Numbness or Weakness After a Wreck: Why Emergency Care Comes First

Quick answer: Numbness or tingling that spreads down an arm or leg, weakness and difficulty walking are all on MedlinePlus’s list of spinal cord injury symptoms, and a car accident is one of the causes it names. After a wreck in Decatur or anywhere else, those signs mean emergency care first: call 911 for an injury to the neck or spine, particularly with loss of feeling or inability to move. A chiropractor’s office is not where you start.

Why are these symptoms taken so seriously?

MedlinePlus explains that the spinal cord contains the nerves that carry messages between your brain and the rest of your body, and it passes through your neck and back. A spinal cord injury is very serious because it can cause permanent loss of movement, function and sensation below the site of the injury.

Traumatic injury to the face, neck, head, chest or back is one of the causes it lists, and it gives a car accident as the example. Falls and sports injuries are on the list too.

What symptoms does MedlinePlus list?

Symptoms of a spinal cord injury may include any of these:

• Head that is in an unusual position
• Numbness or tingling that spreads down an arm or leg
• Weakness
• Difficulty walking
• Paralysis of the arms or legs
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Shock, with pale, clammy skin, bluish lips and fingernails, or acting dazed or semiconscious
• Lack of alertness
• Stiff neck, headache or neck pain

Notice the last one. A stiff neck or a headache can have other causes, which is why it helps to look at the whole list rather than one symptom. If several apply, or if you are unsure, get emergency help.

What should you do, and what should you avoid?

If you think someone at the scene has a spinal injury, MedlinePlus is specific:

Do	Do not
Call the local emergency number, such as 911	Move the person unless it is absolutely necessary, such as a burning car or helping them breathe
Keep the person completely still and safe until medical help arrives	Let the person get up and walk
Hold the head and neck in the position in which they were found	Try to straighten the neck, or let it bend or twist
Check breathing and circulation if the person is not alert or responding	Bend, twist or lift the person’s head or body
If needed, do CPR with chest compressions only	Do rescue breathing or change the position of the neck
If you must roll the person because of vomiting, choking on blood or to check breathing, have someone help and keep the head, neck and back in line	Roll the person over for any other reason

These steps are from MedlinePlus’s first aid section. Read its full page if you want them in its own words.

What if the numbness started a day or two later?

Take it just as seriously. Some symptoms after a car accident develop hours or days later, not at the scene. Numbness or altered sensation in the hands, arms, legs or feet may indicate nerve involvement or another condition requiring medical evaluation. These symptoms should not be ignored, particularly when they are new, worsening or accompanied by weakness.

MedlinePlus’s emergency room page says to go to an emergency department or call 911 for dizziness or weakness that does not go away, or for severe pain anywhere on the body. It says to call 911 if you are suddenly not able to speak, see, walk or move, or suddenly weak or drooping on one side of the body.

What about bladder or bowel problems?

MedlinePlus lists loss of bladder or bowel control among spinal cord injury symptoms. This office’s own warning to accident patients says the same thing in a different way: severe pain, significant trauma, progressive weakness, loss of consciousness, new bowel or bladder dysfunction, or other serious symptoms require urgent medical evaluation. Back pain with trouble urinating is also on the National Institutes of Health’s list of reasons to see a doctor, as covered in back pain after an accident.

Where does a chiropractor fit in?

After emergency causes have been ruled out, and only if the exam supports it. Not every injury is appropriate for chiropractic treatment, and chiropractic care may be appropriate for certain injuries only after serious conditions have been ruled out.

What a careful exam can do is look for neurological findings that may require further medical attention. At Total Health & Injury Specialist, the exam may include deep tendon reflex testing, motor function testing to assess muscle strength and movement, and sensory function testing to evaluate sensation and possible neurological changes.

Pain extending into the legs or feet may involve muscles, joints or neurological structures, and pain in the arms or hands may be associated with the neck and surrounding nerves. Exam findings help determine whether conservative care or further medical assessment is appropriate. If they point beyond the office’s scope of practice, the office helps guide you toward appropriate medical evaluation, and treatment may be deferred or modified. See how a first visit works.

What if you are still numb after starting care?

Tell the office right away if numbness is new, worse or joined by weakness. Don’t wait for your next appointment. If you are not showing improvement within four weeks, the approach here includes a referral for an MRI when clinically appropriate, and urgent symptoms or concerning findings may call for imaging or referral sooner. Dr. Jackson reviews MRI findings with you and refers you to a medical specialist when necessary.

What should you tell whoever examines you?

Whoever sees you first, tell them plainly that you were in a crash, even if it was days ago. It helps to have this written down:

• The date of the crash and how the impact felt
• Exactly where the numbness or weakness is, and whether it is spreading
• The day each symptom started
• Any change in bladder or bowel control
• Any care you have already had

Why see Dr. Jackson after a wreck in Decatur?

Because the exam comes before any treatment, and because you get the findings during the same visit. If Dr. Jackson finds something that needs another doctor, the office helps guide you there. “She sent emails and phone calls on my behalf to different doctors and my lawyer when I had concerns,” wrote 504girll in a Google review.

Once emergency causes are ruled out, meet Dr. Jackson or see the Decatur office’s hours and directions. Call (404) 734-9740 or contact the office.