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Auto and Work Injury

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Seattle Auto Accidents Injuries

Car Accidents happen often in Seattle, and many auto accident injuries do not show symptoms until weeks or even months after the crash occurs. Although these symptoms may appear invisible, there can be internal damage to the musculoskeletal system and soft tissues.

At Seattle Total Health, our team has helped many Seattle chiropractic patients safely recover from whiplash and other car accident injuries.

Common Auto Accident Injuries?

Could you be suffering pain from a whiplash or spinal injury? Often, crash victims are jolted and do not feel like themselves. Chiropractic care for auto injury is the most effective way to manage these symptoms and support the body’s natural healing process. Below are some common symptoms of auto accident injuries:

  • Neck Pain
  • Back Pain
  • Whiplash
  • Headaches & Migraines
  • Shoulder Pain
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness in Upper or Lower Limbs
  • Jaw Pain
  • Face Pain
  • Sleep Disturbances
  • Blurred Vision
  • Irritability
  • Dizziness
  • Forgetfulness
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Although many injuries, such as a broken bone, are immediately apparent, there are certain injuries that may not manifest until a few weeks or several months after the accident. A whiplash car accident, for example, may not result in debilitating neck pain until a few months after the accident, making it difficult to seek early treatment. If you or a loved one was recently involved in a vehicular accident, it’s a good idea to set an appointment with a car accident chiropractor.

How Can Chiropractic Help with Car Accident Injuries?

Our specialized Chiropractic care is often an ideal treatment of choice for victims of car crashes. Chiropractic care involves the treatment of soft tissue injuries, especially those in the spine. Most injuries that result from car accidents are sprains and strains of the spinal muscles and ligaments, so chiropractic care is naturally a viable form of treatment after an accident.

We routinely evaluates and treats auto accident victims and makes any appropriate referrals to other health care providers if necessary. Call Seattle Total Health today or schedule an appointment using our online form to get help in finding relief for your recent auto accident injury.

What to Expect During Your Visit

When you visit us for the very first time, you will be asked to fill out a patient information form similar to one that you would expect from any healthcare facility. You will be asked to provide information as accurately as possible to help give our chiropractors a better idea of your overall health and well-being.

Once you’re done, our chiropractor will conduct an initial interview of what is troubling you. You will be asked about what symptoms you are experiencing and whatever details of the accident that you can provide, among other things. For this, you may want to bring any medical records that you were issued after the car accident.

Our chiropractor will then examine you to see if your particular injury will respond well to automobile injury chiropractic care. This exam may test your range of motion, muscle tone, muscle strength, and neurological integrity. X-rays, MRIs, or other laboratory tests may be necessary. If you have already undergone such tests, kindly bring the results with you.

Based on the results of the interview and exam, our chiropractor will develop a personalized chiropractic treatment plan that best addresses your injury and works best for your body type. Our chiropractor will also provide you an estimate of how many treatment sessions you’ll need and how frequently you will need them.

What is Whiplash Injury?

Whiplash injuries can occur in the blink of an eye.

Whiplash is not a disease and not itself a diagnosis. It is more of a description of how the injury has been sustained. Anytime the spine is unexpectedly and quickly moved in one direction and then rebounded in the opposite direction (often what happens when slamming on your breaks during an auto accident), there is a possibility of developing a whiplash injury. Most whiplash sufferers have misaligned vertebrae in their spine.

These injuries usually involve a combination of the nervous system, muscles, joints, and connective tissue damage. Whiplash injuries can occur at different degrees. Chiropractic care for whiplash injury is the most effective way to manage these symptoms and support the body’s natural healing process.

Seattle Total Health specializes in treating whiplash injuries, a unique condition that requires the expertise of a skilled health professional specially trained to work with these types of injuries. We routinely evaluate and treat auto accident victims and make any appropriate referrals to other health care providers if necessary.

Symptoms:

Headaches occur in more than 80% of all people affected by whiplash. Headaches can often be a sign of brain injury, but most following a mild auto accident are related to injury of the muscles, ligaments and facet joints of the cervical spine, which actually refer pain to the head. These headaches usually start at the base of the skull and radiate towards the forehead. Treating the supporting structures of your neck will help alleviate these headaches.

Neck Pain

Neck pain is the most common symptom of whiplash. Often this pain radiates across the shoulders, up into the head, and down between the shoulder blades. Facet joint pain is common following auto accidents that is usually felt on the back of the neck and is tender to the touch. As the muscles start to heal, pain begins to subside, but abnormal movement and instability can occur if they are not treated properly.

