Car accidents are a common problem, especially those resulting in injury. In 2019 alone, 4.5 million Americans required medical care for injuries sustained in motor-vehicle crashes. And, unfortunately, even minor fender benders can lead to physical damage. That’s because they can cause your body to move in sudden, snapping, or jarring movements that put pressure on bones, muscles, organs, and connective tissues.
The most common car accident injuries include:
These injuries can also become chronic problems and seriously impact your daily life.
At Advanced Pain Management Center in Portland, Oregon, also serving the surrounding areas of Aloha, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Tigart & Lake Oswego, Vladimir Fiks, MD, specializes in auto accident injury evaluation and treatment. In this blog, Dr. Fiks explains how he and his team can help you if you get hurt in a car accident.
Every car accident is different. Similarly, every person is different. As a result, anyone in an auto accident needs a personalized assessment to look for signs of damage, even if symptoms don’t occur immediately.
As a pain management specialist, Dr. Fiks performs a comprehensive physical exam and discusses your injury to look for signs of a problem. Depending on your symptoms and accident, he might also order digital imaging, such as X-rays or MRIs. These diagnostic tools can help identify numerous injuries, such as:
After diagnosing the extent of your injuries, Dr. Fiks can outline a personalized treatment strategy tailored to your needs.
Dr. Fiks often relies on three different strategies for treating injuries sustained in car accidents: physical therapy, interventional pain management, and medication.
Physical therapy (PT) is essential when recovering from an injury. These personalized programs involve exercises, stretching, and strength training activities, all of which are designed to restore health and function to your body and prevent additional damage.
In addition to physical exercises, your PT program could also include other modalities, such as massage, heat, or laser therapy. All of these treatments can help support and promote the healing process.
Most PT programs begin with supervision but also have activities you perform on your own at home.
Interventional pain management treatments often involve targeted injections, such as spinal injections or regenerative therapies. These therapies work by delivering therapeutic benefits directly at the source of pain.
For example, with a medial branch nerve block, Dr. Fiks injects anesthetic into the small nerves that are connected to the joints in your vertebrae to relieve pain. Regenerative therapies, on the other hand, help activate the healing process to repair damage.
Dr. Fiks uses interventional pain management techniques as both a diagnostic tool and a treatment.
Depending on your symptoms, Dr. Fiks could also include medications in your treatment strategy. This could help address a wide array of problems — from muscle spasms and pain to insomnia — as he works to diagnose and treat your injury. Therefore, because medications can be helpful, Dr. Fiks often uses them in combination with physical therapy and interventional pain management methods.
Have you been in a car accident? Dr. Fiks can help. To learn more, call 503-405-8718 or book an appointment online with Advanced Pain Management Center today.
