MVA & instrumentation?
 

Hi All
Four years ago I had fusion surgery at C3,4,5,6 with instrumentation & cadaver bone. That healed up nicely, but left me with kyphosis, scoliosis, radiculopathy, and permanent nerve damage in my right arm. I get botox shots for this mess.

Thursday I was rear-ended in a MVA. A few minutes after the crash, I felt some pain at C 1 &2, but it went away, so I refused treatment at scene or hospital. All day today (Sat) I've had a headache that comes and goes, and some mild to moderate pain there. Some stiffness in the scapular area, that isn't uncommon for me.

So thats the background. The question now is, is it possible the crash jarred a screw loose, or rod or otherwise messed up the fusion? Can that happen after all this time has passed? I've heard screws can work loose, I'm so afraid of that. This is higher. Could the crash make something else manifest itself?

It was a company vehicle, this is W/C. I have 30 days to get started on treatment. I just dread this. Any ideas?
Thanks
Barb

You need to get it checked out. Given your history, the MVA aggrevated pre-existing problems. Hopefully, all you need is some physical therapy on the neck. It's better safe than sorry!

I was in an MVA 6 years ago that seemed like nothing at first. I refused treatment at the scene but by the next morning, the pain set in. I didn't seek treatment until a few days went by because I thought I could handle it and it would just go away. As a result, I have problems at C2 and C5/C6 from this car accident and ended up with a couple of surgeries due to the MVA (none on the spine yet but likely down the road).

Hopefully, it's just whiplash and tight muscles causing the problems.