Our bodies are built to last, but they still have a threshold for how much damage or stress it can put up with. In a car accident, this threshold is practically guaranteed to be passed. And while you may think that this only occurs with high-speed collisions, but you’d be wrong.
Even simple fender-benders have been shown to produce enough force to strain muscles in the neck, regardless of the advanced safety features available today in many cars. Additionally, how our bodies react to passing that threshold can vary from person to person. Sometimes we’ll have young, fit adults come in after a small accident in severe pain. Other times, an old lady may come in after being rear-ended at highway speeds with a simple sore neck.
With motor vehicle accidents, people wonder how they can be hurt the way they are even though they had a seat-belt on and didn’t hit anything in the car. First off, what people don’t realize is that striking the headrest in your car still counts. Although the headrest is there to protect from more serious injury, it doesn’t mean striking it won’t have its own consequences. The sudden stop and rebound may easily result in a concussion and/or whiplash injury.
It is also important to remember that although damage to your head is potentially the most life-threatening in an accident, other parts of you are still at risk. Hands and knees can strike the dashboard, shoulders can hit a window, and just like the headrest, although it’s designed to protect you from far less desirable injuries, your seatbelt can bruise you or even break ribs.
This may all seem scary, but rest assured that although injury from an accident is likely to some degree, cars are designed to keep you as safe as possible, and your Premier Gilbert Chiropractic Clinic is here to help you deal with what injuries you do receive.
If you’ve been in a car accident, it’s important that you seek some kind of medical care. Many people don’t even feel symptoms of their injury until days or even weeks later. Waiting to receive treatment will only prolong healing and reduce total recovery. If you or someone you know has been in an accident, don’t hesitate to call us today for an exam to make sure you get the care you need to heal properly.
