The trauma surgeon at Coast Spine and Sports Medicine offers comprehensive trauma treatment for men and women in Orange County, Los Angeles County and Inland Empire following traumatic events such as car accidents, slip and fall accidents, workplace injuries, and sports-related accidents.
What Is Trauma?
Trauma refers to a physical injury that is sudden and serious enough to require medical care. Trauma can be an injury that results from a car accident or it can happen while playing sports. It can even happen after falling at home. Trauma injuries of the spine, brain, and head can be mild to severe depending on the cause and severity of damage.
An orthopedic trauma surgeon in Los Angeles specializes in complex surgical care of trauma to the brain, head, and/or spine. This can include the treatment of fractures and soft tissue injuries to the ligaments, muscles, tendons, and nerves surrounding the spine.
What Is the Cost of Trauma Treatment in Orange County?
The cost of treatment for your injury will depend on the severity and type of trauma you have suffered. During your initial appointment with Coast Spine and Sports Medicine, we will tailor a treatment plan to your needs and review your cost. We gladly accept many forms of insurance in addition to financing through CareCredit®.
What Are the Most Common Types of Spine Trauma?
Spinal trauma comes in many forms and ranges from mild to severe. Mild spine trauma may cause pain of the neck or back that resolves itself over time, but severe trauma can cause paralysis below the level of the injury.
Common trauma injuries to the spine include:
- Whiplash. This is a hyperextension injury of the neck which can overstretch or tear ligaments and muscles or even cause cervical discs to bulge or rupture.
- Herniated disc. This happens when the soft center of a spinal disc is pushed outward into the intervertebral space.
- Dislocations and fractures. These injuries can be very serious and potentially damage the spinal cord. Spinal fractures come in many forms including compression fractures, burst fractures from a violent compressive load, distraction fractures often caused by seat belts, and torsion or translational fractures.
- Spinal cord injuries. These are among the most serious trauma injuries and often lead to life-long consequences.
What Causes Spine, Head, and Brain Trauma?
The most common causes of traumatic injuries to the spine, head, and brain include the following:
- Car accidents, which account for about 50 percent of all new spinal cord injuries
- Falls, including falls from ladders, down stairs, in the bath, or at home
- Sports or recreational activities, including swimming or diving
- Violence
This does not include non-traumatic causes of damage such as osteoporosis, spinal stenosis, and arthritis.
How Are Spine and Head Trauma Treated?
Severe head trauma, brain trauma, or trauma to the spine often requires surgical treatment. Trauma to the spine is generally performed by a skilled orthopedic trauma surgeon, although head or brain injuries may also involve an orthopedic specialist in addition to a neurologist when the spine is involved.
Mild to moderate forms of trauma may be treated with non-surgical or conservative measures such as rest, physical therapy, medication, and steroid injections for inflammation and pain.
If you have suffered an injury in a traumatic event, call us to schedule an appointment at Coast Spine and Sports Center for a tailored treatment plan to address your pain and help you recover. We welcome men and women in Los Angeles County and Orange County, including the communities of Santa Ana, Downey, and Long Beach, CA.
