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Injured in a Car Crash

Whiplash

Contact Call Better Health by Design at 770-573-2777 to get scheduled with Dr. Doug Lightstone for Whiplash Treatment from Car Crash Injuries.

Whiplash Treatment: Car Crash Injuries

Here are some important things to know about motor vehicle collisions:

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2017, nearly 6.5 million motor vehicle collisions occurred. And of those 6.5 million crashes, almost 2.75 million of the people involved were seriously injured or disabled as a result.
• Research shows that 12% to 86% of whiplash victims will continue to experience symptoms for years following the injury. 30% to 50% of the car crash victims had not recovered completely.
• 45% of Americans with chronic neck pain attribute their condition to a car crash.
• Rear impact motor vehicle collisions have worse outcomes than side or frontal impact car crashes.

Whiplash Treatment – What happens to my body in a car crash?

Car crashes can involve direct impact from the following on your body:

• seat, head restraint, and seat belt;
• the steering wheel and airbag (which inflates at approximately 200 mph);
• door and window;
• dashboard and windshield;
• center console;
• roof;
• other occupants and unsecured items in the vehicle (bags, groceries, etc.);

It is important to note that, while many safety features in your car may save your life (seatbelts, airbags, etc.), they also cause injuries. Additionally, due to its dynamic nature, your body is jerked, jolted, and whipped around which creates the whiplash mechanism for serious spinal injuries. The forces applied to your body are often severe as our bodies were not designed for motor vehicle crashes.

What can happen if I am in a car crash?

Various injuries can result from car crashes. Not only that, but several people involved in the same crash can all have very different injuries, recoveries, and results. There are many injury risk factors from a car crash:

• age, sex, height, weight, and fitness;
• awareness of the crash and body position in the seat and car;
• airbag deployment and proper use of seatbelt and head restraint;
• other occupants and unsecured items in the vehicle (bags, groceries, etc.);
• past or current health conditions, traumas, and injuries;
• automobiles and objects involved in the crash and direction(s) and location(s) of impact;
• environmental conditions;
• acceleration (change in speed over time);

However, the presence or absence of any or all of the factors does not guarantee whether or not someone will be injured in a crash or the severity of those injuries. Insurance company claim adjusters, defense attorneys, and defense “experts” claim that car crash victims cannot be injured in collisions at low speeds and(or) if the vehicles involved sustained minimal or no property damage. They are WRONG. Scientific research has concluded that injury occurrence, severity, and(or) duration are not determined by speed or property damage/damage to the vehicle. In fact, there has been no study that shows a minimum speed threshold at which significant injuries can occur. Research has shown that significant neck injuries occur at an average change in speed as low as 3.97 mph. And “average” implies that about half were injured below this change in speed.

What does a whiplash injury feel like?

Whiplash involves the quick and sudden jerking and jolting of the head and neck, which cause spinal misalignments, damaged spinal cord and nerves, torn ligaments, disc problems, fractured bones, and traumatic brain injury (TBI). These injuries may be accompanied by the following symptoms:

• neck pain and stiffness;
• jaw or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain;
• shoulder pain;
• scapular and interscapular pain;
• upper back pain;
• headache;
• pain, weakness, tingling, pricking, cold, burning, numbness, or abnormal or loss of sensations in the shoulders, arms, and(or) hands;
• development of trigger points in the neck and back;
• dizziness;
• blurred vision;
• depression;
• fatigue;
• insomnia;
• or concussion symptoms.

Symptoms may develop immediately or within minutes of a motor vehicle collision. However, these symptoms may also present days or even weeks after the crash. The low back is also susceptible to injury in car crashes which may be accompanied by the following symptoms:

• low back pain and sciatica;
• pain, weakness, tingling, pricking, cold, burning, numbness, or abnormal or loss of sensations in the hips, legs, and(or) feet.

What do I do if I am involved in a car crash?

Many people make poor assumptions or are given false information concerning their health and well-being following a car crash.

• Many people ignore their symptoms and hope they will go away. However, symptoms are direct evidence of bodily damage and deserve immediate attention.
• Many people think that if they aren’t bleeding or have broken bones, they will be fine. As it turns out, these are not criteria for injury severity. Many severe injuries that do not necessarily accompany bleeding and broken bone include concussions and damage to your spine, spinal cord, and nerves.
• Many people assume that, without symptoms, they are alright or wait until symptoms appear to do something. The absence of symptoms does not equate to the presence of health. Some symptoms present days or even weeks after a crash. Some damage goes undetected altogether without a proper examination and, if left uncorrected, can lead to chronic pain and degeneration.
• Many people think that resting and relaxing will help symptoms resolve and return the body to normal. In fact, research published in 2015 showed that continuing self-care, activities of daily living, and appropriate exercise after a car crash resulted in reducing pain and improving mobility.
• Many people think that low-speed crashes do not yield serious injuries. Various research studies have failed to find a connection between crash speed and injury risk. And, several studies have shown that collisions at speeds as low as 5 mph can yield whiplash injuries. In other words, minor impacts can have significant injuries.
• Many people think that a crash with little or no property and vehicle damage could not yield serious injuries. However, property damage in low-speed car crashes is not a reliable method of assessing the validity of injury. Research has shown that crash severity is not related to injury severity. In other words, minor vehicle damage can have significant injuries.

