Herniated Disc Treatment After Car and Work Accidents in El Paso

Abstract

Car crashes and workplace accidents can place sudden pressure on the neck and lower back. This force may damage a spinal disc and lead to an annular tear, disc protrusion, disc extrusion, or a separated disc fragment.

Many disc injuries can improve with conservative care, rehabilitation, and time. In selected cases, regenerative treatments such as platelet-rich plasma, platelet-fibrin products, and microfragmented adipose tissue may also be considered. However, these treatments are not a guaranteed cure, and their success depends on the type and severity of the injury.

At ChiroMed in El Paso, care may combine integrative chiropractic treatment, medical oversight, rehabilitation, functional medicine, and personal injury services. The goal is to reduce pain, improve movement, restore function, and help patients return to work and daily activities safely.

What Is a Spinal Disc?

Spinal discs are soft structures located between the bones of the spine. They act like cushions and help absorb pressure during movement.

Each disc has two main parts:

• A strong outer ring called the annulus fibrosus
• A softer center called the nucleus pulposus

A healthy disc allows the neck and lower back to bend, twist, and move while helping protect the spinal joints.

During a motor vehicle accident or work injury, the spine may be forced into a sudden position. Compression, twisting, bending, or rapid back-and-forth movement may strain the disc.

This damage may cause pain directly from the disc. It may also irritate or compress a spinal nerve.

How Car Accidents Can Cause Disc Injuries

A motor vehicle accident can create strong forces within a very short amount of time.

Even a crash at a moderate speed may cause the neck or lower back to move beyond its normal range. The seat belt may hold the body in place while the head, neck, and spine continue moving.

Common accident-related forces include:

• Rapid forward and backward movement
• Sudden spinal compression
• Side-to-side bending
• Twisting of the body
• Direct impact
• Muscle tightening and guarding

These forces may injure a healthy spinal disc. They may also make an older or previously painless disc condition become symptomatic.

An MRI may show a bulge or herniation, but the scan must be compared with the patient’s symptoms and physical examination. Some people have disc changes without pain. A complete evaluation helps determine whether the disc finding is connected to the current injury and symptoms (Stretanski et al., 2025).

How Workplace Accidents Can Damage a Disc

Workplace disc injuries may happen during one major accident or develop after repeated physical stress.

Common causes include:

• Lifting heavy objects
• Twisting while carrying weight
• Falling from a ladder or platform
• Slipping and landing hard
• Pushing or pulling heavy equipment
• Repeated bending
• Long periods of vibration
• Poor lifting technique
• Working in awkward positions

A warehouse worker may injure a lumbar disc while lifting a heavy box. A construction worker may damage a disc during a fall. A truck driver may develop worsening disc symptoms from vibration, prolonged sitting, and repeated loading of the lower back.

Treatment should consider both the injury and the physical demands of the patient’s job.

Common Types of Disc Injuries

Annular Tear

An annular tear, also called an annular fissure, is a small split in the outer ring of the spinal disc.

The tear may cause pain in the neck or lower back. It may also release inflammatory chemicals that irritate nearby nerves.

Symptoms may include:

• Deep back or neck pain
• Pain with sitting
• Pain during bending or twisting
• Muscle spasms
• Tingling or burning
• Pain that moves into an arm or leg

An annular tear does not always mean that the center of the disc has moved outward. However, it may weaken the disc and increase the chance of a herniation.

Disc Protrusion

A disc protrusion is usually considered a contained herniation.

Part of the disc pushes outward, but the outer layers still hold much of the disc material in place. The base of the protrusion is wider than the section extending outward.

A protrusion may cause no symptoms. However, it may cause pain if it irritates a nerve or narrows the space around the spinal canal.

Disc Extrusion

A disc extrusion is a larger herniation.

The softer material from inside the disc moves farther through the damaged outer ring. The portion outside the disc may be wider than the opening it moved through.

An extrusion can place more pressure on a spinal nerve. However, the size of the extrusion does not always match the amount of pain.

Some people with a large extrusion have manageable symptoms. Others with a smaller herniation may have severe nerve pain.

Sequestered Disc Fragment

A sequestered disc occurs when a piece of disc material completely separates from the main disc.

The fragment may move upward or downward within the spinal canal. It may press on a nerve root or, in the neck, place pressure on the spinal cord.

This type of disc injury needs careful medical and neurological evaluation.

Broad Disc Bulge

A disc bulge involves a wider portion of the disc. It is different from a focal protrusion or extrusion.

Disc bulges are often connected to aging and wear. However, an accident may make a previously painless bulge become painful.

Modern medical terminology separates broad disc bulges from focal disc herniations such as protrusions and extrusions (Fardon et al., 2014).

Symptoms of an Accident-Related Disc Injury

A herniated disc may cause pain near the injured area or symptoms that travel along a nerve.

