% of all spinal cord injuries occur between the ages of 16 and 30 and 80% of all spinal cord injuries happen to males. The most common accidents that cause spinal cord injuries are motor vehicle accidents followed by falls, violence and then sports. There are two major types of spinal cord injuries, complete spinal cord injury and incomplete spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries can also cause other complications including respiratory, bladder control, skin sensation, circulation problems, muscle tone, sexual health, pain, depression, scoliosis, UTI and spasticity. Complete spinal cord injuries occur when one loses complete feeling and sensation typically resulting in paralysis below the injury. Incomplete spinal cord injuries mean there is still some feeling and movement below the injury site. One can experience different types of incomplete spinal cord injuries including anterior cord syndrome, central cord syndrome, brown-sequard syndrome, nerve cell injuries and spinal contusions. Currently there is no cure for spinal cord injuries. Causes of SCI: