Car Accidents and San Leandro Chiropractic Rehabilitation

As the rainy season starts, car accidents start to spike up. This is because we are still used to the summer driving though the road is slimier this time of the year. Usually, accidents occur at the stop sign or at the stop and go traffic. This is because we apply the same amount of brakes, speed and distance to the car in front like we are used to during the summer. Because cars lose traction on the wet and slimy road, accidents tend to occur more frequently.

Usually, these accidents fall on the category of rear-end collision at low-speed. This may seem harmless but even with rear-end collisions at low speed, considerable soft tissue injuries can occur to the persons in the car because of the generated kinetic energy. If a large car struck a smaller car from behind, more injury is usually sustained.

It is actually a misperception that if there’s no obvious damage to the car, then there’s no soft tissue injury. The fact is, if you see the car dents, that means the car had absorbed some of the energy from the collision at the spot where the dent is. If there is no dent, that means the force from the collision is absorbed by the entire car as well as by the occupants of the vehicle. So, to some degree, it is desired to see some denting.

A rear end collision even at slow speeds could cause the neck to arch to the back violently and then spring forward immediately then back again at a much lower force. This happens really quickly. If the force is strong enough this could lead to microtearing of the muscle covering called the fascia, neck muscle fibers and at worse cases, also cause a damage to the joint capsular as well as the nerve root. Ligament tears, vertebral body and spinous fractures are reported to be sustained by some people as well.

Sufferers report symptoms such as dizziness, headache, jaw pain, fatigue, and pain on their shoulders, wrists, lower back and knees.

Whiplash is best treated by a chiropractor. The first thing that a San Leandro Chiropractor would do is to rule out severe injuries that are dangerous and would need immediate attention. These injuries are hematomas, ligament sprain, fractures, spinal cord injury and the likes. If these are all cleared and the diagnosis shows that the condition is limited to a sprain or strain then they can begin with the treatment. The history of the accident and other information will be asked by your Doctor of Chiropractic at San Leandro Chiropractic Clinic

The goal for the chiropractic treatment is to first reduce the swelling then to reduce the pain and to reintroduce the motion to the misaligned joints of the spine. As the pain is subsiding, the restoration of the range of motion is the next goal and it’s important that this be completed successfully to prevent future reoccurrence.

So whenever you do get into such a situation, don’t hesitate to contact your San Leandro Ciropractor. But for now, make sure you do everything to avoid having a car accident by keeping your car in excellent shape. Double check everything and drive carefully.