What To Do Post Accident…

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident you will need to make an appointment for a brief, but thorough, examination.  Often, individuals involved in motor vehicle accidents experience minimal or no symptoms for the first few weeks and even months.  It’s important to not only receive immediate and appropriate treatment for any injuries sustained, but also to document the extent of the injuries, if present.  Failure to obtain a timely evaluation or appropriate treatment for inquiries sustained in motor vehicle accident may negate your ability to receive monetary compensation for any future medical bills resulting from the accident, negate your ability to receive pain and suffering settlements, and negate compensation for work loss.  When you come in, we will determine:

• the extent of the injury or injuries
• the number of estimated treatments required to treat your injuries
• if referral to another medical specialist is required
• if special tests are required( i.e. MRI, CT Scan, etc.)
• if you need to take “injury time off” from work (and provide you with a note to present to your employer)
• whether obtaining legal representation may be in your best interest (and recommend some excellent attorneys).

DON’T DELAY, CALL TODAY!

If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident, call (or have them call) our office immediately.  The quicker you receive the care you need, the quicker your inquiries will heal and the faster you can get on with your life.  Don’t delay, call today!

WHAT IS WHIPLASH?

Personal injury is a term often used to describe an injury most commonly caused by a car accident.  It may also include other types of injury such as a slip or fall. Whiplash is most commonly associated with rear-end car collisions in which the heads of those in the front car are suddenly snapped back and forth by the impact.  It is more accurately called cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome, which describes the rapid movements that can injure the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and ligaments that support them.

WHO SUFFERS FROM WHIPLASH?

Anyone can be subjected to whiplash, even in a low-force car crash at speeds as low as 5mph.  But injuries associated with whiplash can also result from other mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond its normal range of motion.  Whiplash most commonly causes serious and lingering neck pain, but there may also be back pain, headaches and dizziness.  In as much as bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto accidents and similarly severe causes of whiplash, some victims have experienced blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea, and numbness.

WHAT CAN CHIROPRACTIC DO?

The sudden accident that caused the whiplash in the first place may fade into memory, but the physical and psychological damage of whiplash can become chronic, eroding a victim’s quality of life.  Chiropractic techniques and chiropractors’ skills are particularly well-suited to relieving the neck pain and other debilitating effects of whiplash because they can

• restore movement lost after the accident
• overcome muscle weakness and enhance muscle tone
• speed recovery
• diminish chronic symptoms that can persist or recur over many years

Repeated and effective chiropractic adjustments have proved successful for many thousands of patients.  Chiropractic can, in many cases, significantly reduce patients’ distress and allow them to return to their normal activities rather than seeing themselves as invalids–as so many whiplash victims do long after their accident.

TAKING THE STING OUT OF WHIPLSH

For many people, the term “whiplash” conjures up a fairly uncomfortable image:  being rear-ended by another car and having your head suddenly snapped back and forth by the impact.  Despite innovations in automotive design, whiplash injuries have become increasingly frequent in the past 30 years.  Symptoms of whiplash can include serious and lingering neck pain, back pain, headaches and dizziness; no single effective treatment has been identified to deal with this chronic, frustrating condition.

But help may be on the way.  A recent study in Spine suggests that early, active treatment is most effective for managing whiplash symptoms.   In the study, “active” treatment consisted of repetitive motion exercises performed at home (10 times every hour, beginning within 96 hours of injury);  “standard” treatment involved home exercises performed only a few times each day, starting two weeks after injury.

Results showed that 38% of patients receiving immediate, active treatment reported “no pain” at six-month followup, compared to only 5% of patients receiving delayed standard treatment.  The authors note that this type of active home treatment is an “ideal form of rehabilitation” because it expends only small resources within the health care system.

It’s time to whip whiplash!  If you or someone you know is suffering from whiplash, schedule an appointment today with a doctor of chiropractic.

Reference:
Rosenfeld M, Gunnarsson R, Borenstein P. Early intervention in whiplash-associated disorders. A comparison of two treatment protocols. Spine 2000: Vol. 25, No. 14, pp1782-87.

THE CHIROPRACTIC ANSWER TO WHIPLASH

Whiplash is an all-too-common consequence of the more than one million rear-end collisions that take place in the United States every year.  Although the classic symptoms of whiplash (headache, dizziness, neck, shoulder, jaw and/or arm pain) may subside after a few weeks of appropriate care, it¹s estimated that nearly one in four cases will become chronic, resulting in long-term discomfort and disability.

Chiropractic may offer the best opportunity for relief from the pain of whiplash, according to a study published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine.  Ninety-three patients with chronic whiplash symptoms were divided into three groups based upon the nature and severity of their symptoms.  All 93 patients received an average of 19.3 chiropractic adjustments over the study period (about four months).

Results showed that two of the three groups (patients with neck pain, restricted neck range of motion and/or neurological symptoms) improved under chiropractic care, with 85.5% reporting “some benefit,” 33.5% improving by two symptom grades, and 31% being relieved of all symptoms.

If you or a loved one is suffering from whiplash, make an appointment with a doctor of chiropractic.  As the authors of this study conclude, when it comes to treating whiplash,”chiropractic is the only proven effective treatment.”

Reference:
Khan S, Cook J, Gargan M, et al. Asymptomatic classification of whiplash injury and the implications for treatment. Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine 1999: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp22-25.

We treat auto accident patients from all over including Galveston, Clear Lake, Houston, Friendswood, League City, Webster, Seabrook, Dickenson and more. Call Us Today