With 25 years of being a chiropractor, 20 of those in Everett, I have had the opportunity to see people who have been involved in car accidents on a daily basis. These are things that are consistent.
- Early Chiropractic care: I have had patients come in the office the day after the collision and a month after. Without exception, for the average whiplash the person who begins active chiropractic care early will heal faster and be out of pain faster.
- Early Movement: Unless you are broke, range of motion exercises immediately are a must. If not your neck and back will stiffen up, your pain will increase and it will take longer to heal and you will have more pain.
- Early Exercise: The muscles of your cervical spine hold up your head. They have just been strained in the accident you will need very specific light simple exercises for these muscles to properly heal.
- Proper rest: With the cervical spine (neck) muscle being strained, they will also need strategic rest. Otherwise by the end of the day your head will feel like it weighs a ton! A simple rolled up towel under the neck will do the trick as you lay on your back.
- The less time in the car is best: If I have two people in the same accident the one that drives the least will improve the fastest.
- The size of the collision does not mean much: I have seen people total their cars and need a couple treatments and I have seen people get "bumped" at 25 mph from behind and herniate a disc in their neck. No matter the damage to the car if you have neck, upper or low back pain get your spine examined.
- Delayed on set of symptoms: Many people will develop neck, upper back and shoulder pain and headaches one or two days after the collision. This is very normal. Right after the collision you are in shock and your adrenaline is rushing through your body. When this settles down and the inflammation from the injury rises, is when you have pain.
I hope this helps. If you, or someone you know, has been in a car accident or has had a recent whiplash and is experiencing neck, upper or low back pain as well as shoulder pain or headaches please give us a call at 425/35/7246. It would be an honor to look after your injuries and help your body heal.