Personal Injury

RB Spine Center Specialists have treated over four thousand personal injury cases from dog bites, slip & falls, auto accidents, motorcycle injuries and more. We see patients that suffer from sprain and strain injuries to complicate multiple injury accidents. We have a high success in recovery, especially hard to treat conditions suffered by those in accidents. Our specialists approach each patient as an individual with unique injuries and tailored treatment regimen to assist in fast healing and correction of the injured area.

We specialize in treating:

Our Features:

Direct One-on-One consultation with our accident injury specialists
Customized treatment program that has proven results
Comprehensive treatment for all injuries
Focused treatment to areas
High Success Rate of recovery 86%+
Safe and Painless Procedures
FDA Cleared Treatment Protocols

Our doctors have a unique ability to document your injuries effectively and quickly so that your attorney will have all he needs to represent you. Documentation is vital for every case and should not be treated lightly. RB Spine Center's doctors and staff are highly trained assist you in your recovery and medical documentation of your injuries. Our doctors know the research on hard to document injuries such as low impact injuries.

Call our office to schedule an appointment 858-345-4114

What is Whiplash?

At our office we recognize the importance of diagnostic imaging in personal injury cases. Without demonstrative evidence of injury on x ray, EMG, Nerve Conduction Testing, MRI, CT or other imaging study, it becomes very difficult to establish a true physical link to your client's reported symptoms.

One of the most challenging tasks in the evaluation and treatment of auto accident injuries has been establish rock solid proof of injury.

Whiplash is a common injury to a person's neck following a car accident (in most cases). Symptoms include: headache, neck pain, neck and shoulder stiffness, shoulder pain, fatigue, dizziness, jaw pain, arm pain, weakness of the arm(s), visual disturbances, tinnitus, and back pain. Diagnosis is generally with a physical exam, x-rays, diagnostic tests or possibly an MRI.

What is a whiplash injury? Hyperextension or over-extension injury of the neck, often the result of being struck from behind or a rear-end collision, as by a moving vehicle in a car accident. The mechanics of whiplash injury are thought to be as follows: The victim may be first pushed or accelerated forward, pushing the body forward, but the head remains behind momentarily, rocking up and back, and some muscles and ligaments may be stretched or torn. These muscles, in a reflex action, contract to bring the head forward again, to prevent excessive injury. There may be overcompensation when the head is traveling in a forward direction as the vehicle decelerates. This may rock the head violently forward, stretching and tearing more muscles and ligaments.

Ligament damage is one of the most common injuries suffered following motor vehicle collisions. Ligaments are injured by sudden loads, and can be damaged in relatively low impact collisions.

Research shows that the forces sustained in crashes as low as 5.7 mph were capable of causing failure of the cervical ligaments.

Ligament rupture results in biomechanical instability and often causes chronic pain. This is precisely the reason that many patients present with no significant findings on MRI or normal x rays, but still complain of severe pain or neurologic symptoms.

Radiographic Evidence of Ligament Damage

Although a standard x ray series will not typically who ligament damage, stress view x rays of the cervical or lumbar spine often uncover these so-called “hidden injuries”. In the cervical spine radiographs are taken with the neck in flexion, extension, and lateral bending to the left and right. These views must be taken on patients who have sustained trauma of any nature in order to evaluate potential ligament failure. Hidden injuries can be uncovered by neurological testing, such as electromyography and nerve conduction testing.

Symptoms of Whiplash

Most people experience neck pain either immediately after the injury or several days later. Other symptoms of whiplash may include the following:

Call our office to see the accident injury specialists today 858-345-4114

Finding Hidden injuries:

RB Spine Center excels in total patient care. This includes finding and diagnosing difficult conditions. RB Spine Center uses the latest in technology for the benefit of the patient.

What are Electrodiagnostic Tests?

Electrodiagnostic studies, including, nerve conduction studies (NCS), needle electromyography (EMG), and somatosensory evoked potential studies (SSEPs) should be considered an extension of the history and physical examination and not merely a substitute for a detailed neurologic and musculoskeletal examination.

These studies are helpful in the evaluation of patients with limb pain where the diagnosis remains unclear (e.g. perineal neuropathy versus a radiculopathy). They are also helpful in excluding other causes of sensory and motor disturbances, such as peripheral neuropathy and motor neuron disease.

They can also provide useful prognostic information by quantifying the extent and acuity of axonal involvement in radiculopathies.

EMG's and Nerve Conduction Tests

Electromyography and Nerve Conduction Tests are ordered to learn more about the health of peripheral nerves. These tests can establish if a nerve is pinched, and give a numeric value to how severely it is pinched and often there it is pinched. The test can last anywhere from a half an hour to an hour. The quality of the results is quite dependent on the skill of the person administering the test.

During the Nerve Conduction portion of the test, electrodes much like EKG patches are placed along the known course of the nerve. The nerve is stimulated with a tiny electrical current at one point. The nerve must then transmit the signal along its course, and an electrode placed further down the arm or leg captures the signal as it passes it. A healthy nerve will transmit the signal faster and stronger than a sick nerve.

The EMG portion of the test measures the electrical activity in muscles. Muscles normally receive constant electrical signals from healthy nerves, and in return "broadcast" their own healthy electrical signals. During the EMG portion of the test, the doctor places acupuncture like needles into the muscles to record the electrical signal from the various muscles in the arm or leg. If a muscle doesn't receive adequate signals from a sick nerve, it broadcasts signals, which show the muscle is confused.

From the Nerve Conduction Test and the EMG's, the doctor can correlate which nerves are pinched and the seriousness of the condition. This information can then be used to help formulate further treatment plans.

H-Reflex and F Waves

Performing late response such as the H-reflex can provide valuable information regarding the proximal nerve/nerve root involvement. The H-reflex is both a sensitive and specific marker for involvement of the S1 root. F waves, also used to detect abnormalities in the proximal portion of nerves, are too nonspecific to be clinically useful in the setting of radiculopathy.

Electrodiagnostic testing is usually not necessary in a clear-cut radiculopathy or in patients with isolated mechanical low back symptoms. Furthermore, these studies do not assess the smaller myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers, which are typically responsible for pain transmission.

Test Preparation and Performance: There is usually no special preparation required. The patient may lie down or sit during the test. During the test one or more needle electrodes are inserted through the skin into a specific muscle or muscle group. Then the patient may be asked to contract the muscle (e.g. bending the knee). The muscle contraction causes a waveform to be traced and detected by an oscilloscope. The oscilloscope displays a visual representation of the electrical variations on a CRT screen. The muscle at rest is displayed as inactive (e.g. small wavy line). When the muscle is contracted the waveform spikes denoting electrical activity in the muscle.

Discomfort and Risks

Some discomfort may occur as the needle electrodes are inserted. The muscle(s) tested may feel sore after the EMG. The risks are minimal. There may be some minor bleeding and there is a small risk of infection where the needle electrodes are inserted.