Common symptoms include:

• Neck pain
• Lower back pain
• Shoulder or arm pain
• Sciatica
• Numbness
• Tingling
• Burning sensations
• Muscle weakness
• Muscle spasms
• Reduced range of motion
• Pain with sitting
• Pain during lifting or bending
• Pain when coughing or sneezing
• Trouble sleeping
• Difficulty walking or working

A lumbar disc injury may send pain into the buttock, thigh, calf, or foot. A cervical disc injury may send pain into the shoulder, arm, hand, or fingers.

The location of the symptoms may help identify which nerve is irritated.

Why the Examination Is as Important as the MRI

An MRI can provide important information, but it is only one part of the evaluation.

At ChiroMed, the healthcare team may review:

• How the accident happened
• When the symptoms began
• Where the pain travels
• Which movements increase the pain
• Muscle strength
• Reflexes
• Sensation
• Balance
• Walking ability
• Prior injuries
• Work duties
• Current medications
• Other medical conditions
• MRI and X-ray findings

This approach helps separate disc pain from muscle strains, ligament injuries, fractures, spinal joint problems, hip conditions, and other causes.

The best treatment plan connects the patient’s history, physical examination, symptoms, imaging findings, and daily needs.

Can PRP Help a Herniated Disc?

Platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, is prepared from the patient’s own blood.

A blood sample is collected and processed to increase the concentration of platelets. Platelets contain proteins and growth factors involved in the body’s healing response.

Depending on the condition, PRP may be placed near an injured spinal structure. In some cases, a trained physician may inject PRP directly into a painful disc using imaging guidance.

Research suggests that intradiscal PRP may reduce pain and improve function in certain patients with disc-related pain. However, the results are not consistent across all studies.

Some studies have found meaningful pain relief. Other research has not shown a major difference compared with a control treatment. PRP should therefore be described as a treatment that may help selected patients, not as a guaranteed method of rebuilding a damaged disc (Machado et al., 2023; Schepers et al., 2022).

PRP may be considered when:

• The pain appears to come from the disc
• Symptoms match the examination and MRI
• Conservative care has not provided enough relief
• There is no emergency spinal condition
• The patient understands the possible risks and limits

What Are Platelet-Fibrin Products?

Platelet-fibrin products, sometimes called PFP, are prepared from the patient’s blood.

These products create a fibrin network that may help hold platelets and healing signals in the treated area.

Platelet-fibrin products are used in some orthopedic and soft-tissue procedures. However, research involving direct treatment of spinal discs remains limited.

A platelet-fibrin product should not be promoted as a guaranteed seal for an annular tear.

The outcome may depend on:

• The type of disc injury
• How the platelet product is prepared
• The injection location
• Use of image guidance
• The patient’s health
• The experience of the treating clinician
• The severity of nerve pressure

Can MFAT Help Disc-Related Pain?

Microfragmented adipose tissue, or MFAT, is prepared from a small amount of the patient’s own fat tissue.

The processed tissue contains structural material, cells, and signaling substances that may affect inflammation and tissue healing.

Early research on cell-based treatments for degenerative disc pain has shown possible improvements in pain and function. However, studies are still small and use different products, doses, and treatment methods (Zhang et al., 2023).

MFAT and similar cell-based treatments remain investigational for spinal disc conditions.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states that regenerative medicine products are not approved to treat orthopedic conditions such as disc disease, neck pain, or back pain. Patients should ask what product is being used, how it is prepared, what evidence supports it, and whether it meets current regulatory requirements (U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 2021).

Do IV Infusions Repair a Herniated Disc?

IV infusions do not move a herniated disc back into position. They do not remove an extrusion or directly close an annular tear.

IV therapy may still have a supportive role when there is a medical reason for treatment.

For example, an IV infusion may be used to:

• Treat dehydration
• Correct a confirmed nutrient deficiency
• Provide nutrients when normal absorption is limited
• Address a specific medical condition
• Support general recovery under medical supervision

IV therapy should not be presented as a direct disc repair treatment.

Patients with kidney disease, heart disease, blood pressure problems, abnormal electrolyte levels, or medication concerns need careful medical screening before receiving an infusion.

How Integrative Chiropractic Care Fits Into Treatment

Integrative chiropractic care may help improve movement and reduce stress on injured spinal areas.

Chiropractic treatment does not remove a separated disc fragment. It also does not push an extruded disc back into the disc space.

Its role may include:

• Improving joint movement
• Reducing muscle tightness
• Decreasing mechanical stress
• Supporting better posture
• Improving flexibility
• Restoring safe movement patterns
• Helping the patient return to normal activities

Depending on the condition, care may include:

• Gentle spinal mobilization
• Carefully selected chiropractic adjustments
• Flexion-distraction techniques
• Spinal decompression
• Soft-tissue therapy
• Posture correction
• Core strengthening
• Hip strengthening
• Mobility exercises
• Work-conditioning exercises

The technique must match the injury.

High-force treatment may not be appropriate for patients with a fracture, spinal instability, severe nerve compression, spinal cord involvement, or worsening weakness.

Clinical guidelines recognize spinal manipulation as one possible non-drug treatment for certain types of low back pain. It is usually most helpful when combined with movement, exercise, patient education, and rehabilitation (Qaseem et al., 2017).

