Car Accident Injury

I get many car accident injury victims coming to me with pains they sustained from their recent (or not so recent) accident. A motor vehicle accident (MVA) can be deceiving regarding injuries received at the time of the accident. The forces involved when two or more two or three ton vehicles smash together are more formidable than one would think.

Victims of MVAs find that out off times several days to several weeks after the accident as they get more and more sore. Two to three weeks go by before all the physical effects of an accident show up. And when they do the patient is often surprised at the enormity of their pain and the different locations of their pain.

This is a crucial time to use Chiropractic spinal adjusting to correct the damage sustained in the accident. You see, the force of the collision has displaced the vertebrae of the spine. When this happens the ligaments and tendons attached to the vertebrae and other bones are traumatized. Ligaments and tendons don’t like to stretch so when the collision happens, heavy forces are placed upon these structures that result in micro-tears.

Then comes inflammation that brings extra fluid to the area. This happens when water leaks from the capillaries in the region. This water settles in the interstitial spaces (the areas between the tissues). This extra water puts pressure on the nerves, and pain is the result.

I like to tell my patients that they will pretty much heal without my help, but the vertebrae that are now displaced will stay displaced because they will heal in the wrong position. By adjusting the vertebrae on a regular basis after the accident, they will be returned to their normal and proper positions. As the patient returns for more treatments, the vertebrae “learn” to stay in the correct position.

About three months of treatment are required to ensure that the vertebrae learn their proper position and stay there. All this treatment will help make sure that the spine will function correctly in the years after the accident.