Question
I got hurt last year due to bad turbulence on an aircraft. I was told I had a back sprain but only had an x ray at the workers comp doctor. Now, almost 1 year later I am having the same type of pain, and I went to an orthopedic doctor, he said that my C5 and C6 were pushed over to the side and the muscle being inflamed is causing my pain. He ordered a MRI and said I should have had one last year, do you think the pain this year was caused by last years injury?

Answer
Dear Adrianne,

There is really no way to document if you got hurt in the turbulence without examination directly after the incident...and information about your condition before the incident.  From what you have described, it seems like you initially had back pain issues and then neck pain started well afterward.  So did you have x-rays in the neck and the low back, or just the low back?  If you had no neck symptoms and did not have a neck examination after the crash, then there is no information to base an opinion on.  However, if the neck was painful and you had any symptoms down the arms or into the upper back, then yes this can be attributed to the turbulence.

Now...work comp???  Were you part of the flight crew?  Possibly a flight attendant who was in the aisle when the turbulence hit?  If so, then yes I can see the mechanism of injury, and if you had a neck complaint at that time with any orthopedic findings on examination, then I would agree that the neck MRI should have been ordered at that time.  Work comp doctors are notorious for poor examinations, missing things, and writing off injuries as not caused by the work injury... sorry about that, but it is a fact!

Bottom line here is that I do not have the information to make an informed decision here, and I cannot visualize the x-rays or MRI at this point.  I would suggest that you work closely with your Orthopedist at this point and make sure that you get everything documented and possibly discuss these findings with an attorney to seek what your rights are, and a second opinion would be highly suggested...I would suggest a chiropractic physician to opine on the spinal configuration in addition to the Orthopedist...both are highly educated in radiology and musculoskeletal medicine, where as general practice MD's are not...it is different training.  Not sure if your work comp doc was an orthopedist or not.

Hope this helps. Good luck.  

Respectfully,
Dr. J. Shawn Leatherman
www.suncoasthealthcare.net