Concussions and Non-musculoskeletal Injuries Following Baltimore Auto Accidents

Concussions and Non-Musculoskeletal Injuries Following Baltimore Auto Accidents

As a Baltimore Chiropractor that spends the majority of my time treating patients that have been injured in Baltimore auto accidents, I spend a lot of time diagnosing and treating traditional whiplash symptoms including headaches, neck pain, mid back pain, and lower back pain. One set of injuries that often go overlooked following Baltimore auto accidents is concussions and their symptoms.

Contrary to popular belief you do not need to have struck your head on an object in the vehicle (i.e. head hitting a head rest following rear-end collision) nor do you have to have lost consciousness in order to have a concussion. All you need is there to be contact with your brain and the inside of your skull. You can think of a concussion as a “brain bruise” and depending on where your brain impacts your skull there can be many different symptoms associated with a concussion.

There are several different type of concussive symptoms and rarely are two concussions the same in the same person. In no particular order here is a list of concussion symptoms:

• Headaches/head pressure
• Mental “foggy” feeling
• Amnesia- Trouble remembering the impact
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Ringing in the ears
• Nausea
• Vomitting
• Slurred Speech
• Sleeping too much or too little compared to normal
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Decreased appetite
• Anxiety
• Personality changes- people may say that you “don’t seem like yourself.”
• Apathy/Lack of Interest in joyful activities
• and many more

The difficult thing about concussions is diagnosing them. That is, there is no blood test for concussion. The best people to talk to about whether or not there have been behavioral changes that may indicate a concussion are the patient’s family and friends. That is, they knew the injured party when they were behaving normally and they know them now. This can help you understand any changes that may have taken place.

Due to the difficulty in diagnosing concussions conclusively, I routinely refer my suspected concussion patients out to a neurologist for evaluation. These neurologists can run a series of examinations, confirm or deny my suspicions, and even run T3 brain MRIs to confirm physical evidence of concussion.

Following a Baltimore auto accident it is easy to pay attention to physical injuries. Anything that can be “seen” as a physical injury and can be understood by most people. Concussive head injuries are difficult in that you can not see them in the person. If you have suffered a concussion as a result of a Baltimore auto accident injury do not simply neglect to tell your treating providers about your condition. Your very recovery may depend on it.

If you, or someone you know, has suffered from a Baltimore auto accident injury and has suffered a concussion please contact Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic at (443) 842-5500. We would be happy to help!

Dr. Gulitz