Neck injury / Whiplash symptoms

Sean Grant85 said:What? They’re actually claiming that the Sancov collar isn't covered by insurance? Give me a break. I just found one guy who... $27 Over on Fifth Avenue near the Orthopedics clinic—finally getting something done. At least it’s a start.

I honestly can’t believe you didn't take that personally—it's wild. Seriously.

Give me the inside scoop. A clerk told me there’s a way to get reimbursed by insurance later on, but I’m lost on the process. Apparently—if what I was told is true—I have to file the claims myself.

Sean Grant85 said:Help me out here—can someone let me in on the secret? The clerk told me there’s a way to get reimbursed by insurance later, but she didn't explain how. All I was told was that I have to file the claim myself.

Aha! It just clicked. I think the coverage for these kinds of things is mostly for kids under 18. If you have a minor in the family, have them see their pediatrician to get a referral for Orthopedics. Then, take that referral to the specialist and ask them to issue the device under that person's name. Once you're done, just head to the social services office with that person's insurance card to get it approved. That's really it. I actually did this myself to get some orthopedic inserts—I used my younger brother's referral and it went through without any issues at all. Give it a shot.😉

Perhaps I can give it a shot—though I have my doubts about how smoothly it'll actually go. Regardless, thanks for the help.

Sean Grant85 said:Maybe I'll give it a shot—but honestly, I'm not sure if it’ll actually work out. Thanks for the help, though.

Just go for it. You've got nothing to lose.😉

It’s not just for kids under 18, you know!
If you go to a trauma center on a specialist's recommendation—like an orthopedic surgeon, for instance—you can definitely get it covered for free.
So, now I'm wondering, Golden, where exactly were you getting your checkups? Who even told you to use Sancov, and who on earth said you had to pay out of pocket for it yourself...😕 I mean, I honestly have no clue.

This isn't about me—it’s for a close friend of mine who was in a car accident. His doctor on shift told him he'd need to pick up his own Sancov collar. He's 31—no younger siblings under 18 to worry about—so he's just brushing it off like it's $27 nothing. Don't worry. If we were talking about $200-$100, I might suggest a different approach, but $27 is peanuts... thanks again, everyone.

PS. The exam took place at St. Jude's in New York City.

Hi everyone, I’m new here. I have a problem and I’m at a loss—so I’ll explain in detail because I honestly don't know what to do next.

Here is the situation. On December 18th, while I was walking home from work in a crosswalk, a car struck both me and a colleague. The driver didn't see us at all—it was dark and raining—and hit us at full speed. I was on the outside, closer to the lane, so I took the brunt of it. I took a massive hit to my shins, slammed against the hood, cracked the windshield with my head, was thrown several feet, and landed on my back—hitting my head against the asphalt a second time. Once the shock wore off, I scrambled up and made it to the ER and the police. At the ER, they processed us for maybe half an hour, but nobody actually performed a thorough exam—since there was no bleeding and I could move normally, they just basically guessed I was fine. They took photos of my head, neck, and shins, but they didn't scan my spine! The diagnosis: Contusio capitis; Contusio cruris bilat. They ordered rest, painkillers, and compresses; they didn't even give me a neck brace. The next day (Friday), I went into a state of total paralysis—pain between my shoulder blades and in my neck—so I headed back to the ER (since my occupational physician only works until noon). A neurologist "examined" me (just the finger and eye test), prescribed Normabel, and sent me home. Everything is fine, she said. Since things settled down over the weekend, my occupational doctor didn't refer me anywhere else—he told me everything looked great, I got lucky, and I just needed to rest. Fine, I thought—I'm just glad to be alive, why bother making a scene? Two weeks later, he tells me we’re closing my medical leave. I tell him I need therapy because I still have this nagging pain between my shoulder blades; he reluctantly agrees and refers me to a physiatrist. He’s surprised they didn't scan my spine, but instead of ordering more tests, he just diagnoses me with Post contusionem capitis and thoracic vertebrae issues and prescribes physical therapy (10 sessions). He asks if my arms hurt—which they didn't at the time—so the exam ended there. In the meantime, I saw a neurologist twice more; everything was supposedly "okay," but again, no actual diagnostic imaging was done. Then, as soon as I tried getting out of bed—everyone saying I was doing fine—I started doing some light housework and sitting at a reception event, I felt a sudden shift, and by January 2nd, the pain in my arms became so excruciating I thought I was losing my mind. At night, I wake up with cramps—I don't even know what kind—and sharp, shooting pains from my neck/shoulder area down to my elbow. I’m popping painkillers like crazy; I take Normabel every single night and I'm still hurting. It calmed down slightly yesterday, so I went to the doctor today. Having learned my lesson, I didn't tell him it had improved; I demanded a referral to a specialist. He claims this is all normal—that these "sensations" are just due to my cervical spine injury and that therapy should fix it. I’m about to lose it; I don't know what to do.
Should I just blindly trust them, or should I seek a diagnosis at a private clinic? And if so, which one?
I don't want to panic and imagine I have something worse, but I know you don't mess around with your spine.🤷
By the way, my neurologist suggested I might consult a psychiatrist regarding the stress reaction, but today my occupational doctor told me I'm too young for that and that I'll get over it on my own.👍

