For better or for worse, I have personally experienced many of the complaints that my patients come to see me about. Better for my patients, because I’m able to empathize with what they are going through and I have a personal understanding of their condition. Worse for me, because I had to suffer through those conditions. This also applies to the area of auto accident injuries.
I had the unfortunate luck to be rear-ended five times in the course of a two year period. In each case, I was either stopped in traffic or at a red light when the car behind me did not stop. Each accident was severe enough that I felt some pain from it. In each case I made it a point to get treated right away so as to minimize the injury (as well as pain) and try to mitigate any long-term effects from all the trauma to my neck and body. The worst accident entailed four months of treatment with another chiropractor who was quite good.
Studies have shown that prompt manual manipulation of the spine (chiropractic adjustments) reduces the likelihood of long-term chronic pain after an auto accident. Studies also show that it does not take a strong impact to injure the delicate structures of the spine. In fact, it is a bit counterintuitive in that an accident in which a car is severely damaged may result in less injury to the driver compared to one where the car is not as badly damaged. A car that is badly damaged may absorb more of the force from the impact and leave the driver and passengers less jarred. While a car that is less damaged may have bounced with the impact resulting in more of a jarring to the occupants.
I experienced both extremes with my accidents. I can say that I definitely felt the impact in my body even when my car showed relatively little damage.
Unfortunately, my latest set of neck x-rays do showed degenerative changes to my neck that weren’t there prior to my two years of rear-enders. I will keep making it a point to get adjusted myself so as to try to stave off further degenerative changes in years to come. For now, I don’t experience neck pain. I am doing everything I can to keep it that way.
Bottom line, if you have been in an auto accident, come in for treatment so that you can get out of pain. And hopefully we can keep you from experiencing pain years after that accident took place. If the accident was not your fault, we can usually bill treatment through the insurance of the person who hit you. If the accident was your fault, depending on your insurance policy, we may be able to bill through that. If all else fails, our cash rates are reasonable.