Nov 19, Neurological symptoms after car accident

by Erica
(Mass)

My car was hit from the side by a huge tractor trailer truck. The truck driver hit my drivers side mirror. My car didn't sustain much damage but I did. I have whiplash diagnosed at the e.r., and less than a week after my accident I started developing weakness in my left hand.

The next morning exactly a week since the accident I could not move my left hand. I saw my nuerologist in Boston later that same day and he has an MRI booked for me tomorrow morning. I am really worried as its been four days and
I still cant move my left hand except for my pinky a little bit. Im worried I will be stuck like this and it will be permanent. I can only use my right hand for daily activities.

Do you think its a disk injury or nerve injury? I know its due to the accident as I have never had these symptoms before. Thanks,
~Erica

Hi there, Michelle here...

First off, I am sorry to hear about your accident, having difficulty moving your hand sounds really scary. You are on the right track. Going to the neurologist and getting an MRI is the first thing to discover how serious your situation is.

I would strongly suggest that you do not jump to conclusions about how serious this is going
to be.

I realize you are experiencing the difficulty of not being able to use your hand, which is very serious. I am not minimizing that. Instead, I just want you to not think of the worst outcome.

You are new in the injury cycle. With serious whiplash it is likely you have a lot of swelling in your neck, which all by itself could cause you serious symptoms.

The MRI will give your doctors a lot of good information to make decisions with.

Moving forward, after your MRI results are in, and you have more information, I would strongly recommend you seek treatment from a Chiropractor who specializes in Atlas Orthogonal treatment.

Sometimes these chiropractors will advertise as Atlas Chiropractors. These doctors are more specialized than then the average chiropractor and will work on the areas of your neck which can be causing nerve pain and other issues in your arm.

The chiropractor will also be able to help you with treatment options if you have issues with a disc. Don't be afraid of seeing a chiropractor. These doctors are extremely skilled and specialize in neck injuries, and they work with
neurologists all the time.

I would also suggest you use a towel around your neck like a scarf while you are home/at work. The bath towel acts as a support, as your head is very heavy, and the weight of your head can put pressure on your neck, which was weakened from the whiplash.

Giving your head some support can help you relieve symptoms a little bit. Ice frequently, your neck both the front of your neck and the back of your neck. Rest. then, Rest some more.

I know you are worried, the tests will give you some good information.

And finally, the amount of damage to your car is not an indication of how injured you were from the crash. It is simply an indication of how damaged your car was... the person inside the vehicle is not made of a steel frame with welded joints, the momentum from an crash frequently goes into the body of the driver/passenger.

This would be a good time to keep a simple journal of your symptoms. Just take a few notes down daily of what you can/cannot do as later on it can be really hard to remember these symptoms.

And finally, I think in your case you may want to talk to an attorney... there are many reasons for this, and actually one of the reasons is the severity of your symptoms, and the small damage to your car. From the medical side, this is very common we see it all the time.

However, some insurance companies can be very difficult. Take a moment, if you have not already, and fill out the form on the site,let an attorney look at your case here. It is always free. Just a thought.

The above page will also have home remedies for pain relief.

You can write back in the comment section, I would like to hear how the MRI goes - if you have time...

Best Regards, M.