by Torquil

Created on: November 29, 2008   Last Updated: December 09, 2008

The dangers of speed and force in a car accident are significant on the body, which, though flexible, is not designed to resist direct and indirect impact. Just as the infrastructure of the vehicle can sustain significant damage in a crash, so can the human infrastructure, the core of which is the back and associated anatomy.

Three major risk areas are the back, spinal cord and the shoulders. The back and shoulders form the main parts of the musculoskeletal system on which everything else rests. Within the spine, and protected by it, is the major nervous "information highway" known as the spinal cord. When any of these areas sustain damage, the result can have potentially major effects on the whole body system. For clear pictures of the muscular, skeletal and associated systems there are online resources such as Human Anatomy Online and similar websites.

When a car accident happens, the body generally sustains damage from the excessive forces of the impact. What are the symptoms?

Back

Back injury usually occurs when the spine is either bent unnaturally or from the impact of an object moving against it. This can lead to damage to the vertebrae, which are bones that make up the spine, the attached muscles or the intervertebral discs (the disc-shaped cartilage pads between each vertebra). Bending of the spine can place significant pressure on the intervertebral discs and common results from this are ruptured disk or bulging disk injuries. Additional injuries can rise if the muscles attached to the spine are pulled pr if the vertebrae are damaged. The most common symptom for these injuries is pain. Stiffness and difficulty in movement can occur.

Shoulders

The shoulders are made up of bones such as the scapulae, which are attached to the spine and major muscles such as the trapezius which runs across the top of the back. At the top of the arms are the rotator cuffs, which contain sets of muscles that control shoulder movement. Impact injuries to the spine can travel up and affect the shoulders and neck. Sometimes crash victims feel significant pain in the shoulder area and muscle weakness can result. In general muscles can be pulled and even torn during an accident. Common injuries are sprains, rotator cuff injuries, dislocated shoulders. Some of these injuries may require "keyhole" surgery (arthroscopy).

Spinal Cord

Spinal cord injury occurs through damage to the spine which reaches the spinal cord nerves inside it. The spinal cord is the major group of nerves that is used by the brain to deliver signals to the rest of the body. Damage to this can lead to major or minor effects known as complete or incomplete injuries. A complete injury will result in total absence of function (no sensation and no movement) below the point of the injury. Incomplete injuries lead to various effects, such as being able to feel a limb but not move it or to move a limb but not feel it completely. Sometimes there is a minor loss of sensation. Other effects can include dysfunction of the bowel or bladder, sexual problems and problems with blood pressure. Injuries near the top of the spine can lead to loss of involuntary functions such as breathing.

The most important thing to know is that many of the effects of a car accident can be treated through physiotherapy and sometimes surgery. Immediately after an accident the victim may not experience pain or immediate problems due to the high amounts of adrenaline generated during the accident. It is therefore extremely important to obtain a medical examination as soon as possible afterwards.

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