Transportation in our time has become all about motorized vehicles that move us from place to place. Short distances, long distances and everything in between happen at speeds much faster than walking. All this moving has led to the inevitable sudden stopping that happens in a car accident, and if you live in America you are almost guaranteed to be in one at some point. Although safety has become much better in the last 20 years, the human body just isn't made to handle the kind of punishment that a car accident creates. Depending on how serious the crash is, a trip to the hospital may be in order; but during the healing process a chiropractor may become your best friend.
Fender benders are the most common type of car accident and take place at speeds below 20 MPH. Keep in mind that we are dealing with the usual outcome in these situations; not every possibility that can happen. Sometimes as a fluke, a person can die from the smallest crash or walk away from the most serious one. In an accident under 20 MPH; the most common problem is a soft tissue injury, a hurt muscle, in the neck or lower back. Muscles attach to bones, and when they get injured they constrict and can pull bones slightly out of alignment; causing discomfort and immobility. A few simple trips to the chiropractor can fix this problem and cut your recovery time down considerably.
A medium accident happens between 20 and 45 MPH and causes a lot more damage to the body. You may or may not feel hurt right after the crash, but you definitely are. This type of accident can cause lots of different injuries including hairline fractures in bones and whiplash in the neck, but you may not feel the pain for a couple of days. Realignment of the spine and other bones is crucial in this situation; otherwise recovery will just be weeks or months of constant pain every time you take a step or turn your head. See your doctor right away to get checked out; then be prepared to visit your chiropractor ten to twenty times to get in good working order.
Anything above 45 MPH is a serious accident and can have major repercussions to your health for the rest of your life. I got in one of these crashes more than ten years ago and my neck still gets tight every time the temperature begins to fall dramatically. It doesn't matter if you walk away from this accident, or are transported by an ambulance; you need to see your doctor right away to look for problems you may not even know you have. Internal bleeding and broken bones need to be fixed right away and the adrenaline released into your system during an accident can cover up the pain completely. Once the immediate problems have been addressed; you will be left with a long recovery process before you really feel like yourself again. Chiropractic in this situation is long term and may require regular visits for months or even years.
Chiropractic care is a more recent advancement in healthcare and still hasn't fully moved into the mainstream. Most insurance plans do cover chiropractic now, but the norm is to limit the number of visits a person can have in a year. Discount plans like Ameriplan don't have any limits on visits, but only provide a cut in the chiropractor's asking price. A combination of the two could be just what the doctor ordered if you find yourself in this situation, but even if you don't have either, seeing a chiropractor is essential to your recovery. Who knows; when it's all over with, you may even have a new addition to your Christmas card list!
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