The Medical Tests You Need to Go Through After a Car Accident
About 13 car crash incidents occur in the U.S. every minute. They cost the U.S. economy billions in dollars yearly: $474 billion in 2020 alone. They also injure millions, with 4.8 million people sustaining severe injuries in 2021.
Even more concerning is that some car crash injuries aren’t immediately apparent. They may not exhibit visible signs or symptoms instantly. This makes them more dangerous, as they can give patients a false sense of health.
That’s why you should never delay seeing a doctor after a crash.
So what tests are done after a car accident, then? What do they look for, and how much do they cost?
Keep reading as we’ve answered those questions in detail below.
What Tests Are Done After a Car Accident?
The first is a physical exam, wherein you, the patient, tell the doctor about the accident. You should describe how the crash happened as detailed as possible. You should also tell the medical professional about visible injuries, signs, and symptoms.
Your examining doctor should record all pertinent details you share. You can also expect them to monitor your vital signs and perform visual and physical checks.
Your doctor will also observe your behavior and your responses to their questions. They’ll look for irregularities indicating possible psychological trauma or brain injuries.
Depending on the physical exam’s results, doctors may recommend imaging tests. These often include X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. The more severe the results and the crash, the greater the need for these other tests.
What Do X-Rays Reveal?
An X-ray is a type of radiation known as electromagnetic waves. It’s a diagnostic scan that creates black-and-white images of the inside of the body.
Depending on the incident’s severity, you may need to undergo several X-rays after a crash. These tests can help determine if you have the following car accident injuries.
Fractures
Adults have 206 to 213 bones, and one or more can break or fracture in a car crash. The force of a vehicle collision can be enough to crack or even snap bones into two or more pieces.
Some of the most common bones that can fracture in a car accident include:
- Cervical (neck) bones
- Lumbar (back) bones
- Thoracic (chest) bones
- Clavicle (collarbone)
- Facial bones
- Cranial (skull) bones
If you have a broken bone, the break will appear as a dark area amidst the white image of the affected bone in an X-ray. The image may also show broken bone fragments in white.
Your risks of sustaining bone fractures are higher if you’re a woman, older than 50, or have a bone disease. The latter include osteopenia and osteoporosis. Osteopenia affects nearly half of U.S. adults aged 50 or older, while osteoporosis is present in over 12%.
Joint Dislocations
A joint dislocation is when a bone moves out of place from its connecting joint. It can occur in a car crash that forces a person into an unnatural position. Typical areas of dislocations following a collision are the shoulders, elbows, and wrists.
Joint dislocations appear on X-rays as misaligned bones.
Internal Injuries
Car accidents can injure internal organs like the lungs, spleen, and liver. X-rays can sometimes reveal or raise suspicion of such injuries. For example, a chest X-ray can tell your doctor if you have a lung injury that a rib fracture may have caused.
What Do Computerized Tomography (CT) Scans Show?
CT scans take X-ray images of different body parts at various angles. They’re faster than standard X-rays because they also use computer processing. They also show more detailed information on the bones, soft tissues, and blood vessels.
A doctor may recommend a CT scan instead of an X-ray if you’ve been in a severe crash. A CT scan is a faster, more accurate way to tell if you have fractures or internal bleeding.
What About Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Tests?
Like standard X-rays and CT scans, MRIs also create images of the inside of the body. The chief difference is that the first two use electromagnetic rays; MRIs use radio waves.
MRIs provide a more detailed look into the body than CT scans. They take clearer, better images of bones, nerves, soft tissues, and organs.
MRIs are best for diagnosing traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). While some TBIs are temporary, severe cases can cause long-term symptoms, even death. Indeed, about 190 TBI-related fatalities occur in the U.S. daily, based on 2021 figures.
MRIs can also show spinal injuries that X-rays and CT scans often can’t. These include bulging or herniated discs and pinched nerves. These can cause severe pain, weakness, tingling, and numbness throughout the body.
How Much Do These Tests Cost?
In the United States, standard or plain X-rays can cost between $100 to $1,000, with CT scans on the upper end. Specialized X-rays can cost $20,000 or more. MRIs are more expensive than typical X-rays, ranging from $1,200 to $4,000.
Those prices are just for the exams, though. They don’t include the cost of the actual car accident treatment.
Your treatment may involve medications, surgery, hospitalization, and rehabilitation. It may also require seeing a therapist for psychological trauma. Since your treatment may prevent you from going to work, you’ll likely lose wages, too.
All that can lead to thousands, even hundreds of thousands, in car accident recovery costs.
You can recoup those costs with the help of a local car accident attorney. For example, if you were in a crash in Greenville, S.C., talk to a Greenville personal injury lawyer. You can get an initial consultation for free and learn how much your case is worth.
Never Delay Undergoing These Tests
Now that you know what tests are done after a car accident, please undergo them ASAP if you ever get involved in a crash. They can help detect internal injuries that may cause long-term pain and suffering. They may even be the key to saving your life, such as in the case of a severe TBI.
All that makes such tests integral to your recovery, so please never put them off.
For more related reading, check out our guide on the ten things you must do after a motor vehicle crash!
