The neck is a vital portion of the body. It supports the head and connects the brain to the central nervous system. It is also essential for the body’s skeletal structure, forming the top of the spinal cord. A neck injury can significantly impact your lifestyle beyond just pain or discomfort. In some cases, a severe neck injury could affect your mobility, life span, and overall quality of life.
Numerous circumstances can cause neck injuries. Motor vehicle accidents, due to the violent forces involved, can also cause neck injuries. A slip and fall at work could also cause a severe neck injury with lifelong neurological symptoms. When you suffer a neck injury, taking the proper steps to protect your long-term health is crucial.
Common Neck Injuries
Accidents can lead to many types of neck injuries, whether you are involved in a car accident, a workplace incident, a slip and fall accident, or a contact sport collision. A neck sprain occurs when there is damage to your neck muscles, tendons, or ligaments.
A spinal cord injury that occurs in the neck area is a cervical spine injury, which is often the most devastating of neck injuries. It is the result of the spinal column being compressed, penetrated, or otherwise damaged.
Whiplash injuries are common in vehicle collisions because a person’s neck gets thrown in different directions with extreme force. You may also experience herniated discs in your neck, which involves the rupture or collapse of intervertebral discs in the cervical spine. In dangerous accidents, a broken neck could lead to paralysis or even death.
Neck and spinal cord injuries are severe, so you must identify them early and seek treatment to address them. Otherwise, you could face complications that damage your quality of life.
Signs and Symptoms of a Serious Neck Injury
Identifying a neck injury as soon as possible is the key to successful recovery. The sooner you are diagnosed with an issue, the sooner your doctor can begin a treatment plan to speed up the healing process. Here are the most common signs of neck injuries.
Neck Pain and Stiffness
Any type of neck pain after an accident could indicate a severe injury. In the immediate aftermath of the accident, you may experience minor neck pain that goes away after a few days. This could be soreness from minor whiplash or muscle damage. However, ongoing neck pain may be a sign of a deeper problem.
Stiffness is also a sign of a severe neck injury. If you struggle to move your head freely in specific directions, there could be torn ligaments, damaged nerves, or spinal cord injuries.
Even severe neck injuries may not manifest pain or stiffness right after the accident, so listen to your body and take action if you develop extreme pain or stiffness in the days and weeks following the accident.
Numbness or Tingling
Since the neck is vital to the structure and nerve system for the rest of the body, damage to this area can be felt in different parts of the body. Often, severe neck injuries will cause numbness or tingling in your extremities, specifically the arms or legs.
A sensation of pins and needles in these areas after an accident may be a sign of neck or spinal cord damage. You should be examined by a medical professional as soon as possible if you experience these symptoms.
Weakness
While pain, tingling, or numbness in the extremities may seem more concerning after your accident, weakness is just as significant to address. Muscle weakness throughout the body could result from a neck injury, especially if there is nerve damage or a cervical fracture.
If you notice your arms and legs grow tired quickly, or you cannot perform the typical activities you are used to, schedule an appointment with your doctor to be examined for a neck injury.
Loss of Bladder or Bowel Control
The brain communicates with all your body’s systems to control their functions. Some systems may fail when this communication is disrupted because of damage to the cervical vertebrae or the nerves they protect. You may lose control of your bladder and bowel movements because of this neck injury.
The above symptoms should be immediate red flags warning you that something is wrong. The problem is serious enough that it may require intervention from orthopedic surgeons to preserve your long-term health. If you experience a loss of bladder or bowel control, even if it is minor, contact your doctor to schedule a physical examination.
Headaches
A bad neck sprain can easily lead to painful headaches. These are often called cervicogenic headaches because they are connected to damage to your upper spine. This headache may start with neck stiffness and pain that moves up the base of the skull toward the head.
In severe cases, these headaches could be accompanied by pain in one eye. A pinched nerve, neck sprain, or strain may cause your headache.
Not all headaches after an accident are signs of neck sprains or pinched nerves. Suppose the headache pain does not disappear after a few days or while using over-the-counter pain relievers. In that case, you should contact your doctor to discuss the possibility of a neck injury.
Difficulty Swallowing
After your accident, you could experience difficulty breathing or swallowing due to a neck injury. There could be damage to the laryngeal area, which includes your trachea and larynx. A slipped disc in the neck may also make it harder to swallow and breathe.
