Why Chiropractors are Successful at Treating Whiplash Auto Injury

Doctors, chiropractors, and crash-specialist researchers have extensively studied whiplash auto injury.

In a rear-end collision, the vehicle that hits the front car transfers the force to the front car. Since passengers are inside the car, they end up absorbing the forces of the car. That means that your skeleton, ligaments, tendons and muscles absorb this shock.

Your cervical spine has a normal S-shaped curve. During the impact, the lower part of the S-shaped curve flattens out. The upper part of the S-shaped cervical curve flexes forward. Next the muscles in your neck contract to try to protect the underlying structures in your neck. The ligaments of the neck get lax and overstretched and the muscle contraction are both parts of the reason why the S-shaped curve has changed.

As you already know, the muscles, ligaments and tendons cover the vertebrae. Spinal nerves emerge from the vertebrae. Underneath the vertebrae in a deeper level is the spinal cord.

When your Lancaster chiropractor treats your neck with a chiropractic manipulation, the manipulation helps restore the alignment of the vertebrae and thus, helps reset the S-shaped curve. Ligaments and muscles take time to heal, and after an auto injury, inflammation sets in.

Chiropractic treatments for an auto injury take all this into account. Chiropractors like Dr. Palmer use drugless, pain-relieving methods of treatment such as spinal manipulation, physical therapy, exercise therapy, and nutritional therapy.

Chiropractors are experts in assisting the healing of the muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones and tissues by interfacing with the nervous system via the spinal nerves. Chiropractic treatment decreases inflammation when you have an auto injury. You’ll know this is true by seeing small changes in your condition as you’re getting treated.

By getting treated for an auto injury as soon as possible from your chiropractor, you have a better chance of putting this auto injury into the past. Call our Lancaster/Depew office to get started on your recovery today.

 

Reference:

Murphy, D.R. Normal function of the cervical spine II: Neurophysiology and stability.  Conservative Management of Cervical Spine Syndromes. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999:45-70.