How can a neurologist help you after a Bucks County accident?
Nerve damage is a common result of auto accidents in the Philadelphia area. Learn how a neurologist can help you recover from nerve injuries.
Nerve damage can result from several common Bucks County auto accident injuries, like herniated discs, whiplash, and even as a side effect of necessary surgical procedures. If you’ve experienced nerve damage due to an auto accident in the Philadelphia area, experienced Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer Michael L. Saile, Jr. provides helpful information on the types of treatment neurologists provide and how they may help heal your accident injuries.
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What is Nerve Damage?
Nerve damage is a condition that can cause pain all over your body. The source of the pain can usually be found in the spinal area, since that is where nerves originate and connect to the spinal cord. Nerves then travel throughout your body, carrying signals to all of your body parts. One of the most common types of nerve damage is radiculopathy, or pinched nerve. Common symptoms of a pinched nerve are weakness, numbness, or tingling and prickling, especially in your extremities.
Following a Bucks County auto accident, it is not uncommon to be left with a back or neck injury, due to the strong, traumatic forces which can compress your spine in abnormal ways. Back and neck injuries are one of the leading causes of radiculopathies that result from auto accidents in the Philadelphia area. Specific injuries associated with nerve damage include carpal tunnel syndrome, herniated or bulging discs, whiplash, and other injuries to the vertebrae.
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What do neurologists do?
A neurologist specializes in the treatment of injuries to the nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. Neurologists treat conditions such as headaches, stroke, seizures, head trauma, and radiculopathy. Your family doctor may refer you to a neurologist following a Bucks County auto accident, especially if you sustained a head or spinal injury, including nerve damage.
To diagnose the extent of your nerve damage, a neurologist will likely use several diagnostic tests, including CAT scans, MRIs, ultrasounds, EEGs and EMGs. These tests allow neurologists a better view of the spine, neck and other specific areas. In most instances, a neurologist will try to avoid surgery and may prescribe physical therapy and pain medication. Recovery will also depend on treatment of the underlying condition. In the case of spinal injuries sustained in Bucks County auto accidents, physical therapy is often used to regain range of motion and reduce pressure to the nerve. If pain remains, surgery may be necessary.
If you’ve been injured in a Bucks County auto accident, contact the PA personal injury attorneys at Cordisco & Saile LLC now. We are located in lower Bucks County and offer a FREE consultation to help you make the injury claim decisions that are right for you. Download our PA Car Accident Book for even more FREE information.
