The Importance of an MRI after a Car Crash

If you’ve been treated medically with a chiropractor, or physical therapy after a car crash, and you just don’t seem to be getting better after about six to eight weeks, that is the opportune time for you to discuss with your medical provider, getting an MRI. Now, you may have been to the ER or another medical provider where you had x-rays or even a CT scan at one point in time where they were negative. What we see often, is that an MRI will actually show injuries that don’t show on an x-ray or a CT scan. And that’s because only the MRI, for instance, with the spine will show the soft tissues as well as the disc space.

The disc space is what we can call, from a lay perspective, the shock absorbers between your vertebrae and your spine. And if those become bulged or herniated, they push out against the nerve structures. And if it’s in your neck, you can have pain down into your shoulder into your hand and in some circumstances, numbness or tingling. That same sensation can happen in your lower spine with pain down into your buttocks, into your leg, and down into your foot. So if you’re having any of those symptoms, or if you’re not getting any better after six to eight weeks, I highly encourage you to have a discussion with your medical provider about getting an MRI.

 If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. We’d be glad to talk to you. There’s no cost to speak with us or any obligation.