Has anyone had anything similar to this before as a result of a car accident?

Question

On 12/26 I was in a minor accident but was fine for 2 1/2 wks. Then I got a bad constant HA. Now I'm at 7 wks of constant migraine & neck/occipital nerve pain. I've tried countless meds all of which have failed to work. I've been seeing a chiropractor who said I have severe whiplash but has not been able to fix the headache. I have been seeing a neurologist & he said my neck muscles have stretched/strained as a result of the accident, which irritated and inflamed my Occipital Nerve. He gave me a Nerve Block, which failed to work. Now we are going to try physical therapy 2 x's/wk for four weeks.

Has anyone had anything similar to this before as a result of a car accident?

As far as the accident itself, it was of no fault of mine. I was the passenger of the vehicle, my husband was the driver. No one was injured, and I did not seek medical treatment. It was not until weeks later was I found to be injured. At this time I am no seeking a lawyer.

Any other Other advice is welcome.

I did ask my Primary Care Doctor to prescribe me some muscle relaxers to help the muscles to relax, so hopefully that will help too. I don't really grind my teeth, but sometimes I do clench my jaw.

Answer 1

This is a common happening of most extreme whiplash. It is always good to seek medical attention if it is an accident that caused your body to move in and unatural way. It will take some time as I have suffered in the past with this and often times still do. I do however find that if I sleep in differant positions that is has had effects on how I feel the next day. Headaches can also be caused by the stress of your neck muscles causing you to grind your teeth at night. It almost seems like you may require some muscle relaxers and or a night gaurd. You would be amazed at what grinding your teeth can do to you!!!!

Answer 2

My wife experienced severe migraines after we were rear ended! It still has not gone away two years later however, she did sustain cervical disc injuries but has not had surgery. She did the physical therapy, chiropractor, nerve blocks, some other form of injections for the muscle spasms! While she has recovered from much of the severe pain in her neck, she still has those migraines. Heard they are very common from various head/neck injuries.
As for the insurance company issue, many injuries don't show up immediately or do show up as minimal expanding to serious with time. You should make sure you file the proper paperwork as the insurance companies have managed to restrict their financial responsibilities with "fine print" and time restrictions for filing! As for an attorney, the laws require "serious injury" which whip lash is not considered. However, check with your states laws and possibly a call to an attorney just for advice might be a wise choice at this time. Medical cost can "bankrupt" someone in no time flat these days! That's why you PAY for insurance!!!!!!

Answer 3

I think you should insist on an MRI if you have not had one already. I try to keep up on the latest research on a condition called Arnold Chiari Syndrome (or Arnold Chiari Malformation) and recently have seen many articles on patients who were diagnosed after having a car accident. In short, the problem was there, but was aggravated by the trauma of the accident. Now, I'm not a doctor, and I don't mean to scare you, it's probably a long shot, but in the cases of these people, the condition only appeared on an MRI, not x-ray or CT-Scan.
A family member of mine suffered for years from debilitating headaches, dizziness, pain & loss of sensation in the arms, and a host of other symptoms that didn't seem related. After years in misery and a dozen doctors, a dedicated doctor ran the right tests, made the right diagnoses and was able to treat the problem. (It was Chiari Malformation.)
Be persistent. Don't be afraid to get a second, third or fourth opinion.

Answer 4

it happened to me one time but didnt feel better till i got 150,000 in the lawsuit