Please, I need advice or any suggestions at all.

I wiped out on my bike a few days ago, and now the back of my neck on the right side is killing me. By the next day, that pain spread down into my neck, right shoulder, and even lower into my back. I’m not dealing with headaches or dizziness or anything like that—just constant, manageable pain and really limited range of motion. My GP just handed me some Voltaren and said we’d see how it goes if the pain persists. Is it actually normal that she didn't even bother sending me for any diagnostic tests? Has anyone else dealt with this?

I'll try to keep this brief:

1. Got rear-ended in my car.

2. X-rays of my cervical spine didn't show anything.

3. Then, after feeling all weak, I ended up getting a CT scan of my head and neck.
The diagnosis was S13 bulging in three spots—nothing too crazy, I guess.

4. My Doppler showed asymmetric vertebral artery flow—elevated at 45 on the left and 55 on the right.

Everything is mostly fine until my neck starts tightening up and I get this wave of weakness. It feels like I’m actually going to pass out, followed by the shakes and turning pale—probably just fear, honestly.

5. Since it’s been four months since the accident, I’m wondering what I should do about this weakness whenever my neck muscles start seizing up.

6. There are times when I go a whole week without any symptoms, but then I'll drive, and once I hit a corner and the car starts doing its usual "shaking and rattling" thing, the tightness comes right back.

And yeah, I'm genuinely worried I might actually collapse...

Any advice, tips, or personal experiences would be appreciated.

Mark Martin14 said:I'll try to keep this brief:

1. I got rear-ended while driving my car.

2. My neck X-rays didn't show anything out of the ordinary.

3. After feeling some weakness, I ended up getting a CT scan of my head and neck.
The diagnosis was S13 bulging in three spots (so, nothing too crazy, I guess)

4. During the Doppler, they found asymmetric vertebral artery flow—it's elevated at 45 on the left and 55 on the right.

5. Everything feels mostly fine until my neck starts tightening up and I get this wave of weakness; it’s like I’m about to pass out, followed by the shakes and turning pale—probably just from the anxiety of it all.

6. Since it’s been four months since the accident, I'm wondering what I should do about this weakness that hits whenever my neck muscles tighten up.

7. There are times when I won't feel any symptoms for a week, but then after, say, a long drive where I'm bracing through turns and dealing with the general "bumpy ride" of the car, those tightening sensations come crawling back.

And honestly, I'm terrified I might actually collapse...

Any advice, pointers, or similar experiences would be really appreciated...

Could this S13 be referring to C3?

-Does the neck tightness hit you out of nowhere, or does it build up gradually and get worse? Does it stop on its own after a bit, or do you have to do something specific to make it go away—what exactly works?
-Is it just tightness, or is there actual pain involved? If so, what kind of pain are we talking about—dull, sharp, stabbing, constant? How long does it last, what makes it worse, what helps, and does it wake you up at night?
-Do your arms ever go numb (or just one arm) during those periods of tightness?
-How's the dizziness—are you feeling unsteady on your feet, or does it feel more like the room is spinning?
-What are your blood pressure readings like? Do you check your BP and pulse when the tightness kicks in—what kind of numbers are you seeing?
-What kind of treatment plan have your doctors suggested so far?

Based on how you're describing it, you might be a good candidate for some targeted medical massage from someone properly trained, maybe paired with plenty of local NSAIDs (like using Luboreta during the session, or Voltaren afterward) for at least 5 to 10 days. It could also make sense to look into a low dose of a muscle relaxant for about 2 or 3 weeks (something like Normabel, maybe 2-4mg morning and night, adjusting based on how well it works and if you hit any side effects).
Of course, you'd need to run all of this by your doctor first, since they're the ones who actually know your full clinical picture and medical history.

