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 as soon as possible for an examination.   Often symptoms may not show up for weeks or even months.    It’s important to not only receive immediate and appropriate treatment for any injuries sustained, but it’s also important to document  any injuries present.    Your ability to receive any monetary compensation for any future medical bills resulting from the accident or monetary compensation for pain and suffering settlements can be negated if you do not receive a timely evaluation or treatment plan.

When you come in, we will determine:

• 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 injuries will heal and the faster you can get on with your life.  Don’t delay, call today!

WHAT IS WHIPLASH?

Whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck.    Whiplash most often occurs during a rear-end auto accident, but the injury can also result from a sports accident, physical abuse or other trauma.

WHO SUFFERS FROM WHIPLASH?

Anyone who has been in an accident can be subject to whiplash, even if it is a low-force crash with speeds as low as 5mph.  Whiplash typically occurs when your head is forcefully and quickly thrown backward and then forward. This motion can injure bones in the spine, disks between the bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves and other tissues of the neck.

A whiplash injury may result from:

• Auto accidents.Rear-end collisions are a major cause of whiplash.
• Physical abuse or assault.Whiplash can occur if you are punched or shaken. It’s one of the injuries seen in shaken baby syndrome.
• Contact sports.Football tackles and other sports-related collisions can sometimes cause whiplash.

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.

Chiropractors commonly employ different chiropractic treatments for whiplash, often including manipulation, muscle relaxation and/or stimulation, various exercises, and ergonomic and lifestyle changes.

Chiropractic treatment can restore movement  lost after the accident, overcome muscle weakness and enhance muscle tone, speed recovery and most important diminish chronic symptoms that can persist or recur over many years.

TAKING THE STING OUT OF WHIPLASH

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, dizziness, ear ringing, blurred vision and pain in the extremities; 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 follow-up, 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 Clear Lake 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 Orthopedic 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 Clear Lake 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 Clear Lake, Houston, Friendswood, League City, Webster, Seabrook, Dickinson and more. Call us today!