A Multidisciplinary Approach at ChiroMed

ChiroMed uses a coordinated approach for patients with accident-related neck pain, back pain, and disc injuries.

Dr. Alexander Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CCST, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, combines chiropractic knowledge with advanced training in family practice, functional medicine, rehabilitation, and personal injury care.

His clinical approach emphasizes connecting the patient’s symptoms with the examination and imaging findings. He also focuses on function, movement, and coordinated treatment instead of depending on one procedure alone (Jimenez, 2026).

Dr. Maria Guadalupe Cardenas, MD, serves as Medical Director and Collaborative Physician for Injury Medical Clinic PA. She is board-certified in internal medicine and has more than 40 years of medical experience.

Her Texas medical license number is J2933. Public NPPES-derived records list her NPI as 1164426748.

Dr. Cardenas may help provide medical direction and review issues such as:

• Chronic health conditions
• Current medications
• Laboratory findings
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• Kidney function
• Cardiovascular risk
• Infection risk
• Bleeding risk
• Medical factors that may affect healing

This type of multidisciplinary structure is common in integrative and injury care clinics.

At ChiroMed, the team may coordinate:

• Chiropractic care
• Medical evaluation
• Functional medicine
• Personal injury care
• Corrective exercise
• Physical rehabilitation
• Nutritional support
• Imaging referrals
• Specialist referrals
• Care before or after an injection procedure

Each healthcare professional works within their training, licensing, and legal scope of practice.

Who May Be Considered for Regenerative Treatment?

A patient may be considered for PRP, PFP, MFAT, or another procedure when:

• The diagnosis is clear
• Symptoms match the injured structure
• Conservative treatment has not helped enough
• There is no emergency condition
• Medical risks have been reviewed
• The patient understands that results vary
• The procedure is performed with proper sterile technique
• Image guidance is used when needed

The type of herniation matters.

A small contained protrusion is different from a large extrusion causing severe weakness. A patient with a mild annular tear may have a different treatment plan from someone with spinal cord pressure or a separated disc fragment.

When Is Urgent Medical Care Needed?

Some symptoms should not be managed with routine conservative care alone.

Seek urgent medical evaluation for:

• Loss of bladder control
• Loss of bowel control
• Numbness around the groin
• Rapidly worsening weakness
• Severe trouble walking
• Loss of balance
• Loss of hand coordination
• Fever with severe spinal pain
• Major trauma with possible fracture
• Neck pain with signs of spinal cord pressure

These signs may indicate serious nerve or spinal cord compression. Treatment should not be delayed while trying chiropractic, regenerative, or supportive care.

The ChiroMed Approach to Disc Injury Recovery

Disc protrusions, extrusions, annular tears, and broad bulges may become painful after car crashes and workplace accidents.

Many patients improve with a well-planned conservative program that includes movement, rehabilitation, education, and time.

PRP may help certain patients with disc-related pain, but the evidence remains mixed. Platelet-fibrin products have less direct research involving spinal discs. MFAT and other cell-based procedures remain investigational.

IV infusions may support hydration or correct a documented deficiency, but they do not directly repair a herniated disc.

At ChiroMed, integrative chiropractic care may be combined with medical oversight, functional medicine, rehabilitation, and personal injury services. This coordinated approach helps address the disc injury, surrounding muscles and joints, overall health, and the patient’s ability to return to normal life.

The goal is not simply to treat an MRI image. The goal is to help the whole person recover safely, move better, and regain function.

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References

Absolute Injury and Pain Physicians. (n.d.). Types of disc injuries.

Fardon, D. F., Williams, A. L., Dohring, E. J., Murtagh, F. R., Rothman, S. L. G., & Sze, G. K. (2014). Lumbar disc nomenclature: Version 2.0. The Spine Journal, 14(11), 2525–2545.

Jimenez, A. (2026). El Paso chiropractor Dr. Alex Jimenez: Personal injury and integrative care.

Jimenez, A. (2026). Regenerative therapies for personal injury healing.

Machado, E. S., et al. (2023). Systematic review of platelet-rich plasma for low back pain. Biomedicines, 11(9).

Mahoney Chiropractic Group. (n.d.). Spinal decompression therapy.

Naples Regenerative Institute. (n.d.). Can regenerative medicine repair my herniated disc?.

Open Wellness PDX. (n.d.). What is regenerative injection therapy? A guide to PRP, prolotherapy, and perineural injection.

Orthobiologics Associates. (n.d.). PRP for a herniated disc.

Qaseem, A., Wilt, T. J., McLean, R. M., & Forciea, M. A. (2017). Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain. Annals of Internal Medicine, 166(7), 514–530.

Schepers, M. O., et al. (2022). Effectiveness of intradiscal platelet-rich plasma for discogenic low back pain.

Stretanski, M. F., Hu, Y., & Mesfin, F. B. (2025). Disk herniation. In StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2021). Important patient and consumer information about regenerative medicine therapies.

Zhang, W., et al. (2023). Mesenchymal stem cells can improve discogenic pain in patients with intervertebral disc degeneration. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11, 1155357.