The diagnosis is S13—basically a dislocation, some kind of strain or subluxation of the cervical joints and ligaments... something along those lines.

-It just happens spontaneously, I guess. It creeps up on you slowly and then fades away just as slowly. Sometimes it helps if I lie down and try to properly reset my neck, but even then, it doesn't just stop; it lingers for about an hour before things settle down. So, yeah, I’m trying to avoid straining my neck as much as possible when this stuff hits.

-The sensation is more of a tightness rather than actual pain, though there's this weird weakness accompanying it. Occasionally, if I touch the left or right side of my neck, I'll feel a slight twinge of pain, but honestly, the pain isn't what worries me—it's that feeling of weakness coming from the tension. In 90% of cases, there's no pain at all. I woke up once in the middle of the night because of it, but generally, it just makes it hard to fall asleep.

-I started checking my blood pressure a few days ago during these episodes, and it's always fine. Even when I went to the ER, the doctor told me my pressure was totally normal.

-As for treatment, I haven't started anything yet because the American healthcare system is moving at a snail's pace. The routine has been: see the neurologist—everything seemed okay there, but they wanted a CT and a physical therapist. Then I go to the physical therapist, and they want a CT and a Doppler scan. I finally got those done, so now I’m heading back to the physical therapist with the results, and eventually back to the neurologist for an EMG. I just want to get some kind of treatment plan moving as soon as possible.

Based on what you're describing, you might be a candidate for targeted medical massage performed by someone properly trained, paired with plenty of local NSAIDs (like applying Luboreta during the massage, or using Voltaren afterward) for at least 5-10 days. It could also make sense to look into low-dose muscle relaxants for about 2-3 weeks (for example, Normabel 2-4mg morning and night, adjusting the dose based on how well it works and any side effects).
Of course, all of this should only be done after consulting with your attending physician, since they actually have the full picture of your clinical status and medical records.

Do you guys have any other advice now that I've answered everything? Feel free to DM me if that's easier... I really just need someone to point me in the right direction...

Thanks for the help and for taking the time to reply.

Oh, and I've felt some mild tingling in my right arm a few times—just brief, random instances.

No dizziness, just weakness and that general feeling of being wiped out...

You should definitely mention those recurring tremors in your right hand to the doctors you're seeing, especially the neurologist and the physiatrist.
For now, I don't have anything specific to add to the treatment guidelines we already talked about.
At the end of the day, any real adjustments or tweaks can only come from actual physicians who have the full picture; I'm just making educated guesses based on what you've told me.
Otherwise, your primary care doctor could handle most of the stuff we discussed—or at least they could prescribe the medication side of things, which isn't anything out of the ordinary. Go see them, let them know how much this is messing with your day-to-day life, and I'm pretty sure they'll do whatever they can within their scope.
Keep me posted on how it goes 😉

I'm wondering if it's actually normal to still be dealing with these kinds of symptoms even after four months have passed?

Is there any kind of self-care stuff out there that actually works?

The fallout from a whiplash injury can be a total wildcard depending on how hard you actually got hit. It’s one of those things where it might just flare up once in a while, but other times it sticks around for good, stays constant, or—and this is the part nobody wants to hear—actually gets worse over time.
You really shouldn't be playing doctor with yourself here; you need an actual physician to give you some self-care advice after they've actually looked you over. What helps one person could easily make things a whole lot worse for someone else.

Hey,

I just went in for another round of testing:

EMG results:

findings:

- mild chronic neural lesion in the C5 and C6 myotomes bilaterally, plus C7 on the right side

- moderate lesion in the left C7 myotome

- moderate-to-severe lesion in the C8 and T1 myotomes bilaterally

Can someone break this down for me? Like, what am I actually looking at here? What’s the move after getting news like this—what should I be doing next? How bad is this really, and is there any way to fix it... honestly, I'll take any insight, opinion, or personal experience you guys have.

Is a chiropractor worth seeing for this? Also, is it possible that the muscle cramping I'm feeling is actually just a pinched nerve? And what exactly are those spinal nerves sitting next to the vertebrae?

Can someone please walk me through these results? I’m specifically stuck on this C8 part...