Motorcycle Accident

How Total Vitality Medical Group Can Help After a Motorcycle Crash

The medical staff from Total Vitality Medical Group recognize that the initial moments following a motorcycle collision are frightening. It is different than an accident in which the person is in an automobile. The motorcycle rider is much more exposed than a person who is operating a car or a passenger in that car. To put it in simple terms, if you are on a motorcycle, there is no windshield or metal and plastic car body that will protect you from the impact of the collision. This means that, regardless of the type of accident on a motorcycle, you as the motorcycle rider will feel the impact.

The reality that a person operating a motorcycle will hit something in a collision means that it is not surprising that the risk of injury is greatly increased. It is, however, surprising to some people the severity of injuries that tend to emanate from a motorcycle collision. There is still the potential for life-altering injuries to arise when an accident appears to be somewhat minor.

Few people consider that choosing to ride a motorcycle regularly can exact a toll on your body. The use of a motorcycle can cause soft tissue damage or get your spine out of alignment.

Our Total Vitality Medical Group chiropractors and additional medical staff never fail to be amazed by how a minor issue could end up being so much worse for a motorcycle rider. Thankfully, proper and expedient care can help.

Common Motorcycle Collision Injuries and How We Can Help

The list of expected injuries after a motorcycle crash include skin abrasions, facial and jaw fractures, traumatic brain injury, broken bones, misalignment, neck and back injuries and biker’s arm. Injuries can range from minor to life-altering.

Misalignment of the Pelvis: The pelvis is composed of the pubic joint in the front and two sacroiliac joints on the back. The sacroiliac joints work to connect your pelvis to your spine. The pelvis also connects a number of different muscles, including the pelvic floor and hip.

When your hip sustains a crash-related impact or the impact causes you to fall on your hip, the hip or pelvis may suffer misalignment. Pelvic misalignment is one of the top causes of excruciating back pain.

To realign your pelvis, it is possible to introduce a course of physical therapy that is directed by a physical therapist from Total Vitality Medical Group. The components of the physical therapy program will include:

• Directed stretching of tight and overactive muscles
• A plan to strengthen or activate weak and inhibited muscles
• Exercises to train your brain to be aware of proper positioning of the pelvis.

In addition to physical therapy, the Total Vitality Medical Group chiropractors use chiropractic manipulative therapy to readjust the alignment of the pelvis.

There are some unstable pelvic injuries which will require surgical intervention at our surgical center to correct and ensure that a patient does no suffer ongoing pain. The Total Vitality Medical Group physician who is handling your treatment can and will explain the potential outcome if surgery is recommended but declined. One such potential result is a painful non-union in which a pelvic fracture does not heal. The fracture can also heal on its own in a displaced manner, the result of which is often chronic pain. The only way to realistically minimize pain in the future is a surgical procedure to properly align the fractured bones of the pelvis at the Total Vitality Medical Group surgical center.

Whiplash: This neck injury occurs when there is a back and forth motion that is forceful, much like when a whip is cracked. It occurs when there is a sudden stop at the moment of impact in a motorcycle collision. The symptoms can include:

• Pain
• Tingling
• Stiffness
• Limited range of motion.

The injury to soft tissue wherein the muscles and tendons that encompass the neck are stretched or potentially torn. This condition can be painful, but the prognosis is good for anyone who makes the decision to seek treatment to help treat the injury.

Physical therapy conducted by the physical therapists from Total Vitality Medical Group allows a motorcycle crash victim to recover from whiplash within a few weeks of the injury. Physical therapy will typically only work if there is no structural damage and the initial treatment will include:

• Soft-tissue massage
• Cold treatments
• Therapeutic ultrasound
• Electrical stimulation for pain control.

The chiropractic professionals from Total Vitality Medical Group treat whiplash with a gentle adjustment that realigns the neck, at-home stretching exercises can help loosen muscles, and restore your range of motion.

The physicians from Total Vitality Medical Group rarely see a case in which whiplash requires surgery. However, persistent neck and shoulder pain can signal the need for an additional in-house consultation.

Neck Injuries: In addition to whiplash, the victim in a motorcycle crash can suffer spinal misalignment or fracture to the vertebrae in the neck from side impact. When you think you have sustained a fracture in the neck, you should seek medical attention right away, as a neck fracture is a medical emergency.

The chiropractors in our office can help you recover and restore the range of motion after emergency care is administered when a neck fracture occurs.

It is possible that our medical directors will work with the medical staff responsible for developing your post-accident care. The treatment team will determine if, in addition to chiropractic care or as a standalone course of treatment, whether physical therapy is advisable. When the pain of a neck injury is treated using physical therapy, the primary focus is to improve the flexibility and strength of the neck. The common types of physical therapy include:

• Neck stretches
• Core and back strengthening
• Core body strength exercise
• Aquatic exercise.

Neck surgery is usually the final treatment option considered for pain from a motorcycle neck injury and considered when other approaches fail.

Back Injuries: The spine and all the muscles that surround it are prone to injury when there is a motorcycle accident. The common injuries include:

• Fractures
• Herniated discs
• Spinal misalignment
• Soft tissue damage.

As was mentioned with neck injuries, a fracture of the spine is considered a medical emergency requiring immediate medical care and potential surgery.

The medical professionals on our staff can provide treatment for slipped discs, herniated discs, and spinal misalignments. Treatment can include:

• Intersegmental traction
• Chiropractic manipulative therapy
• Massage therapy
• Hydromassage

Leg and Foot Injuries: Extremity injuries, particularly to the feet and legs, occur frequently in motorcycle collisions. Expected injures include:

• Sprains
• Strains
• Road Rash
• Bone fractures.

The structure of the foot is complex.  The job of the foot is to provide balance, support, and the ability to start movement for our extremities. This means that to properly treat a motorcycle foot or leg injury with physical therapy, it is necessary to work with professionals from different specialties within Total Vital Medical Group. Our medical director will help build a protocol that works through each system up the kinetic chain of foot, knee, and hip.

The professionals on our medical staff will use this plan to heal soft tissues injuries through the application of techniques like massage therapy, hydromassage, and at-home exercises to improve range of motion.

Rider’s Arm: This injury occurs when a motorcycle rider draws his or her hand in front of them to attempt to minimize impact when falling. The act of pulling the hand back in this manner can result in hand, wrist, shoulder, and arm injuries. Damage can occur to the:

• Bones
• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Muscles
• Nerves

Total Vitality Medical Group can help motorcycle accident victims heal from soft tissue injures, misalignment and minimized range of motion.