Radicular Pain After an Auto Injury

If you've been in a car accident and are now experiencing shooting pain, numbness, or tingling that travels from your neck into your arm — or from your lower back into your leg — you may be experiencing radicular pain, sometimes called radiculopathy. This is one of the most common neurological consequences of crash-related spinal injury, and it responds well to chiropractic care.

What Causes Radicular Pain After a Crash

Each spinal vertebra has nerve roots that exit through small openings called foramina. When a collision compresses, herniates, or displaces intervertebral discs, or inflames the facet joints around these openings, the nearby nerve roots can become irritated or compressed. The result is pain, numbness, weakness, or tingling that follows the path of the affected nerve — down the arm for cervical involvement, down the leg for lumbar involvement.

Common Patterns

• Cervical radiculopathy: Pain radiating from the neck into the shoulder, arm, or hand; may be accompanied by hand weakness or grip loss
• Lumbar radiculopathy: Pain radiating from the lower back into the buttock, thigh, calf, or foot (often called sciatica)
• Thoracic involvement: Less common, but can produce band-like chest or rib pain

Chiropractic Treatment for Radicular Pain

Chiropractic adjustments take pressure off nerve roots by restoring proper spacing and alignment between vertebrae. Flexion-distraction technique — a gentle, non-force approach — is particularly effective for disc-related radiculopathy. Soft-tissue therapy and targeted exercises reduce the muscular guarding that often worsens nerve compression.

If you're experiencing radiating pain after an auto accident in the Hyattsville or District Heights area, call Total Health Family Clinic for an evaluation. Early treatment prevents radiculopathy from becoming a permanent condition.