Yes, you should consider getting an MRI after a personal injury in Louisiana, especially if you experience ongoing pain, numbness, or symptoms that worsen over time. An MRI can reveal hidden soft-tissue injuries, support your medical treatment plan, and provide critical evidence to strengthen your personal injury claim.
Why Should You Get Checked Out After a Car Accident?
Right after a wreck, your body is in shock. That can mask serious injuries. Many clients tell us they felt fine right after the crash but woke up the next day barely able to move. Waiting to get checked out can hurt more than just your recovery. As a Louisiana personal injury lawyer, I know it can hurt your case too.
Hidden Injuries Take Time to Show Up
Whiplash and other soft tissue injuries often take hours or even days to show up. These injuries don’t always appear on an X-ray or CT scan. If left untreated, they can lead to chronic pain, nerve issues, and long-term damage.
What X-Rays and CT Scans Miss
Emergency rooms often start with X-rays or CT scans. These are great for spotting broken bones or serious internal bleeding. But they don’t show the soft tissues, like muscles, ligaments, or spinal discs, that often get damaged in a wreck. That’s where an MRI comes in. It’s the tool that can finally explain why you’re still in pain and what needs to be done to fix it.
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FREE Confidential Case Review (985) 240-9773What Does an MRI Show After a Car Accident in Louisiana?
An MRI isn’t just another scan. It shows the kind of damage you can’t see on regular tests. It takes clear images of your soft tissues, like the muscles, ligaments, tendons, spinal discs, and nerves that often get injured in a wreck. This type of imaging helps doctors understand what’s really going on inside your body, so they can make a solid treatment plan and so your injuries are backed up by real medical evidence.
What to Expect from an MRI
An MRI uses strong magnets and radio waves to take pictures of your body. It doesn’t use radiation like an X-ray. You’ll lie inside a tube while the machine scans the area that hurts. The process is safe and painless, but it can be loud, and some people feel a little claustrophobic. Just let your doctor know if you have any metal implants or devices. They’ll make sure it’s safe for you.
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FREE Confidential Case Review (985) 240-9773What’s the Difference Between an MRI, X-Ray, and CT Scan?
- X-Rays: Good for spotting broken bones. Not useful for soft tissue injuries.
- CT Scans: Better than X-rays, but still limited when it comes to soft tissues.
- MRIs: Best for seeing soft tissue damage, like herniated discs, torn ligaments, or brain injuries.
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FREE Confidential Case Review (985) 240-9773When Should You Get an MRI After a Car Wreck?
MRIs detect hidden injuries, like herniated discs, ligament tears, pinched nerves, or brain trauma, that X-rays and CT scans can miss, helping guide treatment and support your injury claim. If you’re dealing with pain that won’t go away, or symptoms that showed up days or weeks after the wreck, an MRI can be the key to figuring out what’s really wrong.
Here’s how:
It Finds Injuries That Other Tests Miss
- Bulging or Herniated Discs: These can press on your nerves and cause serious pain in your neck, back, arms, or legs.
- Ligament or Tendon Damage: This soft tissue keeps your joints stable. When it’s torn or stretched, the pain can be constant.
- Pinched Nerves: Swelling or misalignment can squeeze your nerves and lead to numbness, weakness, or sharp pain.
It Helps Diagnose Brain Injuries
Even if you didn’t hit your head, your brain can still be injured by the force of the crash. Concussions and other brain injuries often don’t show up on CT scans. But an MRI can catch small bleeds, swelling, or other signs of a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
It Explains Delayed or Lingering Symptoms
If your pain hasn’t gone away, or if it’s gotten worse, you need answers. An MRI gives your doctor the full picture, so you can start the right treatment and show the insurance company this isn’t something that will just heal on its own.
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FREE Confidential Case Review (985) 240-9773Can an MRI Help Your Louisiana Injury Claim?
Yes, an MRI provides clear medical proof of trauma, helping link the injury to the crash. It strengthens your case, supports a higher settlement, and counters insurance arguments about pre-existing conditions by showing evidence of new, accident-related damage.
