What Your X-Rays Will Not Show After a Car Accident

What Your X-Rays Will Not Show After a Car Accident

A motor vehicle accident (MVA) is typically followed up with a quick trip to the hospital where many patients will end up getting a barrage of imaging such as x-rays or MRIs to assess possible injuries. This initial imaging is perfect for detecting fractures, dislocations, or soft tissue damage but they will not tell you everything. There are some injuries and symptoms you will not be able to see which leaves you worried about why you are in so much pain. Dr. Aaron Workman, a patient favorite at Chambers Medical Group, one of the highest rated car accident medical care providers in Kentucky,  explains how understanding the limitations of this technology can help you understand possible injuries and help you make better decisions with treatment.

What You See:

An injury seems easier to understand if you can see it. Unfortunately, if you have small tears in ligaments, muscles, or tissues, this will not show up on an x-ray. If the tear is small enough it may also be missed on an MRI. If there is a small fracture that is non-displaced, it may be undetectable on x-ray. This is common in the case of ribs, and small bones of the ankle and wrist. These injuries can cause a lot of pain, stiffness, and limited mobility, but it can be difficult to find these on an x-ray. At Chambers Medical Group, part of finding the problem can sometimes mean finding what was missed. This can require more advanced radiology that may be more specific to what the doctor thinks the injury is.

Nerves:

Another large limitation of imaging is the scale of damage to a nerve. Nerves can be stretched, compressed, or irritated following an MVA leading to symptoms like tingling, numbness, or weakness. While an MRI may show a disc that is compressing a nerve, it will not show how much it is being affected. There are other tests that will measure how well a nerve is conducting but that is not typically part of the initial emergency room visit.

Pain Levels:

Pain levels cannot be determined by imaging. You could have two patients with the same injury, same imaging, yet one patient is suffering more pain than the other. MVAs can sometimes cause the body to become hypersensitive to pain signals. Although imaging may look good, this type of pain can severely limit the patient’s quality of life. In these cases, the patient may find themselves with a pain management specialist even though they initially had negative imaging tests.

Functional Issues:

Imaging also struggles to show how a joint or bone is functioning while moving. For instance, someone with whiplash might have a normal cervical x-ray, but their neck may still have reduced range of motion, stiffness, or instability. Injuries such as shoulder or knee sprains may look ok on advanced imaging but feel unstable and painful in particular movements.

Mental Trauma:

Stress, anxiety, and depression are common following an MVA and typically makes everything hurt more. These mental health problems are usually a surprise to most. It is possible that the healing timeline on mental health trauma can be much longer than the physical. For that reason, the mental aspect may also need help through a mental health professional.

While MRIs and X-rays are valuable tools with an immense amount of information, they are not the end all of diagnosis. They provide a glimpse of specific structural damage but not the totality of problems that are leading to pain. It will take time for your body to improve from all the problems that follow an MVA, and the first step is getting more help. If you were involved in an MVA, and have problems that do not match your imaging, then Chambers Medical Group can help.

— This article is written by Aaron Workman, DC, one of the members of Chambers Medical Group’s team of car accident chiropractors who offer a variety of treatments and therapies ranging from diagnostic testing to various soft tissue therapies for car accidents and injuries in Kentucky.

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