The US is one of the busiest countries in the world when we talk about road traffic. And so the collision rate is also higher: Approximately 12 million vehicles crashed in the year 2018, which is alarming for the United States government.
Let’s dig into the details!
Reasons for High Car Accident Rate in the USA
- Breaking traffic rules
- Aggressive driving
- Being distracted while driving
- Over Speeding
- Tailgating
- Texting while driving
- Driving after consuming drugs or alcohol
Whiplash Injury-Overview
Whiplash is also called neck sprain. It happens when the victim’s neck moves backward-and-forward forcefully, commonly due to an automobile collision. But it can also occur from other events like sports accidents, physical torture, falls, etc. However, victims who get minor injuries recover quickly without any long-lasting chronic disability.
If you’ve been the victim of an automobile accident and currently suffering from a neck strain, then this article is for you. Continue reading!
Whiplash Injury- Facts
- There are many people who faced car crashes don’t even realize that they got a whiplash injury until months later or you can say that they consider those injuries as normal neck pain until the damage gives rise to other health issues.
If a car’s headrest is placed in a wrong position i.e. too low from the head, the chances of getting whiplash increase by 30%. - As per reports, kids and women suffer more from whiplash in car accident than men because they are shorter and weaker than men. For this reason, they sit too close to the steering wheel and sometimes wear their seatbelts in the wrong position.
- If your whiplash is treated incorrectly it could lead to chronic psychosocial symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, stress, feeling lost, and depression.
- Whiplash could result in partial disability for a longer period if it’s not treated on time. In the US, there are significant economic expenses of 30 billion dollars annually related to whiplash. The expenses include:
- medical care,
- disability, and
- lost productivity,
- sick leave,
- litigation.
Whiplash Injury-Symptoms
The car crash victim can get either mild or serious whiplash injuries. In both cases, they should consult the best chiropractor for whiplash. Those people who got mild whiplash may still experience the following symptoms:
- Headaches
- Poor vision
- Nausea or vertigo
- Upper back pain
- Sore muscles
- Neck pain
- Ringing in the ears
- Arm and shoulder pain
- Pain when turning the head or inability to move it
- Difficulty sleeping
- Dizziness
- Numb fingers
- Depression
- Tiredness
Likewise, people who got severe injury might get
- Injured bones in the spine
- Subluxations
- Damaged nerves
- Pulled ligaments in the neck
- Disc herniation
With so many different whiplash symptoms, a few of them are not even immediately traceable. Therefore the victim must get their spine checked by the specialist without wasting much time. There should not be any excuse for the delay in whiplash treatment.
How Doctors Diagnose Whiplash?
Generally, doctors diagnose whiplash by physical examination of a patient. Also, they ask Typical Diagnostic Questions given below:
- At what time did the pain start; immediately after a crash or after some hours?
- How an injury occurs? (Car accident? Physical abuse? Sports? Fall?)
- Is pain stable or travel to other body parts?
- What self-care tips you adopt to manage your pain?
- Other than the neck, do you have pain in your arms or spine?
- Which body movement increases your pain?
Moreover, they dig into the patient’s medical history, and also perform specialized imaging tests, depending on the case.
Radiological Examination
As we know that whiplash usually results in soft tissues injury, your specialist may take x-rays to rule out spinal injuries or bone fractures. If the doctor suspects a herniated disc, they may perform a CT scan or MRI to evaluate the extent of an injury.
The whiplash treatment depends on a victim’s symptoms. Moreover, it depends on
- Age, health condition, and medical history
- Tolerance for therapies, medicines, and specific procedures
- If they had suffered from whiplash before
- Existing low back or neck pain
- A high-speed injury
- His or her preference
Generally, initial treatment of whiplash starts with:
- Physical therapy
- Ice applications
- Osteopathic manipulation
- Gentle movements
- Cervical (neck) collar
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications
- Muscle relaxing medicines
Whiplash injury risk factors:
It depends on the victim’s health and other factors that how long they will take to recover from an injury. Those who’re at a young age start making improvements within a week after the treatment started, and never face any lasting effects. Whereas, old or middle-aged people take months to recover and also stays in pain years later after the accident occurred.
In short, age plays a significant part in your chances of recovering from Whiplash. Your joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles become weaker over time, your body to become less flexible and restricted as it gets older.
How to Prevent Whiplash?
As said above, car accident ratio is higher in USA so whiplash injuries are increasing day by day. Same as it’s impossible to prevent car crashes, you can’t control whiplash even if you’re taking all precautions to avoid it.
Advances in the automobile industry have played a significant role in reducing car accident injuries, including whiplash, but no one can eliminate it 100 percent. Head restraints can prevent hyperextension, but there is a condition for this equipment to work properly–– you must position head restraint directly behind your head; otherwise, it’s of no use. Therefore, to use such devices properly, you should gain some knowledge before.
The following are the few approaches that everyone must follow to reduce their chances of getting Whiplash.
- Never drive without seatbelt
- Always adjust a headrest to a position that your neck stays in a comfortable state
- Read all instructions of safety and sports equipment like how to use airbags
In addition, you should never
- Break traffic rules
- Drive aggressively
- Use a mobile phone while driving
- Cross the speed limit
- Drive after consuming drugs or alcohol
- Why there’s need to visit the best chiropractor for whiplash?
- You may need to visit the chiropractor for whiplash injury to
- Improve your range of motion
- Reduce neck pain and stiffness
- Reduce inflammation in other parts of the body
- Increase mobility and coming back to routine life
Also, if you got an injury due to a car crash, we would advise you to take prompt legal action to protect your legal rights. We hope this article provides you enough information about whiplash injury and the need to get early treatment.
Thank you for reading!
If you or any of your family members become the victim of a car accident, look for the best chiropractor for whiplash treatment.
Share this article with your loved ones to make them aware of whiplash injures.
