Urgent Care for Car Accident in Rockville, MD

Whiplash is a non-technical, non-medical term used to describe a number of neck injuries. Although whiplash can be caused by a number of things, it’s most commonly associated with car accidents and it occurs when the impact of a crash causes your head to snap forward and then back.

The first step in determining whether you have whiplash is to examine your symptoms. Common signs of a whiplash injury include:

• Neck pain
• Stiffness on the neck and shoulders
• Headaches
• Dizziness and fatigue
• Blurred vision and/or difficulty concentrating
• Ringing in the ears
• Pain when moving your head

The injury is considered more serious if more areas of the body are involved. For example, if you feel pain or numbness in your arms or shoulders, this indicates a more serious problem than if you only feel discomfort in your neck.

If our providers suspect a fracture, dislocation, or soft tissue injury, they might recommend x-rays or an MRI to evaluate the extent of the damage.

In most cases, whiplash is treated through rest and the application of ice/heat. You might need to wear a soft cervical collar as well. In certain cases, your provider might recommend that you see a specialist to assist you with manual therapy such as myofascial release or chiropractic adjustment.

Depending on the type of car accident you were involved in, you might also experience mid or lower-back pain. This is different from whiplash, which affects the upper part of your back and shoulders.

Back pain due to a car accident can be short-term, mostly caused by the sudden jolt or force of the impact. Short-term pain is often connected to a muscle injury. Back pain can also be chronic, which often occurs when the spine or tissues surrounding the spine are damaged. Left untreated, pain can lower your quality of life and lead to other problems in the future.

Our providers will evaluate the reason for your back pain through a series of x-rays, ultrasound imaging, computerized tomography (CT), or an MRI scan, depending on the location and the type of pain you’re experiencing.

Treatment for back pain depends on the type of injury you sustained but can include medication, osteopathic manipulation techniques, chiropractic care, spinal stimulation, bioelectric therapy, and more.

Soft tissue injuries are injuries to the nerves, tendons and ligaments. Sometimes the muscles are also injured during a car accident.

These types of injuries can vary from mild sprains and strains to micro-tears of the fibers of the muscle and tendons. Whiplash is a form of soft-tissue injury, but you can also injure your back, shoulders, and even arms during a car accident.

Soft tissue damage is hard to diagnose because it sometimes doesn’t show in x-rays or other machinery. At our clinic, we look not only at the results of tests but also at your symptoms and levels of pain and discomfort to diagnose a soft tissue injury and help you find the best treatment option for it.

Don’t delay – get motor vehicle accident care as soon as possible to prevent health complications in the future. We serve patients from Rockville MD, Travilah MD, Lone Oak MD, Colesville Park MD, Redland MD, Darnestown MD, Anscroft MD, and Wheaton-Glenmont MD.