Shortening the Road to Recovery After an Auto Accident Injury: Your Chiropractor Can Help

It’s a great success story that most of us probably haven’t heard very much about.  America’s roads have become far safer across the past 20 years.  By just about any measure, travelers are much less likely to experience an auto accident injury than they were in the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

Fast Facts:  Motor Vehicle Accidentsby the Numbers

Vehicle Miles Driven.  Americans traveled 2,172 billion miles in 1991 and 2,979 billion miles in 2009.  That’s a 37% increase.

Motor Vehicle Accidents.  During the same 1991-2009 period, the number of accidents on U.S. roads actually decreased by 10%, dropping from 6,117,000 to 5,505,000.  So even though we’re traveling more miles, we’re having fewer accidents.

Occupant Fatalities.  The number of motor vehicle occupants killed in accidents during 1991 was 31,934. That number declined by 23% to 24,474 in 2009.  The fatality rate per 1,000 accidents dropped from 5.2 to 4.4 persons.  That means that when we do have an accident, it’s become less likely that someone traveling in the vehicle will be killed.    

Occupant Injuries.  The statistics show an even more positive trend with respect to injuries.  The number of occupants injured in accidents fell 29% from 2,850,000 in 1991 to 2,011,000 in 2009.  The injury rate per 1,000 accidents declined from 465.9 persons to 365.3.  Simply put, our motor vehicle accidents seem to be injuring fewer drivers and passengers when they do occur.

It’s likely that this general trend toward safer roads is being driven by a combination of factors.  It could be the way we’re driving that’s producing fewer, less serious crashes.  It could be the way our roads are designed, maintained or policed.  It could also be the active and passive safety features now included in many of our vehicles.  But whatever the reasons, we can all agree that this is good (if under-reported) news for our nation’s travelers.  

 

But What if I’m One of the Two Million Unlucky Ones this Year?

As encouraging as this trend is, it obviously means little to you if you or someone you care about is actually injured in a car accident.  Even in cases where drivers and passengers walk away from a wreck believing they’re “uninjured”, accidents can have profound, long-lasting health consequences for those involved.  It’s not uncommon for some types of symptoms to appear only gradually days or weeks after the event itself, delaying effective diagnosis and treatment.  Symptoms may also come and go intermittently, making it more difficult to associate them with the accident.        

Fortunately, there are things you can do to safeguard your health and improve your chances of a more rapid, complete recovery following an auto accident.  Clinical studies have demonstrated that chiropractic care can shorten recovery time and decrease the amount of permanent physical damage sustained in a collision.

Take Care of First Things First. 

Always address any life-threatening injuries first.  If you experience (or have reason to suspect) significant bleeding or bruising, broken bones, internal pain, difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, or shock, you should seek immediate help from healthcare professionals who specialize in treating trauma injuries.

Recognize Signs that You May Be at Increased Risk of Developing Chronic Problems. 

Be sure to tell your doctor if any of the following warning signs apply:

• A prior history of back, neck or shoulder problems (including previous injury).
• Distinct numbness, tingling or pain immediately following an accident.
• Increased muscle tension or reduced range of motion after the crash.
• You were involved in a rear-end collision.
• Your head was turned at the moment of impact.
• You have symptoms that don’t resolve or that become generalized.

Fun With Google Body Browser

If you remember the launch of Google Earth and your reaction the first time you saw satellite imagery that allowed you to zoom down and look at your own car parked in your driveway, you’ll be awestruck again by the Google Body Browser.

As the name implies this is a tour inside the human body. Peel back the layers, zoom, rotate and explore your innards in a brand new way. This project is still in the ‘lab stage’ over at Google, but is already an incredible tool. If you are a visual learner, you might find a new love for anatomy.

Google Body Browser allows you to isolate certain organ systems, individual organs and bones to get a better look at them. Once you have the view you want you can zoom and rotate it in three dimensions. All the supporting structures remain visible to keep the context.

Still images don’t do the tool justice. You really need to use the online interactive version. Since this tool is from Google, it seems to work best in Google’s own Chrome browser. You can find it here - http://bodybrowser.googlelabs.com/body.html# 

A couple cool features to point out... You can turn on and off labels to all the different body parts as you explore. If you ever need to study for Jeopardy and learn the name of the muscle that controls your little finger—it’s in there!

Of course since it’s a Google product, you can search too. If you can’t quite remember where the sciatic nerve is you can type it into the search box and it will be highlighted for you. If there are muscles, bones or joints we discuss at an appointment and you want to share the explanation with your spouse or friends later, just search for it by name.

You can also send a link to a specific view that you have created. If you need to share an idea or diagram with another person or save it for future reference, you can create a link that will go right back to that view. Here is an example that should take you directly to a view of the C1 vertebra – also known as the atlas. http://goo.gl/8q0W2

Interacting with this tool makes me wish something like this had been available for anatomy classes. If you have kids or friends in any type of human biology class, forward them this link so they’ll know about this great learning tool.

Have fun exploring Google Body Browser on your own!

Author Bio:

Dr. Matt Ramirez specializes in auto injury accident injury and rehabilitation and has enhanced and improved thousands of lives as well as treated people of all ages over the years. He is also an expert in health and wellness, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and more...

Buying the Right Exercise Ball

Exercise balls can be used to treat back pain and are effective in preventing, reducing and rehabilitating lower back pain in particular. Exercise balls are a wonderful addition to the fitness arsenal, but to get the most out of using one you must choose the right size ball for you. An excellent way to ensure you get the right ball is to schedule a personal consultation with a fitness and rehab professional. However, since that is not always possible, the following are some general guidelines these professionals have developed to help you choose a ball.

There are typically five different diameters of exercise balls to choose from, in centimeters: 45, 55, 65, 75 and 85 cm. They are each designed to fit a certain body type. Your height is not the only determining factor in terms of ball size; your weight and body composition are also considerations.

Be sure the various balls are inflated and available for you to test before purchase. Sit upright on the ball, ensure that your feet are flat on the floor and that your weight is evenly distributed. Your knees should be level with your pelvis, or just slightly lower. This position is key because you want an angle of 90 or greater at the knees and hips, to avoid stressing either of these pivot points. Your ears, shoulders and pelvis should form a vertical line, without your body leaning in any direction to maintain stability. You can check this alignment by gently bouncing up and down.

In general, people 5’ and shorter do best with the 45 cm balls, and people 6’8” and taller do best with the 85 cm balls. If you are heavier than average, you will compress the ball further when sitting on it. Therefore you should consider buying the next ball size up in order to ensure you have the 90-degree angle or greater for your knees and hips.

Also remember that you can adjust the ball somewhat yourself. For example, if the angle of your hips and knees is much greater than 90 degrees, you can deflate the ball a little. This can be useful if you are out of shape and/or new to using an exercise ball, as the flatter ball will be more stable and easier to use. However if you are in better shape or are more experienced with exercise balls, a flatter ball will be less effective at training your back muscles to improve their balancing and stabilizing abilities. If you initially buy a ball and deflate it, you can always add more air later to increase the difficulty level and train your muscles further. 

About the Author:

Dr. Matt Ramirez is a Chiropractor in Salt Lake City who specializes in auto accident injury recovery and rehabilitation and has enhanced and improved thousands of lives as well as treated people of all ages over the years. He is also an expert in health and wellness, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and more...