What You Need to Know About Taking Inflammatory Steroid Injections After a Car Accident in Denver
If you’re wondering how many inflammatory steroid injections are needed for pain relief after a car accident, it’s important to understand what the bigger treatment picture for accident injuries should look like.
Steroid injections for vehicle injuries are commonly used to reduce swelling, inflammation, and pain following a car accident. You may be wondering if steroid injections can help you if you’re in pain after being injured in a car accident. You may also be wondering how many steroid injections it takes to feel better after an accident. While the answer can only be determined with help from a physician, understanding how steroid injections help to provide relief after car accidents can be important.
Why Are Steroid Injections Given After Car Accidents?
You may have some questions about steroid injections for accident injuries if you’ve only recently heard about this common treatment option for the first time. First, it’s important to know that it’s never “too late” to seek help for pain following an accident. While the wisest thing to do is to seek medical attention right away following any type of accident, it’s possible that your pain and discomfort may not show up for days, weeks, or months following an accident. Getting medical attention as early as possible can help you to keep a record of the progression of your injuries which can be helpful when filing claims. A common treatment option that is offered to people suffering from pain after automobile injuries is an epidural steroid injection (ESI). Steroid injections are especially helpful for reducing inflammation that is causing pain and stiffness in the neck and back.
What Is a Steroid Injection?
Steroid injections are injected into damaged nerve tissue following an accident to help clear out proteins that may be responsible for inflammation that is causing pain and discomfort. They are most commonly used for injuries in the neck, back, arms, and legs. Steroid injections typically consist of a corticosteroid medication paired with a local anesthetic. However, the specific medications used can vary by provider. It’s always important to confirm any allergies with a physician before receiving an injection.
What makes a steroid injection an epidural steroid injection is that it’s done in what physicians refer to as the “epidural space” which consists of a fatty area tucked between the bone and nerve. During an epidural steroid injection, a physician inserts a hollow needle through the skin in a specific injury site. Injections are typically spaced out over a period lasting several weeks to create a cumulative benefit.
Do Epidural Steroid Injections Heal Accident Injuries?
Steroid injections are not considered “cures” for pain. In fact, they do not actually treat accident injuries. The role of a steroid injection is to help you get relief from pain and inflammation following an accident injury. For many people, getting inflammation stemming from an injury under control is the only way they are able to get through the day. However, it’s important to know that steroid injections don’t actually correct the underlying injury that is causing pain, inflammation, and dysfunction.
How Many Steroid Injections Can You Get After a Car Accident?
There’s actually another important reason why steroid injections should not be considered “a complete cure” when healing from injuries caused by a car accident. Doctors actually place a limit on the number of cortisone shots that can be placed in a joint. Typically, doctors recommend against getting steroid injections more frequently than once every six weeks. What’s more, it’s recommended for a patient to avoid getting these shots more than four times a year.
Getting relief using a steroid shot is only intended to get you over a short-term pain hurdle. It’s important to seek proper medical care to help heal the injury caused by an accident. In many cases, this means doing rehabilitative work with a chiropractor, physical therapist, or other types of care provider. Even patients who get immediate relief should consider moving forward with additional treatments to address spinal and musculoskeletal injuries to ensure that they aren’t left with long-term pain and dysfunction without any recourse.
Who Can I Talk to About Steroid Injections for a Car Accident Injury in Denver, Colorado?
Guardian Medical provides support for accident victims seeking steroid injections for pain relief. Our medical doctors oversee your care plan in collaboration with your care providers. While you may be satisfied with the results you’re getting from your chiropractor, physical therapist, or another holistic health provider near Denver, the reality is that insurance companies don’t always give much weight to treatments offered by these professionals. Guardian Medical helps you to document your injuries and care with oversight from a medical doctor to appeal to insurance companies and lawyers. Call 303-222-0363 to book your consultation!
