Can Car Accidents Trigger Pre-Existing Conditions?

A car accident happens in a single moment, but your medical history can affect the way it impacts your overall health. People with pre-existing conditions can be especially vulnerable if they are involved in a car accident and are often left with worsened conditions and lasting symptoms.

Learn how car accidents can trigger preexisting conditions from our accident care team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills.

What is a Pre-Existing Condition?

There is a lot of talk about pre-existing conditions in health insurance, but what exactly does it mean? Well, typically it refers to any injury, illness, or condition that you had prior to an accident.

Note: All pre-existing conditions might not be something that you were aware of at the time of the accident. A hidden disorder that causes only mild symptoms can still affect your body’s vulnerability in an accident.

Sometimes, it is only when a patient goes in for a post-accident medical examination and tests like X-rays or MRIs that pre-existing conditions are discovered.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions That Can be Aggravated by a Car Accident

There are certain injuries and illnesses that can be particularly susceptible to being made worse by the trauma and stress of an accident, including:

• Concussions or traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Brittle bones: medical conditions like osteoporosis and osteogenesis imperfecta can make people more vulnerable to fractures in an accident. A person with brittle bones is also more vulnerable to damage to internal organs or spinal cord injuries.
• Fibromyalgia: this is a debilitating condition that causes pain throughout the body. It is not clear where it comes from, but car accidents can trigger its onset, or cause pre-existing fibromyalgia to become worse.
• Degenerative conditions: Conditions like degenerative disc disease or arthritis can be aggravated by the force of the crash, leading to severe symptoms and chronic pain.

Treatment for Injuries That Were Aggravated After an Accident

If you have been in an accident and have found that your pre-existing condition has been aggravated, there are several treatment options available to you at Impact Medical Zephyrhills.

These include:

Chiropractic Care

Healing is one thing, recovering is another. At Impact Medical Zephyrhills, we know how to relieve the pain caused by an injury with chiropractic adjustments to help you get back to normal daily life.

Chiropractic therapies include:

• Spinal manipulation and traction
• Manual and soft tissue therapy
• Ice and heat therapy
• Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation

Manual

Along with our physical therapy and chiropractic services, we also offer manual therapy, which often helps car accident patients recover more quickly.

Manual:

• Improves circulation.
• Breaks down scar tissue.
• Lengthens muscle tissue to aid in the healing process.

Physical Therapy

Our physical therapists will design a physical therapy program with the goal of strengthening the muscles around an injury, to alleviate the pain and pressure from the injury itself. Your physical therapist will also incorporate manual or heat therapy to maximize healing.

Pain Management

Interventional pain management uses several methods to reduce pain and improve a patient’s quality of life. These treatments are minimally invasive and are used by patients who may have tried other pain management therapies that haven’t been successful.

After Accident Pain Relief

If you have been in an accident and have pain resulting from the aggravation of a preexisting condition, our accident care team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills is here to help! From chiropractic care and physical therapy to interventional pain management, we will design a tailored treatment plan just for you.

Get ready to heal and move forward with Impact Medical Zephyrhills! Call (813) 706-5156 to schedule an appointment today!