It’s imperative to see a doctor as soon as possible after a car accident. Some injuries are not visible right away, but a doctor will be able to diagnose and treat them accordingly.
Your GP or the emergency unit doctors will make sure to recommend the proper investigations, but sometimes it’s up to you to request certain tests that might not be suggested at first, due to long waiting times or lack of insurance coverage.
Here are the three most common medical investigations you might consider if you’ve been injured in a car crash.
X-Ray
What Is It?
The most common use for X-Rays in medicine is to identify bone fractures. X-Rays are electromagnetic waves that penetrate soft tissue but don’t go through bone. They provide an image of your skeletal structures, showing fissures, fractures or dislocation.
What Is It Recommended for?
X-Rays will be most probably the first investigation that will be done in an emergency unit. It is meant to detect any bone fractures or other injuries to bone tissue, joints or skull.
CT Scan
What Is It?
A CT scan is performed when the suspected injuries might go beyond just the bone. A CT scanner is a medical device where the patient is laying down and is pushed through a circular scanner. This ensures that there are electromagnetic rays coming from all directions, giving the doctors detailed images of the patient’s insides. The images often appear as “slices” of the human body.
What Is It Recommended for?
A CT scan can detect traumatic brain injuries, internal organs ruptures, soft tissue and blood vessels injuries, tumors, etc. A CT scan will pick up injuries that will go undetected in an X-Ray exam.
MRI
What Is It?
The most complex exam of the three is the MRI scan. It’s not often recommended to car accident patients as their injuries are usually detected with the prior two methods. But, in some cases, certain body parts can be affected in such a way that a diagnosis becomes difficult. An MRI scan is crucial in determining the source of the problem and the right treatment they should take.
What Is It Recommended for?
Most often used when there’s a suspicion of TBI (traumatic brain injury) in a car accident victim, the MRI will be able to show more about the nature of the injury and how the brain was affected. Another diagnosis possible through an MRI scan is related to spinal injuries.
How Can a Car Accident Attorney Help?
If you believe you need extra investigations and your doctors seem reluctant to do them because of administrative issues like insurance coverage, your attorney can advocate for you and demand a more comprehensive evaluation of your injuries. Your St. Louis car accident attorney will ensure your legal right to compensation is protected.