Common Questions about Chiropractic Auto Accident and Personal Injury Cases.

We realize that your injuries can lead to quite a bit of hassle in your life. Here are some quick answers to common questions you may have about your injuries and how Chiropractic can help.

What is Whiplash Neck Pain?

When you are in a car accident, especially a bad one, your body absorbs the force of that impact. The force causes the body to shift rapidly inside the car. The neck can be thrown back and forth or side to side with a great deal of energy. When this happens, it causes damage to the the joints and soft tissues of the spine. This is much like a strain/sprain, but can also involve the discs, joints, or even nerves. Sometimes you may not feel much of anything right after the accident, but within hours or a day or two later, the pain and stiffness kick in. This is whiplash. Chiropractic care is designed to work directly on the injured tissues and align your spine to provide immediate relief and help you recover quickly.

Can whiplash happen outside the neck?

Yes. We typically call whiplash outside the neck and upper back an acceleration-deceleration injury. Often the result is soft tissue damage like strain, sprain, or disc trauma. It’s actually quite common in the lumbopelvic region (low back and hips). It can also occur in the mid back, chest, and ribs. In reality, any part of the body can be injured during a car wreck. Things like rotator cuff injuries, rib sprains, even patellar (knee cap) injuries are more common than you might think. We address all of these complaints during your exam: including possible concussion. No matter what the area of the body, our Chiropractor will make sure to properly examine and treat these issues. If you need help outside of Chiropractic, we have a network of professionals that work with our Chiropractor to make sure you get the care you need.

Do Chiropractors typically treat auto accident and personal injury cases?

Typically Chiropractors are the most common choice of treatment for these types of injury. Physical therapy and massage are also great options: that’s why we provide all these services. Even if you went to the emergency room and checked out okay (no broken bones or life-threatening condition); pain, stiffness, and weakness can persist until you seek specific Chiropractic treatment. Hospitals are great at saving lives, but they typically don’t treat these types of injuries outside of prescribing muscle relaxers. They may even refer you to a Chiropractor for the treatment of your condition. It’s actually quite common for us to receive these types of referrals.

Signs & symptoms of whiplash and acceleration-deceleration injuries:

You may not develop symptoms initially. After your auto accident and personal injury incident you may feel “shaken up” or “out of it”, but don’t feel you need to go to the hospital. However, symptoms may appear soon after the accident, typically within a few days after the trauma. In fact, some patients slowly get worse over a period of a few weeks before they realize they need help. This is typically when a patient seeks Chiropractic care. The most common symptoms include:

• Pain in the neck and shoulders
• Shooting pain into the arms or legs
• Pain in the low back and hips
• Unable to check mirrors in car
• Muscle & joint stiffness
• Difficulty moving an injured limb
• A feeling of heaviness of the head
• Migraines and headaches
• Mental fog, fatigue, and confusion (possible concussion)
• Pain or numbness in the arms, hands, legs, or feet
• Sensation of weakness in the neck, back, or extremities

How is Auto Accident and Personal Injury treated?

When you come in to see our Chiropractic team, we will take a full history and conduct a complete examination to determine your diagnosis & treatment options for maximum recovery. Our Chiropractor may determine that imaging like X-ray or MRI is necessary. From there, our goal is to restore normal mechanics (movement and alignment) as quickly as possible.

First, we may use of one or more modalities to reduce pain and inflammation like E-stim or ultrasound. This helps with any spasm or guarding that might make care more difficult. Sometimes nutrition, supplements, or even injections can be used to further reduce inflammation and promote healing. We typically prescribe targeted therapeutic massage to reduce muscle tension and break up any adhesions or scar tissue which limits the flexibility of muscles and fascia. Gentle Chiropractic Manipulation of joints is essential for proper alignment and movement improving range of motion and mobility. Once your pain, inflammation, and mobility have improved, it is safe to put you into a progressive rehab program. The aim of rehab is to retrain the muscles to work properly again ensuring flexibility, strength, and stability. In some cases, our Chiropractor may need to refer you to another physician such as an orthopedic surgeon or pain management.

How long does it take to treat my auto accident injury?

You may have been told that your injury will resolve in two weeks by an insurance company. Unfortunately that is not true for most patients. Most cases take 1-3 months to get to maximum recovery with treatment such as Chiropractic, Physical Therapy, and Massage. However, healing can be faster or slower depending on the severity of the trauma. Some more severe cases can take over a year to treat and may have lingering symptoms or impairments. Factors such as type of tissue damaged, existence of neurological symptoms, occupation, surgical needs, and daily activities play a roll on the road to recovery. No matter the case, our Chiropractor will be with you every step and make sure you have access to the resources you need: whether it be inside or outside our clinic. The most important thing is to get care immediately to have the best outcome.

How much does it cost for a Chiropractor to treat my injury?

Every accident and injury case is different. The cost of treatment depends on how long we have to treat, which treatments are necessary, and if we need to refer out for further testing or care with another specialist. Chiropractic cases range from several hundred to several thousands of dollars. The good news is that we can postpone payment until you have settled your case. Once your case has settled, we work with the insurance company and/or lawyer to receive payment for your treatment. It is typically best to work with a lawyer who can guide you through the insurance claims process. If needed, we would be happy to refer you to some great lawyers we know to be trustworthy.

Should I just wait and see how I feel after my car accident?

After a car accident, don’t wait. In the majority of cases, whiplash and auto injuries don’t resolve by themselves. In fact, it’s the opposite. Most people experience steadily increasing pain and disability without proper treatment, especially Chiropractic which focuses on the joints. If you wait too long, dysfunction caused by your injury can cause even more damage to add up over time making your prognosis worse. The longer you wait, the less likely you will be to make a full recovery. The sooner you address the issue, the better your outcome will be. Our Chiropractic treatments are designed to help you recover as fast and as fully as possible so you can get back to your life.