MRIs don’t lie. They show clear medical proof of an injury. This makes it harder for an insurance adjuster to argue that you’re exaggerating or that your injury wasn’t caused by the crash.
It Strengthens Your Claim
A clear MRI showing a disc injury, torn ligament, or brain trauma gives your lawyer the evidence they need to fight for a higher settlement. It shows your pain is real, and that it’s serious.
It Increases Your Settlement Value
The worse your injury, the more your case is worth. If your MRI shows a serious condition that needs physical therapy, injections, or surgery, that raises the total value of your medical bills and pain and suffering claim.
It Helps Prove the Wreck Caused the Injury
One of the most common arguments insurance companies make is that your injury wasn’t caused by the wreck. They may claim it’s a pre-existing condition or something related to age, like “degenerative changes.” This is their way of trying to lower what they owe you.
But an MRI can help push back on that. An experienced radiologist can often tell the difference between old wear and tear and a new injury caused by trauma. When your lawyer has that kind of medical proof, it becomes much harder for the insurance company to deny responsibility. At LJBLegal, we know how to use those expert findings to make your case stronger and harder to argue against.
How Do You Get an MRI After a Louisiana Crash?
Getting an MRI may sound overwhelming, but it’s often a necessary step to get the right treatment and protect your claim.
Start by telling your doctor about ongoing pain or symptoms. This helps get the MRI ordered. Disclose any implants or prior injuries. If cost is a concern, MedPay, health insurance, or including the MRI in your injury claim can cover expenses after a crash that wasn’t your fault.
Here’s what to keep in mind:
Talk to Your Doctor
If you’re still in pain or something feels off, speak up. Don’t brush it off. Tell your doctor exactly what you’re feeling and ask whether an MRI would help find the cause. Their recommendation is usually what gets the test ordered.
Be Honest About Your Medical History
Let your doctor and the MRI technician know if you have any metal in your body. This includes old injuries, implants, or surgeries. They’ll let you know if anything could be a problem for the scan.
Worried About Cost? You May Have Options
MRIs can be expensive, but there are ways to get them covered after a crash. If you have Medical Payments Coverage (MedPay) on your car insurance policy, it can help pay for the MRI and other treatment, no matter who was at fault. Your health insurance may also help cover the cost, depending on your policy.
And if you don’t have coverage right away, don’t panic. When you’re hurt in a wreck that wasn’t your fault, the cost of medical tests like an MRI can be included in your injury claim. That means your lawyer can demand the at-fault driver’s insurance company pay for it as part of your overall damages. At LJBLegal, our Louisiana car accident lawyers help make sure these expenses are documented properly and included in what you’re owed.
Does an MRI Help with Recovery After a Car Accident?
Getting an MRI isn’t just about proving your injury to the insurance company. It’s about getting answers and making sure you heal the right way. The MRI results can lead to real treatment options and real recovery.
Follow the Treatment Plan
Once the injury is confirmed, your medical team will decide what happens next. That might mean physical therapy, injections, or even surgery. Following the treatment plan not only helps you get better, it also shows the insurance company that your injury is serious and you’re doing your part to heal.
Let LJBLegal Use the MRI to Build Your Case
The team at LJBLegal knows how to turn medical evidence into a strong injury case. We work with your doctors, get expert opinions when needed, and make sure your MRI report becomes proof that no insurance company can ignore.
What If My Injury Doesn’t Show Up Right Away?
Some of the most serious injuries after a crash don’t show up right away. They don’t leave bruises or broken bones, but they can leave you hurting for months or even years. An MRI might be what shows why you’re still in pain and what needs to happen to fix it.
Take Action Now
If you’re still hurting after a Louisiana car accident, don’t wait. Ask your doctor about an MRI. Keep a record of every symptom. And talk to LJBLegal about your options. The sooner you act, the stronger your case will be. Give us a call at 985-240-9773.
