How slip and fall injuries happen
The most common settings are the workplace (workers’ compensation injuries), grocery and retail stores, the home, and venues like restaurants and theaters. Falls happen even to careful people.
What damage can a fall cause?
- Ligament sprains, strains or ruptures
- Tendon sprains, strains or ruptures
- Spinal nerve damage affecting the back and legs
- Fractures, from hairline to compound
- Disc damage — slipped, herniated or ruptured discs
If serious pain after a fall doesn’t respond to rest and ice, get evaluated. Untreated injuries can become long-term disability.
Diagnosis
Dr. Coccaro starts with a full exam and a conversation about your symptoms, reviews your X-rays and MRI, and orders more imaging if needed to confirm exactly why you hurt. Then you choose the right approach together.
Treatment
Care starts conservatively, often with physical therapy. If your body isn’t healing on its own, options include:
- Anesthetic and corticosteroid injections
- Trigger point injections
- Regenerative medicine — stem cell, PRP or prolotherapy
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Minimally invasive lumbar decompression (MILD®)
- Vertiflex™ Superion® interspinous spacer
- Spinal cord stimulation (Nevro HF10® or Boston Scientific systems)