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If you’ve recently survived a car accident, chances are you’re searching for a personal injury doctor who can help you with pain medication management in San Antonio. Before scheduling an appointment, here’s what you need to know.
Common Car Accident Injuries
Car accidents can cause a variety of soft tissues injuries, such as whiplash, strained ligaments, herniated disc, and spondylolisthesis.
Whiplash. Occurs when the head abruptly moves forwards or backwards, causing the neck to hyper extend.
Strained Ligaments. Caused by the sudden amount of stress your body experiences during a car accident. The ligaments, or the bands of tissues that connect bones, can stretch or tear.
Herniated Disc. Occurs when a soft disc between the bones in the spinal vertebrae is dislocated.
Spondylolisthesis. Occurs when a bone in the spinal vertebrae is dislocated.
Types of Pain
Depending on the severity of the car accident, injuries can cause either immediate or delayed pain. At first, you may not have a need to see a doctor, but if symptoms emerge days or even weeks after an accident, you’ll need to schedule an appointment right away. Doing so will not only help treat pain, but also help prevent further injury.
Pain management doctors can treat pain affecting the head, neck, shoulders, spine, chest, and arms and legs.
What to Expect During Pain Management
During an appointment with a personal injury doctor for pain medication management in San Antonio, the physician will evaluate your symptoms, order the necessary diagnostic tests, and outline potential treatment options. Depending on the results of the diagnostic exams, patients may require the following pain management treatment:
- Pain medication
- Physical therapy to improve strength, flexibility, and range of motion
- Massage therapy to relieve muscle pain and improve blood circulation
- Neck or back braces to support healing of soft tissue
- Spinal corticosteroid injections for pain management
- Exercise and lifestyle management to support treatment
Patients may be prescribed the following medications:
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDs). NSAIDs, such as Aleve (naproxen) or Motrin (ibuprofen), are effective in treating pain caused by some muscle conditions, such as muscle strains/injury and myofascial pain syndrome.
Muscle Relaxants. Muscle relaxers like Flexeril (cyclobenzaprine) and Zanaflex (tizanidine) can help ease the pain caused by an acute muscle injury.
Antidepressants. Tricyclic antidepressants, such as Elavil (amitriptyline), are sometimes prescribed for the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome, fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome. Other antidepressants, such as the serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor Cymbalta (duloxetine), can help treat myofascial pain syndrome or fibromyalgia, especially if a patient cannot tolerate or does not get any benefit from a tricyclic antidepressant.
Corticosteroids. Corticosteroids (also called steroids) are used to treat many inflammatory conditions, such as polymyalgia rheumatica, and inflammatory myopathies.
Keep in mind, steroids (e.g. prednisone) can cause serious side effects if taken for prolonged periods of time.
If you’re experiencing pain after a car accident, call My Doctor Sam to schedule an appointment with a personal injury doctor for pain medication management in San Antonio. We are here to give you the care and treatment you need to live a pain-free life.
