Nerve Injuries After a Car Accident: Examined Within 14 Days, Before the Numbness Starts

Each spinal nerve leaves the spine through a small opening between two vertebrae, right next to the disc and the facet joint. When a crash bulges the disc or swells the joint, that opening narrows and the nerve is pinched. In the neck this sends symptoms into the arm and specific fingers; in the low back, into the buttock, thigh, calf, and foot. Which fingers or which part of the foot tells us which level is involved.

Nerves are also stretched directly. A side impact that throws the head away from the shoulder stretches the brachial plexus, the bundle of nerves feeding the arm. Rear-end hits on I-95 and Federal Highway produce the disc-related type; side impacts at intersections produce the stretch type.

Dr. Carol McNamara-Krauss is a Florida-licensed chiropractic physician (DC), license CH5281. The neurological exam maps the problem: sensation is tested in each nerve's territory, strength is graded muscle by muscle, and reflexes are compared side to side. Orthopedic tests that compress or stretch the nerve root reproduce the symptoms and confirm the level. All of it is recorded the same day so the pattern is on paper before it changes.

Nerve symptoms are a standard reason for an MRI referral, because the MRI shows the disc and the opening the nerve passes through. When weakness is present, we refer to a neurologist for nerve conduction testing. Both go through our imaging and specialist referral process.

The goal is to take pressure off the nerve. For disc-related compression in the neck or low back, spinal decompression on the Antalgic-Trac system is the primary tool. The table applies controlled traction that lowers pressure inside the disc and widens the opening the nerve passes through. Class IV laser therapy on the LightForce system reduces the inflammation around the nerve root.

Chiropractic adjustments restore motion to the segments above and below the injured level. Electrical stimulation calms the spasm that narrows the space further. Massage therapy with Dawn Marie Teufel, LMT, addresses muscles along the nerve's path, such as the scalenes and the piriformis. Shockwave is never used on the spine.

Nerve symptoms recover in a predictable order: the pain retreats first, moving back up the limb toward the spine, then the tingling fades, and strength returns last. Weakness that is getting worse is a referral to a specialist, not something to wait out. We re-test sensation, strength, and reflexes at set intervals.

The file holds the initial neurological map by level, the orthopedic tests that reproduced the symptoms, imaging and neurology results, the treatments applied at each visit including decompression settings, and your reported symptoms, in a proprietary case documentation system built in consultation with personal injury attorneys. Narrative reports are available on request and records go out as one PDF. See medical documentation for attorneys.