Car accidents are all too common today. Even a small fender bender can cause significant damage to your vehicle—and your body. A common after-effect of a car accident is post-traumatic arthritis, a type of osteoarthritis. According to some reports, car accidents account for as much as 12% of all osteoarthritis in the knee, ankle, and hip. Learn what to do if you are suffering from joint pain after a car accident.
What is post-traumatic osteoarthritis?
To understand what post-traumatic osteoarthritis is, it’s important to first understand how cartilage protects your joints. In many ways, cartilage lubricates your joints and helps your bones slide past each other without rubbing together. When this cartilage wears off, the condition is called osteoarthritis.
According to Cleveland Clinic, post-traumatic arthritis is a type of osteoarthritis that’s caused by an injury like a bone fracture or dislocation. Unlike osteoarthritis that is caused by normal wear and tear over time, the damage after an injury creates arthritis quickly in the affected joint.
Signs and symptoms of post-traumatic osteoarthritis
Post-traumatic arthritis usually affects joints of the spine, hips, knees, and hands, but can also impact the wrist, shoulder, and elbow. Symptoms typically include:
- Joint pain that worsens over time
- Stiffness or swelling in the joint
- Grinding sensation in the joint
- Impacted range of motion in the joint
It’s important to note, seeking medical help from professionals like the providers at Maragal Medical as soon as you notice problems can greatly enhance your recovery. Early intervention can slow the progression of post-traumatic osteoarthritis. Plus, if the car accident wasn’t your fault, you may be able to seek reimbursement for the cost of treating your osteoarthritis with proper documentation from a medical provider. You can usually be diagnosed based on the description of your symptoms, and if needed, additional diagnostics such as X-rays or MRIs can confirm your diagnosis.
How to treat post-traumatic osteoarthritis
While some doctors will immediately prescribe medication or rush you into surgery, those aren’t the only two options when it comes to treating post-traumatic osteoarthritis. At Maragal Medical, we’ve had success helping patients who have suffered from joint pain after a car accident in many ways, including:
- Physical therapy
- Regenerative medicine injections
- Joint injections
- Trigger point injections
- Chiropractic care
In addition, we offer state-of-the-art Hunova technology in our office. By delivering treatments such as joint injections in combination with Hunova, you can experience better results, faster.
Check out this video to learn more about the services we offer that can help you recover from joint pain.
Get relief from post-traumatic joint pain
If you’ve been in a car accident and are now suffering from increased joint pain, swelling, or stiffness, you have options. As an integrated practice, Maragal Medical combines multiple disciplines under one roof, giving you truly holistic care. If you want to avoid pain medications and surgery and invest in a treatment plan that will relieve your joint pain and make you stronger and more functional, we can help. Contact the team at Maragal Medical today and let’s get started.