Car Accidents and Whiplash Injury Care in Newington, CT
Auto accidents are one of the most stressful things that can happen to us. We lose time from work, have endless phone calls with insurance adjusters, need a rental car, and have to deal with body shops. Too often the body we forget about is our own.
When you have a car accident, some pain may be felt immediately, the next day you may feel like you got beat up, and several weeks later aches and pains pop up that weren’t noticed initially.
Whiplash (or cervical sprain/strain) is commonly caused by rear end, head on, or T-bone type collisions. When the head is suddenly jerked back and forth or side to side, beyond its normal limits, the muscles and ligaments supporting the spine can be violently stretched or torn. In a rear end collision, your car is pushed forward which pushes the body forward too, but the head remains behind momentarily, rocking up and back, until some of the muscles and ligaments are stretched or torn. As the head rebounds, it springs forward with greater force than it went back. If you saw a slow motion video of a car crash, you would be shocked at the violence to the head and neck.
Following a whiplash injury, many people have neck and back pain, headaches, dizziness, nausea, shoulder and arm pain, numbness or tingling in the arms or legs, blurred vision, and ringing in the ears. Some of these symptoms come on quickly and other may appear over several days.
If you are in an auto accident it is important to have your spine checked because uncorrected spinal injuries can lead to chronic symptoms and eventually can lead to post-traumatic arthritis and premature spinal disc degeneration. This delay in symptoms and the long-term consequences make it very important to get examined after any accident.
If you have a whiplash injury, we will do a comprehensive examination to determine the extent of your injuries. This will include orthopedic and neurological evaluations, tests of muscle tone, posture, range of motion, and often x-rays as well.
Initial treatment is aimed at reducing pain, inflammation, and spasm. This may done with ice packs, a special form of electrical muscle stimulation, and gentle range of motion exercises. As pain decreases, gentle chiropractic adjustments are used to restore proper position and motion to the spinal bones. This not only helps to further decrease pain but realigning the spine will help prevent future arthritis in the injured area. Over several weeks, exercises may be added to restore strength and stability to the spine.
These are common concerns of whiplash victims. Our office deals with auto insurance companies everyday. We handle all the paperwork and billing so you only have to worry about getting healthy.
If you have an attorney, we will keep their office up-to-date with reports and treatment notes so they can handle your case. If you don’t have an attorney, but feel you may need one, please ask. Over the years, we have gotten to know some of the best firms in the area and would be happy to refer you to one.
Whiplash can cause head trauma, sprains to the wrist, knee or ankle (from gripping the steering wheel or having a foot on the brake), or even TMJ problems. In some cases, these other injuries may require co-treatment with a medical specialist. Our office works with many area neurologists, orthopedists, and pain management specialists to help you in your recovery.
If further evaluation is needed, we can refer you to some of the top practitioners in the area.