You’re No Dummy! Auto Accidents Hurt!

                   

 

It all happens so fast.  You are sitting in your car at a red light in Doylestown and then WHAM! You are rear ended by another vehicle. The sudden, unexpected accident that caused your whiplash may fade into memory, but the physical and psychological damage of whiplash can be chronic, severely affecting your quality of life.

Over 25% of people who are injured in auto accidents don’t make a full recovery.  That means that they live with some ongoing pain or disability related to their injury. 

Whiplash is the classic neck injury that is most commonly caused by automobile accidents.

When the head is pulled forward and yanked backwards as in an auto accident, the immense stress affects the neck causing whiplash. The weight of the head is considerable compared to the size of the muscles used to control it. When the head is suddenly whipped in a violent manner, the muscles of the neck are inadequate to support the movement associated with the gravitational g-force pull. Some of the typical results of a whiplash injury are ligament damage, pinched nerves, muscle tearing, spasms and back problems.

Whiplash can become a painful, chronic problem if not treated. A lot of people make the error of judging the type of injury to their body, based on the impact force or the total amount of car damage. This isn't good thinking. There are a myriad of variables that determine whether someone experiences pain with just a small fender-bender, while someone else feels absolutely none after having their car totaled by a vehicle traveling at 65 mph. Some of the considerations as to whether a person sustains an injury during an accident include angle and speed of impact, use of safety belts, and head position.

It is a common myth that whiplash and other injuries can only occur as a result of high speed auto accidents; in reality, many people experience symptoms after minor accidents. Symptoms of whiplash may occur at the time, or they may occur days, weeks or even many months later.

Whiplash can cause many problems including painful headaches, muscle spasms, pain in the shoulders, dizziness, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), arm pain and tingling, insomnia, and the most common, neck pain. The chronic pain of whiplash can destroy a patient’s quality of life, resulting in the chance of depression.

Misaligned vertebrae in the neck is a common problem associated with whiplash. If treatment is not obtained, these vertebrae will remain misaligned, which will cause chronic neck pain, loss of motion, headaches and arthritis in the future.

A study done in Canada, published in 1998, looked at approximately 10,000 people with neck injuries; the conclusion from the study was that remedies in addition to chiropractic treatment are necessary for recovery from whiplash. The study also determined that "accepted" treatments like muscle relaxers, neck collars, immobilization, and all the rest were not helpful for a whiplash victim.