Hip & Leg Pain

Hip and leg pain after an auto accident are often caused by radiating back injuries, impacting the interior of the vehicle or the seatbelt. Once the pain begins, your first priority should be to schedule an evaluation with us to determine what is the cause of the pain and get you the proper treatment.

What Can Cause Hip & Leg Pain?

Most hip injuries can occur during a front-end auto accident. Leg injuries can also occur from front-end auto accidents, but they can also be a prominent injury when the car is hit from the side. In a front-end accident, a person is thrust forward, causing the muscles and bones in their hips to become strained or knocked out of place. The knees, however, may slam against the dashboard or they can even be crushed in a front-end accident. When a car is hit from the side, a person's body is forced into the side of car and then thrust into the center of the car or vice versa. This is typically when a person's hip is injured or when the legs are injured based on the angle of the seat belt, which covers a person's lap and torso.

How Do We Assess Hip and Leg Pain?

When a patient is suffering from hip and leg pain, we will typically want to closely examine x-rays or MRI scans and perform a physical examination to make a proper assessment. If necessary we will get you to the correct specialist, most times the same day. Measuring the pain is actually one of most difficult things to do for doctors because it's about communication, and establishing a dialogue about pain between the patient and doctor can be challenging based on the amount of information to obtain in a short amount of time.

Doctors will assess the pain and determine if it is intermittent or constant, what type of pain is occurring (e.g., stabbing, burning, etc.), what triggers pain, when pain is more likely to occur during the day, and how much pain the patient is in on a scale of 0-10. After establishing a dialogue of the patient's situation and understanding the extent of the pain, doctors will inquire about previous treatments and any medications being taken.

A good assessment will help the doctor understand what type of treatment will best suit the patient and help relieve pain. Don't let hip and leg pain prevent you from participating in life! Schedule your free consultation today.