The diagnosis and management of spinal injuries due to a motor vehicle accident an important part of clinical practice for many providers. The clinical correlation of causally related injuries helps providers to understand how to triage and treat the injured patient, however, the long-term consequences of these injuries are often misunderstood and overlooked.
The rationale for combined imaging modalities to objectify bodily injury
Understanding how to use different imaging modalities such as MRI and plain film x-rays is a critical component in caring for the traumatically injured. Each modality is sensitive for imaging certain tissues, but they also have limitations. The key to reducing these limitations is to combine imaging types with comprehensive histories and physical examinations.
When it comes to the evaluation of the injury victim, consideration must be given to the entire body, not just specific body regions. A certain portion of the trauma population will present immediately with widespread pain patterns that appear different than regional or local pain syndromes.