Many major injuries result from common auto accidents, but the most common injury in an auto accident is whiplash.
Soft tissue injuries to the neck and back
Of the roughly 11 million motor vehicle accidents each year over 10% result in whiplash injuries. Whiplash normally results from a rear end car crash even at very slow speeds of less than 10 miles per hour. These personal injuries often affect
soft tissues, muscles, tendons and ligaments and do not show up on x-rays.
Soreness and muscle pain around the neck area will often be the first signal of a soft-tissue injury that may
not be able to heal on its own.
Pain from whiplash neck and back injuries often initially go undetected, not showing up until hours, days or even months after a car accident.
Here are some common signs to look for that may indicate you have a soft tissue injury, or worse:
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Headaches, head and neck pains, stiff neck, muscle spasms?
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A restricted range of motion of your head.
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Problems with balance or equilibrium, loss of hearing, or ringing in the ears.
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Cold hands or feet, or numbness of arms, hands, shoulders, feet, legs.
If you think you have suffered a whiplash injury do not delay, call today. Even if you have had X-rays and they came back clean, remember that soft tissue injuries will not show up. Healing time is greatly affected by the elapsed time since the injury. Healing time can be much longer if the start of treatment is delayed. If possible treatment should be started within a few days of the injury.
If you experience any of these symptoms, call us today for an urgent appointment at: 909-988-4089.
How to prevent whiplash injury
Whiplash is normally the result of an automobile accident where one car is hit from behind by another car. The injury can take place at speeds as low as 6 miles per hour and your car may not show any damage due to the energy absorbing bumper systems on newer cars.
The sudden rear impact causes the victims body to immediately be accelerated forward hyper-extending the neck as the head is thrust rearward. In some instances your car may strike another car in front causing a rapid deceleration that whips the head forward, again hyper-extending the neck in the opposite direction. These whipping actions tear tissues, rupture blood vessels, and may injure disks, joints, and nerves.
If you are lucky enough to see that you are about to be struck from behind, and cannot avoid it, the best thing you can do is to keep your head facing forward with the back supported fully by your seat, and your head placed firmly against the headrest. You may also remove your foot from the brake if it is safe for your car to move forward as this will lessen the impact.
Treatments for whiplash head, neck and back injuries
On your first visit we will need to understand as much as possible about how you sustained your injuries. You will be given a 45 minute initial physical exam and you should bring with you any X-rays or other medical information relating to the accident, along with all of your insurance claim information.
The actual treatments will vary with the location of the injury and the severity, but generally will include acupuncture and moxi for the stimulation of healing and the reduction of pain; massage therapy and cupping for increased blood circulation to the affected area. Normally two treatments per week will be required until the healing progresses and the treatment frequency can be reduced. The actual services to be done will be determined by your acupuncturist.
The goal of the acupuncture treatments will be to reduce pain and stimulate your bodies own powerful healing processes to repair the damaged areas. Generally your treatment program will require two treatments per week which is very important to the treatment plan.
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