Myth:
The insurance companies often uses the cost to repair your vehicle to determine the extend of your injuries.
Myth:
Auto injuries do not cause permanent damage.
Fact:
Since you are not a dummy, you can get injured in an accident, even at low speeds. They do not teach a doctor to to go to the parking lot - look at your car and come back in the exam room to tell you what is causing your pain.
Consider the following facts:
The insurance companies often uses the cost to repair your vehicle to determine the extend of your injuries.
Myth:
Auto injuries do not cause permanent damage.
Fact:
Since you are not a dummy, you can get injured in an accident, even at low speeds. They do not teach a doctor to to go to the parking lot - look at your car and come back in the exam room to tell you what is causing your pain.
Consider the following facts:
- Any collision can damage your neck & back
- Whiplash (neck injury) is the most common form of injury from Auto Accidents
- Other soft tissue injuries can occur to the low back , mid back region & extremities
- Injuries can occur at speeds less that 5 MPH even if the car is not damaged!
- 45% of people with chronic neck pain can attribute the pain to a past Auto Accident!
- Whiplash symptoms include headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, neck pain, stiffness in arms and shoulders, pain in hands, mid back pain and low back pain.
- Whiplash can cause early osteoarthritis and degeneration of the neck.
- A study done in the Journal of Orthopedic Medicine revealed that a 4 month course of chiropractic care was the best treatment for chronic whiplash.
- The best way to avoid permanent injury is to get early diagnosis and treatment.
The Videos You Need to See
The Truth About Auto Injuries
A very recent study (June 2010), published the assessment of whiplash-injured patients 30 years after injury, making this the longest follow-up of whiplash-injured patients to date. Once again, this study shows that a significant number of those injured in whiplash trauma will suffer with chronic symptoms. Thirty years after being injured, 40% of patients retain nuisance symptoms and 15% have significant symptoms and impairments, requiring ongoing treatment. (Rooker, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, British, 2010)
A 2005, 7.5-year prospective study on whiplash-injured patients found that 21% had intrusive symptoms that interfered with work and leisure, and required continued treatment and drugs. In addition, 2% of these whiplash-injured patients had severe pain and problems that required ongoing medical investigations and drugs. This means that 23% of whiplash-injured patients had significant problems more than 7 years after being injured. (Tomlinson, Injury, 2005)
75% of patients with whiplash injuries will heal within 2-3 months. These patients sustained minor injuries to their muscles and ligaments, but not to their discs or facet joints. 25% of patients with whiplash injuries will progress to chronic symptoms. These patients injured their intervetebral discs, zygapophyseal joints, or alar ligaments. These patients will not resolve spontaneously and they become chronic. Bansley, Lord, Bogduk. Whiplash Injury: Clinical Review. Pain 58, 1994, 283-307.
Researchers at the Spine Research Institute in San Diego found that the number of people who develop chronic pain after an auto collision is as high as 10%. They also found that about 45% of people with chronic neck pain attribute their pain to a past auto injury. (Croft, et al.)
A 2005, 7.5-year prospective study on whiplash-injured patients found that 21% had intrusive symptoms that interfered with work and leisure, and required continued treatment and drugs. In addition, 2% of these whiplash-injured patients had severe pain and problems that required ongoing medical investigations and drugs. This means that 23% of whiplash-injured patients had significant problems more than 7 years after being injured. (Tomlinson, Injury, 2005)
75% of patients with whiplash injuries will heal within 2-3 months. These patients sustained minor injuries to their muscles and ligaments, but not to their discs or facet joints. 25% of patients with whiplash injuries will progress to chronic symptoms. These patients injured their intervetebral discs, zygapophyseal joints, or alar ligaments. These patients will not resolve spontaneously and they become chronic. Bansley, Lord, Bogduk. Whiplash Injury: Clinical Review. Pain 58, 1994, 283-307.
Researchers at the Spine Research Institute in San Diego found that the number of people who develop chronic pain after an auto collision is as high as 10%. They also found that about 45% of people with chronic neck pain attribute their pain to a past auto injury. (Croft, et al.)
Neck & Back Injuries
Neck and back injuries are common in an auto accident and can be painful in their own right. Commonly called "whiplash," neck injuries usually are associated with rear-impact collisions. Whiplash occurs when the soft tissues in the neck (containing nerves, muscles and ligaments) are damaged. Symptoms of whiplash include headaches and neck pain. Common symptoms of a neck injury include headaches, tightness in the neck and inability to turn the neck without pain. Some whiplash victims experience numbness, tingling and radiating pain into the shoulders.
Chiropractors are leaders in the care of whiplash-type injuries. A chiropractic doctor can properly determine the severity of a whiplash injury and whether any structural damage occurred to the area. Common treatment includes wearing a collar to immobilize the neck, and a doctor usually will prescribe pain medication or muscle relaxants to relieve tension. Further treatment from a physical therapist or chiropractor might be necessary. In severe whiplash injuries, symptoms will not subside even after several weeks, and further diagnostic testing is necessary to determine if surgery is needed.
Chiropractors are leaders in the care of whiplash-type injuries. A chiropractic doctor can properly determine the severity of a whiplash injury and whether any structural damage occurred to the area. Common treatment includes wearing a collar to immobilize the neck, and a doctor usually will prescribe pain medication or muscle relaxants to relieve tension. Further treatment from a physical therapist or chiropractor might be necessary. In severe whiplash injuries, symptoms will not subside even after several weeks, and further diagnostic testing is necessary to determine if surgery is needed.