Lower Back Pain

Low back pain can be the result of twisting in your seatbelt and from the rapid bending or twisting of the spine, which often occurs in car accidents. The lower back does not have the same degree of flexion-extension injury that is experienced in the neck, but it still experiences a large amount of compression during the whiplash injury.

Dizziness

Dizziness can occur after an accident for a variety of reasons. Often there is an injury to the facet joints in the spine, or in some cases injury to the brain or brain stem may contribute to dizziness as well. Dizziness is not a symptom of whiplash that lasts very long, and it can often be improved significantly with chiropractic treatments.

Other Symptoms

Other common symptoms of a whiplash injury include: Tingling or numbness in the arms, Blurred vision, Sleep disturbances, Irritability, Difficulty concentrating, Memory problems and Depression.

If you have been in an auto accident and are experiencing any of these symptoms or other issues with pain, or if you just not feeling like yourself after the accident, please feel free to contact Dr. Alex at Seattle Total Health for a chiropractic evaluation today. Don’t wait to let your whiplash injury cause damage or pain that could last for years, call today for specialized whiplash injury treatment!

How Chiropractic Helps Treat Whiplash

More than 20% of people who suffer from whiplash injuries continue to suffer from pain or restricted movement for up to two years after the accident. However, with proper care, many whiplash injuries can heal in just a few months, providing you permanent relief from your whiplash injury for years to come.

Chiropractic Care is the single, most effective treatment for minimizing the long-term impact of whiplash injuries. When coupled with massage therapy, trigger-point therapy, stretching and specific range of motion exercises, whiplash injuries can be treated at the most effective rate. Seattle Total Health Chiropractic specializes in whiplash treatments and can provide you with the most optimal care for your injury. Get help today by filling out our contact form online or calling us at 206-925-3556!

Frequently Asked Questions

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  • Is chiropractic treatment safe?
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    Chiropractic is widely recognized as one of the safest drug-free, non-invasive therapies available for the treatment of neuromusculoskeletal complaints. Although chiropractic has an excellent safety record, no health treatment is completely free of potential adverse effects. The risks associated with chiropractic, however, are very small. Many patients feel immediate relief following chiropractic treatment, but some may experience mild soreness, stiffness or aching, just as they do after some forms of exercise. Current research shows that minor discomfort or soreness following spinal manipulation typically fades within 24 hours.

    Doctors of chiropractic are well trained professionals who provide patients with safe, effective care for a variety of common conditions. Their extensive education has prepared them to identify patients who have special risk factors and to get those patients the most appropriate care, even if that requires referral to a medical specialist.

    Chiropractors do not prescribe drugs or perform surgery. They pay the lowest malpractice premiums of all healthcare professionals. Chiropractic is extremely safe for people of all ages (infants to elderly). We x-ray patients when necessary and screen for osteoporosis, degenerated discs, arthritis, congenital anomalies and a host of other conditions.

  • What is a chiropractic adjustment?
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    An adjustment is the main method of treatment used by your chiropractor. It is a specialized, controlled and safe pressure applied to your spine to restore proper motion and position of your vertebrae. It is a precise procedure that your highly skilled chiropractor has learned and perfected over years of training at a Chiropractic College and in clinical practice.

    Adjustment (or manipulation) of a joint may result in the release of a gas bubble between the joints, which makes a popping sound. The same thing occurs when you “crack” your knuckles. The noise is caused by the change of pressure within the joint, which results in gas bubbles being released. There is usually minimal, if any, discomfort involved.

  • I do not like my neck or back popped – What can you do for me?
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    We utilize drop tables and specialized adjusting instruments (Arthrostim) that are gentle, specific, and highly effective – no popping necessary!

  • Do insurance plans cover chiropractic?
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    Yes. Chiropractic care is included in most health insurance plans, including major medical plans, personal injury insurance. workers’ compensation, Medicare, and military veterans.

  • Does chiropractic treatment require a referral from an MD?
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    A referral is usually not needed to see a doctor of chiropractic (DC). Most plans allow you to just call and schedule an appointment with a DC.

  • Is chiropractic treatment appropriate for children?
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    Yes, children can benefit from chiropractic care. Children are very physically active and experience many types of falls and blows from activities of daily living as well as from participating in sports. Injuries such as these may cause many symptoms including back and neck pain, stiffness, soreness or discomfort.

    Chiropractic care is always adapted to the individual patient. It is a highly skilled treatment, and in the case of children, very gentle.

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