Have
you recently been injured in an automobile accident? If so, it is
important to understand your rights and what is the proper care and
treatment for your full recovery.
With
over six million car, truck, and motorcycle accidents in the U.S.
annually it isn't really so surprising when anyone gets in a auto
collision-accident. When it does happen, though, most people
immediately after a crash (and sometimes for days after the accident)
aren't fully aware of the extent of their injuries, the affects to
their health, and how to deal with insurance and legal recovery and
resources available to them. Obviously, the more serious ones injury in
a vehicle accident the more important it is to address your options.
But even a "minor car accident" can have significant implications to
your health ... here's why:
When automobiles collide thousands of pounds of force are exerted upon a driver and passenger neck and spine.
Whiplash occurs when your head and neck are violently thrown-"snapped back and forth"-very
quickly with resulting injuries to the ligaments, soft tissue, nerves,
and discs of the neck and spine. Whiplash also may cause:
• severe pain and nerve impingement-"pinched nerve"
• adverse stretching
• spinal cord irritation
• nerve irritation
• tingling and-or numbness
• "pins and needles" pain in the body (neck, arms, shoulder, hand, face)
• anxiety
• ringing ears
• dizziness
• loss of hearing
• impaired or blurred vision
• and many other health related problems
People involved in a traumatic automobile accident that do not seek out and get chiropractic care
put themselves at-risk of never completely recovering from their injury
or injuries and unfortunately, many, ultimately end up "living on pain
killers" for years and many others ultimately get surgery or repeated
surgeries. This is why it is prudent to find out if chiropractic care
can make the difference between a process of natural healing and
recovery vs. a life of potential chronic pain and further risk of
permanent disability.
It
is also somewhat unfortunate hospital emergency rooms do not yet offer
chiropractic care and medical doctors are not specifically trained to
locate and correct subluxations
or spinal nerve stress, you may depart the hospital with as much spinal
nerve stress and damage as you had when you got to the hospital. This
may end up making someone suffer unnecessarily for months and years.
The goal of chiropractic care is to help fully restore normal position
and function, restore nervous system function, and help heal sore
muscles and damaged ligaments. This ensures complete physical recovery
after an auto accident injury.
Vertebral Subluxation Complex is what happens when spinal bones loose their normal position and motion.
Commonly
called "pinched nerves" the vertebral subluxation complex is an
abnormality that can seriously damage your physical, and thus,
emotional well being. This makes life difficult, sapping you of your
natural vitality and strength. Eventually, the complex can lessen your
innate ability to deal to stress, and makes degeneration, premature
aging, sickness, and disease more likely. Here's what can happen:
- KINESIOPATHOLOGY-JOINT DAMAGE.
Posture is distorted and the skeletal aging system is accelerated. Joints, discs and ligaments have increased 
wear and there is reduced joint movement.
wear and there is reduced joint movement. - NEUROPATHOLOGY-NERVE DAMAGE
The nerves begin "firing" abnormally resulting in lack of blood supply to internal organs and brain. This causes the loss of free radicals,
the chemicals that destroy cell membranes and have been linked to
chronic degenerative conditions including heart disease, cancer and
accelerated or quick aging.
- HISTOPATHOLOGY-TISSUE DAMAGE
Abnormal
pressure on joints and soft tissues cause inflammation or swelling,
redness, hotness, pain and restriction or loss of function. Your body
becomes overly sensitive to touch.
- MYOPATHOLOGY-MUSCLE DAMAGE
As
our bodies compensate for our injury the other muscles in our body work
harder to maintain proper posture and balance. Posture compensations
spread to the shoulders, knees, ankles and feet causing muscle, joint,
cartilage, tendon, and ligament distortion, causing weakness and pain.
- PATHOPHYSIOLOGY-HEALTH DETERIORIZATION.
When
one is "not whole" is it easier for disease to enter our lives. Adverse
body reactions include height loss, joint degeneration, and disc
disease.
What are my rights to getting chiropractic care after my accident?
Your
insurance company, or the insurance company of the driver that caused
the accident and subsequent injury, will pay for chiropractic treatment
if you need it.
Insurance
companies today realize the many advantages of chiropractic care.
Chiropractic treatment is generally covered in full by your automobile
insurance policy, whether you are a driver, passenger, or a
pedestrian... and regardless of who is at-fault. Insurance companies
are not responsible for pre-existing injuries but they are responsible
for your injuries resulting from the collision. At the Pleasant Hill Chiropractic Center
in Pleasant Hill, CA, we have experience in dealing with
insurance claims and we are happy to help you in filling out your
paperwork, if necessary, when filing a claim with your insurance
company.
If
you have been in a traumatic automobile accident, even if you feel you
currently have no obvious long term injury, it is wise to get a
chiropractic examination. Even if you are "just sore," get checked out
right away because you may experience pain, numbness, headaches, muscle
stiffness, fatigue, and other problems including arthritis later on.
Spinal nerve stress can take months or even in some instances years to
surface. A basic chiropractic exam by Dr. William K. Haley
(at the Pleasant Hill Chiropractic Center serves residents in the
Walnut-Creek, Concord, and Martinez, CA area) and proper treatment may
prevent much pain and long term suffering; possible including long-term
disability later in life. Don't take unnecessary risk ... get a
chiropractic exam if you have been in an auto accident.
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