Auto Accident Injury

AUTO ACCIDENTS CAN LEAD TO PERMANENT CONDITIONS

Motor vehicle collisions can have a significant affect on your body– more so than you realize! Obviously, a car’s body can withstand the impact of a crash much better then a human body. When a car is struck, the human driver and passengers take more of the energy transfer; it could be an impact very similar to an NFL linebacker tackling a 5 year old! But what looks like a “minor” accident because there is minimal car damage, can actually result in severe human injury. This is why 50% of whiplash injuries happen without any visible damage to the vehicle.

TIME IS TISSUE

Many car accident victims do not even realize just how badly they are injured, and sadly, these injuries can get much worse in the first few days to weeks following an accident. The common medical phrase “time is tissue” means that the longer the tissues go without treatment, the more tissue damage can develop. Even worse, scar tissue begins to form in the first 3-5 days. If scar tissue isn’t “taught” how to be of good quality, then it develops very tightly and causes problems to the joints, nerves and blood vessels around it. So ignoring the slight soreness after a collision can lead to bigger problems.

Things to remember if you are in a car accident:

Get evaluated for injuries ASAP. Even mild damage to a car can lead to major damage to you.
Use ice on the injured areas for the initial phase. Do NOT use heat. It will lead to more bleeding and scar tissue.
Try to keep as normal a routine as possible.

Types of injuries common to car accidents:

Whiplash/ neck injuries including herniated discs, nerve damage, permanent loss of motion
Upper back pain
Low back pain
Sacroiliac injuries affecting the hip joint
Brain injuries
TMJ (jaw) issues

head neck whiplash auto injury Whiplash is a neck injury that is due to a forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip. Over 3 million whiplash injuries occur each year resulting from motor vehicle crashes. Of these whiplash injuries, 500,000 people will develop chronic pain, and up to 300,000 will have some degree of disability. When left untreated, whiplash can lead to chronic neck pain, back pain, headaches, sciatica or long term pain which can lead to arthritis.