• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Request an Appointment
  • Patient Portal
  • Bill Pay
Advanced Orthopedic Center
  • Port Charlotte Office: (941) 629-6262
  • Punta Gorda Office: (941) 639-6699
  • Home
  • About
  • Meet the Team
    • Physicians
    • Allied Health Professionals
    • Leadership
  • Services
    • General Orthopedics
    • Sports Medicine
    • Total and Partial Joint Replacement
    • Spine Surgery
    • Hand & Upper Extremity
    • Foot & Ankle
    • Interventional Pain Management
    • Trauma
  • On-Site Facilities
  • Patient Resources
  • Video Library
  • Physician Referral Form
  • Contact Us

Common Spine Injuries Following an Accident

October 28, 2021

Elderly man sitting on a medical desk pointing to his spinal injury.

Being involved in an accident, especially ones that cause trauma to your back makes you vulnerable to spinal injury. If you suspect that you have sustained an injury to the spinal column, have yourself checked immediately. Any damage to your spine is cause for concern. If left untreated, spinal damage can lead to more severe complications and become irreversible.

Here are some of the most common spine injuries people sustain from serious accidents:

Whiplash

Whiplash is an injury that you get from the sudden, forceful, and rapid backward and forward movement of your neck. The movement is usually caused by abrupt acceleration and deceleration. It also happens in rear-end collisions, or when a vehicle crashes to the one in front of it. Here are some symptoms of whiplash injury:

  • Neck, shoulder, and back pain
  • Stiffness in the neck
  • Pain when moving the neck
  • Headache and dizziness
  • Fatigue
  • Muscle spasms
  • Memory and concentration problems

In some instances, people have also experienced other symptoms like blurred vision, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, and irritability. Symptoms may occur immediately after the accident. But sometimes, they may develop after a few days.

Herniated Disks

Your spine begins below your skull and runs down to your tailbone. Individual bones called vertebrae are stacked together to form the entire length of the spine. In between the vertebrae are rubbery cushions called disks. When those disks rupture or slip due to a blow to your back, you get a herniated disk.

Herniated disks usually occur in the lower region of the spine, but they can also affect the neck area. Sometimes, they can irritate nearby nerves and cause numbness, pain, or weakness in your arms or legs. Some other symptoms include:

  • Sporadic or continuous back pain
  • Muscle weakness
  • Pain around in the location of the herniated disks are
  • Decreased reflexes
  • Disruptions in bladder or bowel functions

Spinal Fractures

Trauma from serious accidents may cause the vertebrae to break. This condition is called a spinal fracture, and it has different types.

The first type is a compression fracture where the front of your vertebrae crumples or collapses from trauma. It causes the spinal column to bend forward, resulting in a hunched posture. This type of fracture comes with severe back pain.

The second, more dangerous type of fracture is called a burst fracture. It’s where severe trauma causes the entire vertebra to break or get crushed. The bone fragments may then cause damage to surrounding tissue, particularly the spinal cord.

A burst fracture may result in pain, instability of your spinal column, or damage to your spinal cord. This traumatic spinal injury requires immediate medical attention.

Spinal Cord Injury

Your spinal cord is a bundle of nerves responsible for relaying messages from the brain to the rest of your body. It runs through the hollow center of the entire spinal column.

Even though it’s protected by the spine, trauma to the vertebrae may cause damage to the nerves. Usually, broken bones cause further injury to the spinal cord. And in some rare cases, the spinal cord may be completely severed.

Depending on the location and severity of the injury to the spinal cord, different parts of your body may be affected. Any damage to it may include the following effects:

  • Loss of sensation
  • Inability to move body parts
  • Bladder and bowel dysfunction
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Exaggerated reflexes
  • Muscle spasms
  • Severe pain

Spinal cord injury may also cause paralysis, referred to as:

  • Quadriplegia: affects the arms, legs, and pelvic organs
  • Paraplegia: affects the entire lower body below the waist

The extent of the injury to the spinal cord determines the severity of the paralysis. Complete spinal injury means that there is a total loss of sensation and movement below the damaged area. Meanwhile, an incomplete injury means that there’s still some sensation and movement below the spinal cord injury.

Spine Care Specialists in Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, FL

Do not take any spinal injuries lightly. They shouldn’t be left unchecked. If you’ve ever had a serious accident, contact a healthcare provider as soon as you can. You may want to consider visiting a clinic, especially if you feel any symptoms associated with spinal injuries.

At Advanced Orthopedic Center, we are prepared to provide comprehensive care for your spinal injury. Our team of experienced doctors can help you with diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Aside from our expert orthopedic physicians who’ll take care of your spinal injury, we also have skilled pain management practitioners to help you tackle your pain. Our interventional pain management techniques ensure that you’ll be able to return to your normal activities as soon as possible.

If you want to learn more about the services we offer, you may call us at (941) 629-6262. And if you would like to schedule a consultation, you may use our safe online appointment request form.

We look forward to serving you!

