Have You Been In A Car Accident?

Many people will seek out chiropractic care in Brunswick after having an auto injury.  A common auto injury, whiplash, occurs when the head and neck are whipped from back to front, similar to how a whip is cracked. The majority of car accidents are rear-end collisions with whiplash being a common result. Whiplash can also occur from other kinds of trauma, accidents, abuse, and falls.

Many people in Brunswick who have been involved in an accident don't even realize they have received a whiplash injury until weeks or months later when the problem becomes persistent and leads to other issues. If your neck has been injured in an accident or other incident, this article will you to understand if you have a whiplash injury and how chiropractic care can help you to treat it.

Whiplash in Brunswick

When the neck is whipped from back to front during a car accident, while playing contact sports such as football, or occasionally from an assault or other physical trauma, a number of things can happen to the spine and surrounding soft tissue. Whiplash describes the initial impact, but the results can include:

• Disc bulges and herniation
• Subluxations (misalignment of the vertebrae in the spine),
• Injured bones in the spine,
• Irritated and damaged nerves
• Pulled ligaments and muscles in the neck

What are the Symptoms of Whiplash?

Whiplash injuries can range from mild to very severe. Injuries tend to be more significant when your headrest is positioned too low. If the impact was quite severe or the headrest was low there is the possibility that bones are broken or tissue is damaged. It is highly recommended that you see a chiropractor and receive a thorough examination and x-rays. Even if the impact seemed mild, you may have whiplash if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Neck pain
• Shoulder, upper back, and arm pain
• Headaches
• Blurred vision
• Pain when turning the head
• Inability to move or turn the head fully
• Dizziness
• Tiredness
• Numbness or tingling in the arms, hands, and fingers
• Ringing in the ears
• Difficulty sleeping
• Depression

As you can see there are a wide range of symptoms and not all of them may be immediately traceable to whiplash. Even if you have been cleared by a doctor, your pain could still be related to whiplash and you may need treatment to correct the problem. If you have recently been injured it's important to get your spine checked as soon as possible. The sooner that you start treating the issue the less chance you have of it developing into a long-term problem.

Chiropractic Care for Whiplash

Because the majority of whiplash incidents impact the spine and the surrounding nerves and tissues, chiropractic care is an excellent avenue for treatment. Chiropractic doctors are skilled in assessing the source of the pain associated with a whiplash injury and determining a plan for effective treatment. Chiropractic treatments are gentle and non-invasive. Through small adjustments, people find great relief from the pain associated with whiplash and are set on a road to full recovery. Call our team at Advanced Chiropractic & Wellness Center to discover how chiropractic care can help you recover from whiplash.

WHIPLASH FORCES AND THOROUGH TREATMENT PLANS

Whiplash is best treated in phases with the first emphasis being to decrease the pain and rigidity following a traumatic spinal injury.

• Phase 1 - Consists of a combination of therapies to jumpstart the healing response and reduce inflammation and pain. This is best accomplished with Synaptic therapy which increases serotonin production in the brain and releases it into the bloodstream. The therapy also gently reduces muscle splint spasms, tendon and ligament micro-tears and joint capsule inflammation, or capsulitis. The resultant mobilization with Chiropractic treatment including Arthrostim unlocks the compressed and jammed spinal vertebrae and functional strength and mobility return gradually. This process can't be rushed because of the nature of these injuries. In Auto-related collisions, the force generated by a medium sized car, for example, an Accord, moving 10 miles per hour at impact is 25 tons, or 50,000 pounds, and takes 1/10 of a second to pass through the struck object. The human body isn`t designed for these extreme forces, thus the tearing nature of impact on our bodies. Nerve tissue can be compressed resulting in numbness and tingling in extremities. Headaches from cervical and TMJ locks can cause brutal headaches, blurred vision, imbalance, and a host of other symptoms. These are all addressed and the correction process produces both immediate and long-lasting relief. Neuropathy treatments are also highly effective and beneficial. We have treated well over 1000 Neuropathy patients over the last 14 years with well over 90% success rate. We are a certified Neuropathy DR clinic.
• Phase 2- The goal in this phase is to continue reducing and eliminating the causes of pain, and focus on achieving full ability to do all daily activities (ADLs). Emphasis is a full range of motion and return of strength with flexibility as the goals. Knowledge of Rehab and musculoskeletal protocols to undertake systematic exercises and stretches is important to ensure a non "cookie-cutter" approach and gain the best results possible. The patient is able to engage in the treatment process more fully than in Phase 1 due to the healing process and adjustments necessary to improve. Treatment frequency is reduced as this Phase of care progresses.
• Phase 3- In the final phase of treatment before we release to the patient to maximum improvement level, we provide an ongoing home therapy program, including stretches and exercises designed to continually improve strength and flexibility in the future.

Dr. Halverson has practiced 40 years, and also is a member of the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame. His knowledge of scientific training and exercise as well as having treated many professional and elite level amateur athletes as well as thousands of Auto collision patients has developed the knowledge to provide customized treatment to every patient to ensure excellent results. Each phase is important and necessary for each patient to achieve max improvement.