There are approximately 6 million car accidents that occur in the United States per year. Florida has the most accidents by far, and Texas has the most fatalities of people involved in a crash. When a car is traveling above 50 miles per hour, the likelihood of being injured is about 70%; and when speeds are in excess of 70 miles per hour the risk of injury and fatalities rise sharply.
When a patient presents to my office after a collision, there are a few questions that will indicate if someone is injured more times than not even prior to the exam. Was the person aware of the impending crash? If not, the risk of injury to the head/neck/torso rises significantly. Think of the last time that you came downstairs in the dark and missed the last stair? As your foot landed, it jarred your body all the way from the foot up your spine, doesn’t feel good does it!! Now imagine a 2000lb car traveling at any speed slamming into your car without any warning—same issue on a larger scale.
Secondly, were symptoms present right after the crash? This indicates more than likely not only were muscles strained, but ligaments were sprained-which take longer to heal and can result in more permanent injuries. Research also states that any symptoms that crop up within 6 hours of impact indicates the body has been injured. The sooner symptoms kick in, usually a more significant amount of damage to muscles, ligaments, discs, and bones has occurred. In such cases, you search for a “chiropractor near you" for a rapid solution to your injury.
If you are noting symptoms right after a crash, my suggestion is take the ambulance ride and be checked out at the ER by a professional, odds are there is an injury and quick intervention is key. Lets say symptoms kick in that day or the next day and are moderate in nature. This is when a visit to urgent care, or a chiropractic office is a good choice-remember early intervention is vital. Most Chiropractic offices have imaging on site, to assess if a fracture or soft tissue injury has occurred based on X-rays; and the practitioner can perform orthopedic/neurologic testing to assess the nature of injuries sustained. If you need spinal decompression therapy in fishers: Mason Family Chiropractic and Wellness is the right place to go.
In my experience, injuries can occur during high or lower speed crashes and produce symptoms and chronic problems—so don’t wait to be treated, you only have one body, if it wears out, where are you going to live.