Filed Under: Orthopedic Injuries Tagged With: orthopedic doctors near me, orthopedic doctors Port Charlotte FL, orthopedic doctors Punta Gorda FL, orthopedic injury treatment near me, orthopedic injury treatment Port Charlotte FL, Spine Care Specialists in Port Charlotte FL, Spine Care Specialists in Punta Gorda FL, Spine Care Specialists near me, spine injury treatment in Port Charlotte FL, spine injury treatment in Punta Gorda FL, spine injury treatment near me

Primary Sidebar

October 2021
M T W T F S S
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
25262728293031
« Sep   Nov »

Categories

  • Bone and Joint
  • Foot and Ankle
  • General
  • Interventional Pain Management
  • Join replacement surgeon
  • Knee Replacement
  • MAKOplasty
  • Orthopedic Doctor
  • Orthopedic Injuries
  • Shoulder Replacement Surgery
  • Spinal Cord
  • Sports Injuries

Tags

Advanced Orthopedic Center best orthopedic doctor near me Bone and Joint Care Bone and Joint Care near me Interventional Pain Management Interventional Pain Management near me Interventional Pain Management Port Charlotte FL interventional pain management specialist interventional pain management specialist near me interventional pain management specialist Port Charlotte FL interventional pain medicine interventional pain medicine near me knee replacement surgeon in southwest FL knee replacement surgery near me makoplasty robotic surgery in Port Charlotte FL makoplasty robotic surgery in Punta Gorda FL makoplasty robotic surgery near me minimally invasive joint replacement in Port Charlotte FL minimally invasive joint replacement in Punta Gorda FL minimally invasive joint replacement near me orthopedic doctor near me orthopedic doctor Port Charlotte FL orthopedic doctor Punta Gorda FL orthopedic doctors near me orthopedic doctors Port Charlotte FL orthopedic doctors Punta Gorda FL orthopedic injury treatment near me orthopedic injury treatment Port Charlotte FL orthopedic surgeon in Port Charlotte FL Orthopedic Surgeon in Punta Gorda orthopedic surgeon in Punta Gorda FL orthopedic surgeon near me Orthopedic Surgeons In Port Charlotte FL Orthopedic Surgeons In Punta Gorda FL Orthopedic Surgeons Near Me Orthopedic Surgeons Near You partial knee replacement near me plantar fasciitis treatment in Port Charlotte FL reverse shoulder replacement in Charlotte FL reverse shoulder replacement near me shoulder pain treatment in Charlotte FL shoulder pain treatment near me shoulder replacement near me sports medicine treatment in Charlotte FL sports medicine treatment near me

Footer

testimonials

Testimonials

"Dr. Greenberg is an excellent medical person with great knowledge and understanding of the people he is treating. What a pleasure!”

-Port Charlotte office patient

"Dr. Connors is a great doctor and surgeon. He makes you feel like you are special and can ask him anything."

-Port Charlotte patient

"Dr. Stchur is terrific!! He answers all your questions and listens to your concerns. His office is extremely efficient so getting an appointment is not an issue. I would highly recommend him!"

"He is knowledgeable, patient, caring and professional. Dr. Gebauer listens to his patients and takes the time to explain things. I give him an A++++!"

-Madelene S.

"Best experience I’ve had at a Dr’s office. Very knowledgeable and explains everything to you until you understand what’s happening."

-Port Charlotte patient

"Best ever…Suffered for a long time. Dr. James knew just what to do. Has me walking again. Thank you, Dr. James!"

-Port Charlotte patient

"Dr. Mlnarik is an absolute genius and closest to perfect doctor/surgeon that a patient could ever need!! His skills are second to no body and his bedside manner is extremely good."

-Port Charlotte patient

"Excellent Doc. Gave me several options for treatment after I get an MRI. Did not feel pressured at all. I appreciate him accepting my opinions. So glad he is now part of Advanced Orthopedics!"

"I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Spence and his staff, from the moment I walked in I felt very comfortable, they were all very professional, prompt and very kind. I would highly recommend Dr. Spence!"

-Punta Gorda patient

Previous Next

Testimonials

"Excellent Doc. Gave me several options for treatment after I get an MRI. Did not feel pressured at all. I appreciate him accepting my opinions. So glad he is now part of Advanced Orthopedics!"

Read More

Patient Education

Our patient education library features more than 200 award-winning articles with images, videos, and tons of helpful information.

Learn More

Patient Education
  • About
  • Meet the Team
  • Services
  • On-Site Facilities
  • News
  • Blog
  • Patient Resources
  • Video Library
  • Physician Referral Form
  • Careers

1641 Tamiami Trail, Suite 1
Port Charlotte, FL 33948

350 Mary Street
Punta Gorda, FL 33950

Winner - Best of Charlotte 2020
Finalist - Best of Charlotte 2021

Good Faith Estimate | Accessibility Statement | Nondiscrimination Policy | HIPAA Policy | Sitemap

facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter LinkedIn

Copyright © 2023 · Advanced Orthopedic Center · All Rights Reserved

iHealthspot Medical Website Design and Medical Marketing by iHealthSpot.com

At Advance Orthopedic center, we offer diagnostic services & treatment for orthopedic Service - General Orthopedic, Sports Medicine, Total Joint Replacement Surgery, Spine Surgery, Hand & Upper extremity Treatment, Foot & Ankle , Trauma & Interventional Pain Management.