Dr. Chris Butler uses all his Chiropractic skills and experience when he does an adjustment on his patients that have had injuries from a car accident.
A car accident can be a traumatic event for both your car and, for your body. Car damage can be recognized pretty easily, but injuries to your body and spine may not always show up so easily. For many part of the recommended treatment is to have a chiropractic adjustment, it can help reduce pain in the back or neck from a accident.
Common symptoms of body/spine injury that occur immediately, or very soon, after the car accident:
- Feeling shaky. That’s not just the adrenalin from the auto accident, it’s an early warning sign of injury to your body and/or nervous system.
- Stiffness and tightness in muscles or joints. Also indicates your body was traumatized and may have underlying hidden injuries that can show up (in some cases) months or years later.
- Chest pain or soreness, shoulder aches. Many times the seat belt restricts you from being thrown around the vehicle, but also causes damage to areas or the upper body.
- Wrist, forearm, hand pain or aches. Hands on the steering wheel at the time of impact often cause jamming of the wrist bones, or muscle injuries to the hands and arms.
- Foot, ankle, and leg pain or aches. Injuries can also be found in the foot, ankle, or legs due to pushing on the brake or clutch – especially if you see the impact coming.
Injuries to your body can vary depending on which side of the car/auto was hit.
Side Impacts. Often called, “t-boned”. Being hit from the side of your car can be very damaging to your body. In the neck, ligaments, bones, joints, and muscles aren’t designed to take quick, hard trauma from sideways impacts, this causes a lot of damage that doesn’t always reveal itself right away.
Hit from the front. This can cause the arms, hands, and wrists to jam forward. The neck and spine to be over-flexed.
Hit from behind. Often called “whiplash“. Causes hyperflexion, hyperextension injuries to the neck and spine. Also the low back is often slammed into the seat, creating problems in that area also.
In all cases the sudden jolts caused by large moving objects suddenly hitting each other causes nerve system and spine injuries, even at low speeds and these injuries may not show up for some time.