Have Post-Accident Whiplash? How a Medial Branch Nerve Block Injection Can Help

If you’re dealing with whiplash after an accident, you’re far from alone. Car crashes are the leading cause of this neck injury, which can result in a range of bothersome symptoms that interfere with your daily life. Thankfully, minimally invasive treatment can help.

Our expert team at Houston Pain Specialists, led by board-certified pain management specialist Hui Kang, MD, offers medial branch nerve block injections to ease your post-accident whiplash pain quickly.

Here’s a closer look at whiplash from accidents, including ways nerve block injections can help.

How accidents cause whiplash

Whiplash happens when your neck is jolted back and forth in a fast and forceful movement. Rear-end car accidents are the most common cause, given that the impact tends to jolt. 

And while your torso should be stabilized somewhat with your seatbelt when you’re in a car, there’s nothing protecting your neck. As a result, the movement strains your neck and spine and damages tissues, like ligaments, nerves, and muscles, in your neck.

Post-accident whiplash symptoms

The severity of your whiplash symptoms after an accident depend largely on the intensity of the impact. Your overall health may play a role, too. If you were already prone to neck pain, for example, due to osteoarthritis or osteoporosis, whiplash may exacerbate that pain.

Whiplash symptoms, which usually appear within a few days of the injury, often include:

• Dizziness
• Neck pain and stiffness
• Neck pain that worsens with movement
• Reduced range of motion in your neck
• Headaches that start at the base of your skull
• Pain, tenderness, or tingling in your upper back or arms

Whiplash pain and stiffness may also interfere with sleep, leading to daytime fatigue and exhaustion. Less commonly, whiplash causes blurry vision, depression, memory problems, and ringing in your ears (tinnitus). 

How a medial branch nerve block injection helps

Whiplash treatments often include rest, hot and cold therapy, and medication, such as over-the-counter pain relievers. If these options fail to bring you sufficient relief, we may recommend medial branch nerve block injections.

Medial branch nerve block injections help by blocking the nerves that transmit pain signals between your neck and brain. The injections typically contain a local anesthetic, which brings some immediate relief, and a steroid, which adds to your relief as it peaks within days. 

By interrupting the pain cycle, medial branch nerve block injections reduce chemical irritants released by your body, too, making way for longer-lasting benefits. 

Each medial branch nerve block treatment takes only minutes during an in-office appointment. Depending on the specifics of your condition, we may recommend one or multiple injections spread out over weeks.

To learn more about injections for whiplash or find out if you’re a good candidate for our medial branch nerve block treatment, contact our Houston, Texas, office today to schedule an appointment.