After a car accident, you should seek medical attention right away, even if you’re not presently in pain and are just experiencing what you may think is a rush of adrenaline from the crash. The pain and discomfort from the car accident may present itself a few days, weeks, or months after the accident, but having a record of your injury progression after the accident will help you if you plan to pursue a personal injury claim. During consultations with your medical professional, they may recommend a variety of treatments depending on your injury, especially where physical therapy has left you with residual continuing pain complaints. One option may be an epidural steroid injection (ESI) to help reduce the inflammation and pain in your spine or neck. Being knowledgeable about this injection, and what to expect during the process may help relieve some anxiety about getting this type of treatment.
What are epidural steroid injections?
An epidural steroid injection (ESI) is a minimally invasive medical procedure that can help relieve neck, arm, back, and leg pain that can occur after a car accident. The injection supplies medicines to the epidural space – a fat-filled area between the bone and the spinal nerves – to flush away the proteins that cause swelling. This can be performed in a doctor’s office or medical center.
What can someone expect during the process?
To perform the epidural steroid injection procedure, your doctor will insert a hollow needle through the skin and between the bony vertebrae into the epidural space. Watching the needle in real-time on an x-ray monitor, your doctor can ensure that the needle goes to the desired location. For a neck injury, the needle is inserted from the side of the neck to deliver the steroid medication where the inflamed nerve root exits the spine. For a lower back injury, a lumbar ESI is performed, with the entry site slightly off midline of the back to reach the inflamed nerve root.
When should you use these injections; before or after your case settles?
Waiting until after your case settles could result in a lower evaluation of your claim by the insurance company based on arguments that you don’t really intend on undergoing the procedure and recommended care. Therefore, you should not delay getting epidural steroid injections for painful injuries sustained in a car accident. Most importantly, following through with this procedure, based on the doctor’s recommendations, could provide substantial temporary relief.
If this treatment works, your attorney can assess your long-term treatment needs and ultimate prognosis. This can help the attorney communicate additional value in your case through identifying future treatment costs as part of your case. This will ensure that you are fully compensated for your injuries. Herniated discs and spinal cord injuries can cause inflamed spinal nerves resulting in severe pain that can be alleviated through epidural steroid injections. This treatment works, its minimally invasive, and it can help in your recovery.
Contact Whalen Injury Lawyers
Whalen Injury Lawyers is proud to be one of America’s Top 100 Attorneys, 5280 Top Attorneys in Colorado, Top 100 Trial Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. If you have been involved in a car accident and suffered injury requiring epidural steroid injections, contact our firm of experienced personal injury lawyers in Denver and Colorado Springs for proper legal representation. We have successfully represented many car accident victims over the years, securing millions of dollars in personal injury case settlements. Our personal injury attorneys are not afraid to take on the large insurance companies on your behalf to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation confidential consultation to discuss all your legal options.
You can reach our Denver attorneys at (720) 307-2666. Our offices are located in the Denver Tech Center at 7955 East Arapahoe Court, Suite 2375, Centennial, CO 80112, and our Colorado Springs office can be found in the Alamo Corporate Center, conveniently located at 102 S. Tejon Street, Suite 1100, (719) 644-7000. We look forward to working with you.