Auto Accident Chiropractor,
Can A Chiropractor Help?
Table of Contents
Auto Accident Chiropractor, Can A Chiropractor Help?
Have You Been In An Auto Accident in Hickory?
If you have been in an auto accident in the greater Hickory area, you may benefit from treatment by an auto injury chiropractor in Hickory.
The most common auto accident injury is whiplash. Whiplash occurs when the head is whipped from front to back.
The whipping of the neck sends high energy forces through the spine.
The impact of an auto accident causes a wave of energy to move through the spine, like what you see when a whip is cracked.
Whiplash is also referred to as a “Cervical Acceleration and Deceleration Injury”, because of how quickly the head is whipped forward and back.
Research has shown that an auto accident chiropractor can help with auto injuries through conservative, non-drug, chiropractic care.
Distracted drivers are causing rear-end collisions and whiplash injuries more than ever.
Whiplash is more than just muscle soreness. The symptoms of whiplash are the result of torn muscles and ligaments, damaged nerves, joints, and concussions.
Concussions are commonly referred to as Traumatic Brain Injuries or TBIs.
Many of the patients we have seen in our Hickory chiropractic office with whiplash from an auto injury did not have immediate symptoms.
If you have ever been sore after doing seasonal yard work or starting a new exercise program, you understand why someone with whiplash injuries may not have pain until a few days after an auto accident, it’s called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, or DOMS.
The inflammation caused by auto injuries, especially whiplash, does not peak until a few days after the trauma, just like you could experience beginning an exercise program.
If you have been in an auto accident in Hickory and have symptoms of whiplash or other common auto injuries, we hope this website will help you.
Chiropractic care for auto injuries like whiplash can be one of the best treatments to help decrease pain and get you back to doing the things you need and want to do.
The most important step is getting a correct diagnosis so that you get to the right doctor, whether that is an auto accident chiropractor, pain management physician, orthopedist, or neurosurgeon. Get the right diagnosis, then get the treatment you need.
Whiplash Treatment In Hickory
Critical Information to Avoid Permanent Whiplash Injury
A whiplash injury from auto accidents is the most common car accident-related injury treated by chiropractors.
In our Hickory chiropractic clinic, we take auto injuries very seriously. Whiplash injuries not only cause pain after the car accident, but they can predispose you to lifelong pain and possibly result in needing surgery, so getting the correct diagnosis quickly is critical so that the tissues do not heal back wrong.
An auto accident chiropractor can help you get the treatment you need for the best chance of a full recovery.
Whiplash Injury – Tissues Commonly Damaged
- Ligaments – Ten ligaments support and stabilize the spine
- Muscles Supporting The Spine – numerous muscles support and allow the spine to move
- Spinal Discs – Spinal discs are one of the 10 ligaments that support the spine.
- Nerve Roots of the Spine – The spinal nerve roots exit the spine between each vertebra. When injured, nerve signs like throbbing, shooting pain, numbness, and tingling are common.
- Spinal Cord – The spinal cord is inside the spinal column. The cord can be compressed, tractioned (pulled forcefully during whiplash), and lacerated or severed.
- Spinal Vertebrae – Vertebrae are the bones of the spine that can be fractured during an auto accident.
- Spinal Joints (Facet, or zygapophyses Joints) – are the joints on the back of the spinal column where the vertebrae meet. These joints have cartilage surfaces with tiny nerve endings, wrapped by a barrel ligament. The facet joints can be jammed, ligaments torn, and joint surfaces damaged in auto accidents.
Whiplash Injury – Severity and Risk
Whiplash injures vary in severity depending on the extent of damage to the body. There are several risk factors that could cause a more severe whiplash injury.
If the car seat headrest is too low, your head may move front to back, or “whip” more during the impact. A low headrest position in a rear impact is a serious risk factor that could cause the whiplash to be more severe.
Auto accident chiropractors can teach you how to protect yourself and your family from auto injuries.
Common Whiplash Symptoms
- Neck Pain
- Upper Back Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Arm Pain
- Chest Pain
- Headaches
- Pain turning the head
- Restricted range of motion when trying to turn the head
- Numbness, tingling in the arms, hands and fingers
- Fatigue / Tiredness
- Dizziness
- Difficulty Sleeping
- Depression
- Weakness in grip strength
The symptoms related to whiplash can vary extensively because trauma to the spine can injure a lot of different tissues. Most doctors are not trained in the triage and diagnosis of the extensive list of injuries that are the result of whiplash, so it’s important to be evaluated by an auto accident chiropractor with specialized training.
Whiplash Injury – Common Mistakes
The biggest mistake we see people make after an auto accident is not being evaluated by their primary care physician and an auto accident chiropractor with advanced training in trauma.
Too often people refuse to go to the emergency department to be evaluated, and then fail to see their primary care physician or auto accident chiropractor within a day or two after the car accident.
It’s understandable to not think it is necessary to be evaluated after an auto accident if you’re not experiencing immediate pain, but this is usually due to the fact that the inflammatory process is just starting.
After two or three days, most people notice a significant increase in pain and symptoms. If you are evaluated immediately after the auto accident, a trained auto accident chiropractor can begin working with you to minimize the inflammatory process and help you avoid further irritating and injuring the tissues.
Should You See An Auto Accident Chiropractor for Whiplash?
Whiplash injuries cause significant trauma to the spine and surrounding tissues. Auto accident chiropractors are an excellent choice for the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of whiplash injuries.
Chiropractic care is outstanding at reducing pain, improving function, and helping soft tissues to heal.
Chiropractic care may help to reduce the need for pain medications and more invasive procedures like spinal injections.
Back pain is one of the top reasons people start using potentially addictive pain medications.
With the opioid and pain medication crisis in the United States, chiropractic care can serve as a non-drug, first-line defense to more invasive and higher risk treatments.
In addition to the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic care for auto injuries, chiropractic care is cost-effective.
Dr. Shook has completed hundreds of hours of post-doctoral training in the triage, diagnosis, treatment, and documentation of auto accident injuries.
He is a Diplomate of The America Academy of Medical Legal Professionals, has completed medical coursework in Spinal Biomechanical Engineering and MRI Interpretation at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.
In addition to his training, Dr. Shook will always be compassionate and do everything he can to help you make a full recovery.
If you have been in an auto accident and would like to see if chiropractic care may be able to help you recover from whiplash or the long-term effects, please contact our office at the Auto Injury Treatment Center of Hickory at (828) 655-7980.