The Aftermath Of Auto Accidents

By Pendar Esmaeli, DC

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The Aftermath Of Auto Accidents

An entire whiplash injury occurs in about one tenth of a second essentially the blink of an eye. But in that time, the human head can experience forces greater than that of a jet fighter pilot.

Immediately after an auto collision, it's common for people to wait before they seek treatment. Most people think, “I'll just wait to see how I feel next week.” This approach can be a mistake. A number of scientific studies show that when a patient gets treatment soon after a crash, they have a better outcome than those patients who wait.

During the crash the tissues of your neck can be stretched or torn. You may not feel pain right away, but as the tissues become swollen and inflamed, patients often wake up the next day sore or with a stiff neck. Pain and stiffness are signs of trauma to the ligaments and muscles of your neck.

The body's response to injury is to restrict movement and to heal the injury by sending white blood cells (leukocytes) to that area. Your body will then begin healing the injured area by laying down scar tissue. The problem with scar tissue is that each joint in your neck has a fairly limited range of motion. Scar tissue reduces that motion even more, and if you don't receive proper treatment, that can result in permanently limited mobility, chronic pain and even spinal degeneration of the joints. Getting early treatment will break up this pattern by increasing movement in the injured area and by preventing the development of scar tissue.

If you've been in a crash, it's important that you see your chiropractor right away, to be checked out and to start the process of recovery. Your chiropractor will work with you gently to increase range of motion in your spine and help your body heal quickly. Most people don't understand how important this is, so share this information with your family and friends.