As a chiropractor in Salt Lake City, UT, I specialize in auto accident injury recovery. Every year thousands of people are involved in car accidents. Many different injuries, including whiplash, occur in these accidents.
Too many whiplash injury sufferers don’t seek the proper treatment they require. Whiplash neck injury and back pain can be effectively treated and recovery can happen. If you, or someone you know, have been in a car accident, seek chiropractic help immediately to determine whether whiplash or soft tissue injury has occurred.
Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about whiplash and the resulting injuries. The following statements should help dispel the myths about whiplash and give better understanding of this deceptive injury.
You cannot be injured in an auto accident of less than 12 mph. MYTH!
The fact is, only about 22% of auto injuries occur when impacts were greater than 12 mph. 60% of injuries happened in car accidents with the low speeds of 6-12 mph. And yet another 18% received soft tissue injury when impact was less the 6 mph.
You can have a whiplash injury even if your car has no structural damage. FACT!
Most cars can withstand a crash of 8-12 mph without any damage. More than half of all whiplash injuries happen without any damage to the vehicle.
Whiplash symptoms will occur immediately after a car accident. MYTH!
The fact is, an individual may have some pain immediately following a car accident, but whiplash symptoms may not occur for hours, days, weeks or possibly even months. That’s why it’s imperative that anyone involved in a car accident should seek professional health care immediately to determine whether a whiplash injury has actually occurred.
Whiplash affects women more than men. FACT!
There are many factors that affect the severity and length of whiplash symptoms. Your age, whether you’re a male or female, even your physical condition and posture play a vital role. As you get older you start to lose flexibility and strength in your neck. When this happens your neck can’t handle the strain from an auto accident as well.
Statistically, women experience whiplash more than men. This is primarily due to the fact that men have stronger neck muscles and women have smaller neck bones. Poor posture at the time of the accident can worsen the whiplash injury. Also, if you’re a smoker, the healing process can be prolonged. All these factors alone, or combined, can have a large impact on how severe your whiplash injury will be or the length of time it may take to recover.
The only symptom of whiplash is neck pain. MYTH!
The fact is, there can be many symptoms in a whiplash injury. Neck pain, shoulder injury and upper back pain are just a few. The following injury statistical averages are astounding and eye opening: 92% of whiplash injuries cause neck pain. 57% suffer headaches, 56% fatigue, 49% shoulder pain, 44% anxiety (yes, anxiety), 42% upper back pain, 39% low back pain, 39% sleep disturbance, 26% impaired concentration. These are many, but not all, symptoms of whiplash injuries.
Chiropractic care is helpful in the treatment and recovery of whiplash. FACT!
If you are in a car accident you should be checked out as soon as possible by a chiropractor. You may not realize that you’ve sustained an auto accident injury. Whiplash injury can improve with chiropractic care.
A chiropractor will conduct an exam and may request x-rays to see more of the damage. If a chiropractor does determine that a whiplash injury has occurred he/she may use a number of safe and effective treatment options to help restore the proper use of the affected area.
There is nothing you can do to prevent whiplash injury. MYTH!
There are steps you can take that can reduce or prevent the personal injury of whiplash during a car accident. One key point is the position of your headrest on your car seat. Adjust the headrest to align to the back of your head… not down at the neck. This will help support your head from being snapped back and forth when involved in a car accident.
The overall fact is that if you have been involved in any type of auto accident, there is a great probability that you have sustained a whiplash injury or at the very least, a soft tissue injury.
As a guideline, if your car has accident damage of any sort, your body will have injury damage also. The injury may not present itself right away. It may show up much later causing long term or even permanent problems. The point here being, regardless of the severity of a car accident, you should be checked out thoroughly by a health care professional as soon as possible.
Dr. Tom Grant is a Chiropractor in Salt Lake City, Utah.
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