Auto Accident Back Pain: Treatment and Relief
Your risk of chronic low back pain more than doubles after an auto accident injury. Getting treatment shortly after an accident does more than relieve your pain; it also lowers the risk of it turning into a long-lasting problem.
Our Florida Pain Medicine team specializes in advanced treatments that ease back pain when conventional therapies don’t help.
Our expertise in interventional and regenerative medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and neurosurgery will put you on the road to recovery.
Back injuries after an auto accident
The impact of an auto accident immediately forces your body into motion. You stop moving when you encounter a seat belt, window, steering wheel, the seat in front of you, or an airbag.
The resulting spinal movement stresses the tissues, leading to lower back injuries and pain. Auto accidents often pull and tear the soft tissues. However, the sudden acceleration and deceleration can damage spinal discs, joints, and nerves.
Back injuries that may occur following an auto accident include:
- Muscle strains
- Ligament sprains
- Herniated discs
- Slipped discs
- Spinal stenosis
- Pinched or torn nerves
- Muscle knots (trigger points)
- Muscle spasms
- Slipped vertebrae (spondylolisthesis)
- Compression fracture
- Spinal fracture
Your back pain may begin immediately or develop gradually over several days. You may also experience tingling and burning sensations if you have a pinched nerve. These sensations may stay in your lower back or radiate down one or both legs.
Other symptoms accompanying the pain include stiffness, limited movement, difficulty standing or walking, and local tenderness.