Cherry Creek Neurology — Neurological Evaluation After Car Accident TBI

Most TBI management after a car accident doesn't require a neurologist. Your managing physician directs the concussion recovery protocol, coordinates neuropsychological testing, and refers to cognitive and vestibular rehabilitation as indicated. But some neurological presentations require specialist input that goes beyond what non-specialist management can provide.

Complex neurological symptoms are the domain of neurology: new or worsening headaches that don't follow the typical post-concussion pattern, suspected seizure activity, peripheral nerve injuries requiring electrophysiological assessment, or neurological findings that develop or progress weeks after the accident. Cherry Creek Neurology provides the specialist neurological evaluation that these presentations require.

Provider Contact

Website: cherrycreekneurology.com Phone: 303-691-0533

What Cherry Creek Neurology Offers

Neurological Evaluation

Comprehensive neurological examination by a specialist who understands the injury patterns of motor vehicle accidents. The neurological evaluation assesses:

• Cranial nerve function: smell, vision, eye movement, hearing, facial sensation, swallowing
• Motor system: strength, tone, reflexes, coordination
• Sensory system: pain, temperature, vibration, proprioception
• Cerebellar function: balance, coordination, gait
• Cognitive screening: orientation, memory, language, attention

The specialist integrates examination findings with symptom history, imaging, and prior neuropsychological testing to build the complete neurological picture.

EEG (Electroencephalography)

Brain wave recording that evaluates electrical activity patterns associated with:

• Seizure activity: Car accidents can produce post-traumatic seizures, particularly in higher-severity brain injuries. When a patient has episodes that might represent seizure activity, such as loss of consciousness, uncontrolled movement, or confusion during or after an episode, EEG provides the electrophysiological data needed to confirm or exclude seizure disorder.
• Diffuse encephalopathy: Widespread brain dysfunction produces EEG patterns that distinguish different etiologies and guide treatment decisions.
• Sleep disorders: Quantitative EEG analysis for sleep disorders that commonly follow TBI, including disrupted sleep architecture, periodic limb movements, and restless legs syndrome.

Nerve Conduction Studies and EMG

Electrophysiological testing that evaluates peripheral nerve and muscle function. Following car accidents, peripheral nerve injuries can occur from:

• Direct nerve trauma (lacerations, stretch injuries)
• Compression from swelling or hematoma
• Compartment syndrome
• Plexus injuries (brachial plexus from shoulder trauma, lumbosacral plexus from pelvic injury)

Nerve conduction studies (NCS) and electromyography (EMG) measure how efficiently nerve signals travel and whether muscle activation patterns show denervation, the electrophysiological signature of nerve injury. These tests:

• Localize the nerve injury to a specific level
• Distinguish between nerve root compression (radiculopathy), plexus injury, and peripheral nerve injury
• Assess injury severity (neuropraxia vs. axonotmesis vs. neurotmesis)
• Establish baseline for monitoring recovery

NCS/EMG is the most accurate diagnostic method for peripheral nerve injury, more precise than clinical examination or imaging alone.

Headache Management

Post-traumatic headache is one of the most common persistent symptoms after car accidents. CCC's conservative care protocol addresses headache as part of the overall rehabilitation, but headaches that are severe, worsening, or not responding to standard approaches require neurological evaluation.

Cherry Creek Neurology evaluates complex headache presentations and manages:

• Post-traumatic migraine
• Cervicogenic headache with neurological features
• Medication overuse headache
• Occipital neuralgia
• New daily persistent headache

Neurological headache management may include preventive medications, nerve blocks, CGRP-targeting therapies, or Botox for chronic migraine. These are interventions beyond what primary care and pain management typically provide.

Location

Cherry Creek Neurology 3555 S. Clarkson St., Suite 400, Englewood, CO 80113 (Cherry Creek area, accessible from CCC's Aurora and Lakewood clinic areas)

When CCC Refers to Cherry Creek Neurology

Your managing physician determines when neurological specialist evaluation is indicated. Referral to Cherry Creek Neurology occurs when:

• Complex neurological symptoms emerge: Symptoms that don't fit the typical post-concussion trajectory: new motor deficits, progressive sensory loss, episodes suggesting possible seizure activity, or focal neurological findings that weren't present at initial evaluation.
• Peripheral nerve injury requires electrophysiological assessment: Numbness, weakness, or pain in a specific nerve distribution that warrants NCS/EMG to localize the injury, assess severity, and guide management.
• Headaches require specialist management: Persistent, severe, or treatment-resistant headaches following the accident that don't respond to primary care and standard conservative approaches.
• Diagnostic certainty is needed for legal or insurance documentation: Neurological evaluation and electrophysiological testing produce objective, specialist-level documentation of neurological injury.

How Results Integrate with Your Care Plan

Cherry Creek Neurology's evaluation findings, EEG reports, and NCS/EMG results return to your managing physician. Neurological findings are integrated with the complete care record, informing decisions about interventional pain management (for nerve root contributions), rehabilitation protocols (for peripheral nerve injury recovery), and ongoing TBI management.

Frequently Asked Questions