Cervical spinal cord injuries can affect the respiratory system, resulting in changes to muscle function and sensations in the throat and mouth area. Again, difficulty swallowing or breathing is cause for immediate concern and should lead to a trip to the doctor’s office for a physical examination.
When to Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Untreated neck injuries could lead to chronic pain or even physical impairments. You must seek immediate treatment for your neck injury if you experience any of the following symptoms after your accident.
Severe Pain or Discomfort
Minor neck pain or stiff neck muscles are common after an accident and could go away quickly. However, if the pain is severe or your discomfort does not disappear, this may be a sign of a deeper issue. This includes severe pain in your arms or legs or when there is a sudden movement.
Additionally, if pain relievers are not making a difference in your pain management, it could mean your neck injury is severe. If you have severe pain or discomfort after your accident, seek medical attention immediately to get an accurate diagnosis.
Loss of Consciousness
If you lose consciousness at any moment during the accident or afterward, you must be treated by medical professionals. Loss of consciousness may be a symptom of neck fractures or a severe neck strain. It could also be the result of severe brain damage.
Loss of consciousness can signal a concussion. Concussions range from minor injuries to severe ones that can cause brain damage. Some concussions result in brain bleeding. It’s essential to seek medical help to ensure you’re okay.
Difficulty Breathing
Difficulty breathing is a dire medical emergency. If you fail to seek treatment, the problem could worsen, and breathing may become even more challenging or painful. Since difficulty breathing is a common symptom of severe neck injuries, you must seek medical help as quickly as possible.
If the blockage becomes too severe, medical staff will have the training and equipment to ensure you continue receiving oxygen. At the same time, other interventions will be implemented, so it is better to already be under the care of professionals.
Changes in Vision or Hearing
If you experience changes to your vision or hearing, this could result from a cervicogenic headache or neck injury. Slipped discs, damage to soft tissues, and other types of neck damage could require medical care if your vision or hearing are affected. These warning signs should never be ignored, or else you could become permanently disabled.
The Role of Medical Imaging
Whether you end up in the emergency room for severe injuries or plan a trip to the doctor’s for further examination, many tests can be performed to detect neck injuries. One of the most effective scans is magnetic resonance imaging.
In this non-invasive procedure, radio waves and a large magnet are used to create an accurate image of the inside of a person’s body. An MRI after an accident can be instrumental in diagnosing your neck injury and developing a treatment plan.
Identifying Fractures and Dislocations
The skeletal structure can be assessed using an MRI scan. Medical staff can tell from the images if there are fractures, dislocations, or other types of structural damage in your neck. Since they can see an accurate cross-section of the inside of your body, it is easier to see how much damage has occurred to the vertebrae and other bones in the neck.
Detecting Soft Tissue Injuries
Damage to the soft tissues of your neck is hard to detect without an MRI. This scan can determine if there is inflammation, sprains, strains, or herniated discs in your neck. If discovered, these issues could cause numerous symptoms, including chronic pain.
Identifying the root issue with an MRI test will help your doctor form a plan to reduce inflammation, reduce pain, and heal the damage through physical therapy.
The Importance of Legal Representation
If you suffered a neck injury, such as a fracture, sprain, or strain, because of someone else’s negligence, you could benefit from consulting a personal injury lawyer. These injuries can have a devastating impact on your lifestyle and finances.
If the accident is someone else’s fault, you can hold them accountable with a personal injury lawsuit to pursue compensation for legal damages. Legal damages for a neck injury may include medical expenses, therapy bills, lost income, emotional distress, physical pain, and loss of enjoyment of life.
When you work with a Chicago personal injury attorney from our team, we will increase your chances of winning compensation. We will investigate your case, gather compelling evidence, negotiate with insurance companies and defendants for fair compensation, and even represent you in court if necessary.
Secure Expert Legal Counsel!
The team at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers is ready to support your legal compensation claim. A bad neck injury will significantly impact your life, so seeking medical treatment immediately is essential.
You deserve to be compensated for your losses if the damage was caused by someone else. Our team has vast experience with neck injury victims, so we know what it takes to win your claim.
Call us today at 888-424-5757 or complete the online form to request a free consultation with an experienced lawyer. During this review, you can ask questions about your case and determine the best legal path.