Doctors Keep Measuring The Motion In My Cervical Spine After Injuring My Neck. Is That Important?

by Friedman & Ranzenhofer, PC on January 17, 2011

in Buffalo Injury Questions and Answers

Medical treatment providers in the Buffalo area use a variety of diagnostic tests to determine the degree of impairment following injury to the spine.  One of the most commonly seen tests involves measuring the range of motion in various directions of the injured part of the spine.

For your treatment provider, this test can be an important measurement in determining your health and the direction your medical treatment should take.  Range of motion testing, however, can also provide important evidence in a personal injury lawsuit.  This is because a range of motion test, when properly conducted, may be considered by the judge or jury as a measurement of the degree of the injury.

In cases involving an automobile accident, it is necessary to prove that the victim suffered a serious injury.  New York courts have ruled that proof of a serious injury in most cases involving “soft tissue” injuries requires objective proof of an injury (for examples, x-rays, MRI examinations, etc.) coupled with a comparison of the victim’s limitations to the normal functioning of the affected body part.  While range of motion testing is not the only way to compare the victim’s limitations to the normal functioning of the spine, a properly conducted test can go a long way in helping to establish that the victim suffered a serious injury.

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