These assumptions can be very harmful and detrimental to injury recovery. Instead, be proactive and seek medical or chiropractic attention immediately. And, If you are advised by emergency workers at the scene to go directly to the hospital, it is best to follow their advice.

How do I find out if I am injured from a car crash?

A chiropractor who is trained in and has experience with trauma and whiplash mechanisms of injury is a vital resource for recovery from a car crash. Your chiropractor will go over your health history in detail to help determine the extent and severity of your injuries. A thorough examination includes the following:

• range of motion assessment helps to determine muscle guarding and function;
• orthopedic and neurologic testing helps to determine anatomy involved, function, and injury severity;
• outcome assessment questionnaires help to provide functional and disability percentages and scores for baseline data and to track patient progress;
• X-ray examination and analysis should always be done to check for spinal alignment, ligament instability, and to rule out fracture or other serious conditions. Biomechanical studies show spine alignment and stability is compromised following a car crash due to whiplash and soft tissue damage and can lead to chronic pain and degeneration of the spine.
• Digital motion x-ray (DMX) can be done to check for spinal damage during motion. DMX is advanced, cutting edge, x-ray imaging technology and provides a video of your spine as you perform specific movements to see the condition of your spine as you move. DMX helps detect serious injuries that can be missed on MRI, CT, and standard x-rays alone through your full range of motion. So, if you have pain or other problems that show up or increase with spinal movement, then your spine should be analyzed while you’re moving.

Following the examination is a report of findings where the doctor reviews the history, current complaints and conditions, the causes of those conditions, the recommendations of care, and the time and financial costs associated with that care. The purpose is to create the best treatment plan to help someone recover from their car crash and whiplash injuries.

How can chiropractic help on whiplash injuries?

Chiropractic treatment of whiplash injuries is very safe and essential for proper spinal healing and recovery. However, that is heavily dependent on the knowledge, training, experience, and abilities of the chiropractor. Treatments vary based on the injuries and their severity and may include the following:

• Spinal and extremity (shoulders, hips, arms, legs, hands, feet, ribs, jaw, etc.) chiropractic adjustments improve mobility, reduced pain, and improved healing. Specific adjustments are done manually and (or) using adjusting instruments to meet individual needs.
• Corrective chiropractic spinal rehabilitation uses specific chiropractic adjustments, exercises, and traction to achieve spinal correction thereby removing stress and strain on the spinal cord and nerves for improved health and performance with diminished pain and dysfunction and restored stability and strength to the spine.
• Spinal decompression involves mechanical stretching of the spine, removing harmful pressure on intervertebral discs, relieving pain, and improving mobility, and improving healing and disc hydration.

It is important to remember that the resolution of symptoms does not always equate to the resolution of injuries. It requires careful consideration and monitoring to effectively determine when a patient reaches a stable, pre-injury status to avoid the return of symptoms or future spinal problems.

How do I pay for my care on Whiplash Treatment?

Estimated costs of care should be reviewed with you at your report of findings. You should have a clear understanding of your diagnoses, recommendations of care, why those recommendations are made, and the time and financial costs associated with that care. You have options when it comes to how you want to pay for the care you need. Care is almost always covered by the insurance of one of the drivers involved. This too is covered in the report of findings.

I have been involved in a car crash. Who can I trust in Buford for Whiplash Treatment?

If you have been involved in a motor vehicle collision (car crash) or other trauma, contact Dr. Doug Lightstone at Better Health by Design for a complimentary consultation to see if you have suffered any injuries including whiplash induced injuries. Even if you feel that your car crash was ‘minor’, your injuries may not be. Spinal injuries are detrimental to your life-long overall health, and you want to make sure you are not left with long-term problems. Call Better Health by Design at 770-573-2777 to get scheduled with Dr. Doug Lightstone!

Contact us today to learn more about Whiplash Treatment and other services we offer. We will let you know about everything and will provide answer to all your queries and our Whiplash Treatment in Buford, GA.

Services in the Buford:

• Digital Motion X-Ray in Buford
• DMX Digital Motion X-Rays in Buford
• Whiplash Injury Buford GA
• Whiplash Care Buford GA
• Whiplash Chiropractic Treatment Buford GA

Other cities from the same county in our service coverage areas:

• Buford
• Dacula
• Duluth
• Grayson
• Lawrenceville
• Lilburn
• Loganville
• Norcross
• Suwanee
• Sugar Hill

Other Counties in Our Service Coverage Areas:

• Fulton County
• Barrow County
• Jackson County
• Gwinnett County
• Hall County
• Forsyth County

Contact Us
Doug Lightstone, Doctor of Chiropractic
Better Health By Design

425 Peachtree Pkwy #315
Cumming, GA 30041

Call Us: (770) 802-2164
Email: info@drlightstone.com