Motor Vehicle Accident Care

What it means

Injuries from a car crash are not always obvious on the day. Neck pain, back pain and headaches can appear or worsen over the following days. This topic collects our coverage of car accident injuries and recovery.

Symptoms and warning signs

• Neck pain and stiffness that often appear or worsen 24–72 hours after a crash (whiplash)
• Headaches starting at the base of the skull
• Low back or buttock pain, sometimes from the sacroiliac joints
• Pain, tingling or numbness spreading into an arm or leg, which can mean a nerve root is irritated
• Dizziness, trouble concentrating, poor sleep or irritability after the collision
• Call 911 or seek emergency care for loss of consciousness, confusion, severe headache, new weakness or numbness, severe neck pain, chest or abdominal pain, or difficulty breathing

Causes and risk factors

• Whiplash — the head is thrown backward and forward, straining the muscles, ligaments, discs and small joints of the neck; it happens even in low-speed rear-end collisions
• Facet joint injury in the neck or lower back
• Disc herniation pressing on a nerve root
• Strain of the lumbar muscles and sacroiliac joints
• Post-traumatic headache, and less commonly complex regional pain syndrome after trauma
• Pain is often masked at first by adrenaline, and inflammation builds over the following days

Conditions in this group

As listed by SEVA Healthcare on its motor vehicle accident care page.

• Whiplash and cervical strain
• Cervical facet joint pain
• Disc herniation and radiculopathy
• Lumbar strain and SI joint pain
• Post-traumatic headache
• CRPS and complex regional pain
• Peripheral nerve injury

How clinicians evaluate it

After a crash, a clinician examines the neck, back and nerves and decides whether imaging is needed. Keeping a record of symptoms from the day of the accident helps both care and any insurance claim.

Treatments SEVA Healthcare lists

Copied from the official page. Listing a treatment does not mean it suits every patient or is available at every clinic — a doctor decides after an evaluation.

• Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)
• Transforaminal Epidural Steroid Injection
• Medial Branch Block & Facet Joint Injection
• Occipital Nerve Block
• Sacroiliac (SI) Joint Injection & RFA
• Stellate Ganglion & Sympathetic Blocks
• Peripheral Nerve Stimulation (PNS)
• Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS)

How SEVA Healthcare treats motor vehicle accident care

Everyday self-management

General education, not a plan for you. Check with your clinician before changing activity or medicines.

• Get checked after a crash even if you feel fine — some injuries declare themselves days later, and early records help both care and any insurance claim
• For most whiplash, staying gently active and returning to normal movement is recommended over prolonged use of a collar
• Note your symptoms from day one, including sleep and concentration, and keep copies of imaging and reports
• Heat, cold and over-the-counter pain relief, used as directed, help with early soreness
• Ask for a specialist assessment if pain persists beyond a few weeks or spreads into a limb; pain that lasts beyond six to twelve weeks has a higher chance of becoming long-lasting

Questions to discuss with a clinician

• Do I need imaging now, and what would change if we found something?
• Which of my symptoms are expected after whiplash, and which need further tests?
• What should I do and avoid in the first weeks?
• If my pain does not settle, what are the next steps and when would we consider them?
• What documentation will I need for my insurer or attorney, and can your office help with it?