Car accidents, on almost every occasion, provide miserable experiences for both parties involved. Often, individuals are left wondering where to go for help. Some reluctantly go to the hospital, expecting answers and symptomatic relief, only to leave in just as much pain as when they went in. Pain killers, muscle relaxants, and soft braces are given as one prepares for an unknown future. Before we even go over what to do after a car accident there are a few things that you should know if you ever do unfortunately have an accident.
Lawrence Nordhoff, Jr., D.C.,accident re constructionist and author of two texts on vehicle collisions makes the following suggestions for that split second when you see the car approaching:
1. "Tighten up and brace yourself holding on firmly to the ten o'clock and two o'clock position of the steering wheel."
The idea of remaining loose and relaxed is wrong! Contracted muscles protect the bones, discs, ligaments and nerves.
2. "Keep your wrists flat, not bent," to prevent wrist injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
3. "Face forward, look straight ahead and sit squarely against the back of your seat." Never allow passengers to bend forward in airbag-equipped cars. If you are about to be rear-ended, press your head firmly against the headrest.
4. "When stopped, keep an eye on your rear view mirror." You have a better chance of not being injured if you're aware of the oncoming collision.
According to Dr. Nordhoff, the average person will be in a car collision once every ten years. Practice these four points upon entering your car will make them "instinctual" when the situation arises. Before the "big day" there are a few things to keep in mind.
1. "Buy Big! Size counts!"
Gas economy is great for our environment and small cars look cute, but when you're watching an S.U.V. drive into the back of your Hyundai, you'll wish you had a Suburban.
2. Sit at least 6" from the steering wheel to avoid serious injury caused by the airbag crushing into your chest. If you're too short, get pedal extenders.
3. The headrest must contact the area just above your ears. Most are set too low and act as karate chop when you're struck from behind.
4. Never place the shoulder harness behind your back. This puts the stress on the lap belt causing spinal cord injuries. If you're large breasted, use a shoulder strap cushion such as lambs wool.
5. Put a cushion on the glass in old pick-up trucks whose rear window acts as the head restraint.
6. Changed seat belts every 10 years and after major car accidents.
7. Service and check the ABS (anti lock braking system) every time you change your pads (must be requested).
8. Do not pump your ABS! This can cause your car to flip over. Just hold the brakes to the floor. It will naturally grab, grind and feel jerky but it is supposed to do this. Practice the feel of abrupt braking in a vacant lot.
9. Carry high insurance coverage. It's fairly inexpensive and will free you from having to sue your insurance company to have your treatment covered.
Often knowing information before something happens will cut the negative experience of it in half. You have all the information needed to do what is necessary.
AMAZING FACTS ABOUT CAR ACCIDENTS
- A low-velocity collision can cause soft-tissue damage in the posterior neck, which may lead to chronic whiplash symptoms.
- “A variety of factors, including the occupant’s awareness or head position in a colliding vehicle, defines the risk of neck injury to passengers in colliding vehicles. One can only conclude that the threshold of injury is a complex dynamic relying on velocity, force, head position, head-torso angles, restraint placement, anticipation, tissue elasticity, tissue strength, and any multitude of variables that evade accurate determination.”
- “Follow-up x-rays taken an average of 7 years after injury in one series of patients without prior x-rays evidence of disc disease indicated that 39% had developed degenerative disc disease at one or more disc levels since injury.”
- “Whiplash injury results in chronic neck pain and headache in about 20% of subjects.”
- A study of 22 traffic accident victims found 245 bone, diskoligamentous, and soft tissue lesions of the cervical spine that were not detected on radiographs.
- 43% of those injured in whiplash will experience long-term symptoms.
- In one journal article chiropractic improved the symptom category of 93% chronic whiplash patients. This is particularly important considering that 96% of these patients had intrusive symptoms that handicapped their work and leisure activities and required frequent use of pain drugs, or they were severely disabled, having lost jobs and required continued medical interventions with constant use of pain drugs.
So the motto of the story is make sure that you have all the information on how to be as safe as possible during a car accident. Make sure that you get your body checked immediately following a car accident by a chiropractor. Don't sit there and think about it, get it done straight away. It's your body , you need it to be in top condition to have a great life. Just because you are reading this blog means that you already care about your life, but there are people out there who are having horrible existences and are not totally responsible for their actions.
