Whiplash and auto accidents go together like Laurel and Hardy. If you’ve suffered any kind of impact, the chances are that you will have suffered a whiplash effect. It’s basic physics. At Warwick Chiropractic, we help many Lacey accident victims, but would you be surprised to know that many injuries are actually caused by very low speeds, even under 15mph?
What happens is as impact occurs, your car will absorb as much energy of the shock as possible. However, it’s physics, it will unable to absorb 100% of it. Some of that energy is transferred into your body, especially as you are wearing a seat belt, and while it will save your life, it actually goes some way to creating the whiplash effect. The choice is, whiplash or fly through the windshield? Whiplash can be dealt with, I’m sure anyone would prefer it to meeting the windshield.
So what happens is, in impact, your head is thrust forward as the car comes to an abrupt halt. Your seat belt does its job by holding you in place, but as it holds you from going forward, your head snaps back very quickly, in a whip like motion. Hence the term whiplash.
Tiny fibers and muscles in your neck are ripped and broken and it is these that cause stiffness and pain following an accident. While many people ignore that pain thinking it will improve in time, up to 35% of people with whiplash injury will experience chronic pain several weeks or months afterwards.
And this is why you should be treated as soon as possible.
We at Warwick Chiropractic, your Lacey auto accident doctor is very skilled in treating whiplash injuries. It is vital to get treatment in order for these fibers to heal properly. These fibers have been ripped in the injury. If they are left to their own devices, they will heal on their own, but they will heal improperly. They will heal randomly and this randomness can lead to joint compression which in turn will lead to inflammation, pain and longer term problems.
A chiropractor will be able to encourage proper healing. By decompressing the joints in the neck, it means the fibers will heal and rejoin at the proper length and thus not compress the joints in the long term.
Another important reason to be treated as soon as possible is to ensure that your insurance has all the right documentation and you have shown you have been treated at the appropriate time. If you do not do this and you suffer pain from the accident in 6 months time, your chances of being covered decrease dramatically.
So if you have been in an accident in Lacey or beyond, come in and see us as soon as you can. We have many years treating auto accident victims in Lacey and we can prevent further problems from arising in the future. Short term early treatment is better than long term painful treatment.