You are sitting in your car at a stoplight. Suddenly you are rear-ended. You may or may not see it coming. What happens in these few moments can have serious consequences. What you do about it in the next days and weeks may forever affect your future health.
The cervical spine is the most common area of injury. This is due to the “whiplash” effect created by the rear impact collision. As little as an 8 mile per hour impact can cause significant injuries to the occupants of both vehicles.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT SUNCOAST FAMILY MEDICAL ASSOCIATES:
1. A medical / chiropractic approach
2. Proper documentation of your injuries
3. Experienced licenced massage therapists
4. Gentle effective chiropractic care
(see IMPULSE ADJUSTING under services)
5. State-of-the-art digital x-ray
6. 25 years experience treating auto injuies
Symptoms to look for:
1.Headaches
2.Jaw / Face Pain
3.Numbness / Tingling in Hands / Arms
4.Neck Pain
5.Shoulder Pain
6.Low Back Pain
7.Memory Difficulties
These symptoms may appear for a while then dissipate. A delayed onset of symptoms is very common. Symptoms may re-appear or show up days, weeks, even months later. Ignoring the early symptoms may be devastating to your future health.
Initiating the proper treatment following an auto injury is vital to the healing of injured soft tissue.
If proper treatment and therapy is not administered in a timely manner, irreversible scar tissue and adhesions develop creating the possibility of permanent injury and progressive spinal / joint deterioration.
Just covering up and blocking the pain with pain medications is not enough and may give you a false sense of security, thinking that everything is alright.
Here at Suncoast Family Medical we take a multi-specialty approach towards treating your injuries. In the begining, certain medications may be needed to help control pain and spasms. This allows us to initiate the proper treatment therapies to begin the healing process. We have many options for treatment from massage therapy to chiropractic adjustments. The doctors will determine the best plan of action for your specific injuries.
Don't make the mistake of judging the extent of your injuries by the damage sustained to your vehichle. In many cases, low impact crashes cause significant injury to the occupants. Getting checked by a trained professional immediately after the accident is essential to maximize overall healing.
Treatment should focused on restoring proper motion and position of the spinal bones with healing and strengthening of the surrounding muscle tissue. Without proper motion and strengthening, proper healing can not be achieved.
If you or someone you know has been involved in an auto accident, call us today to set up a consultation so we can get you on the road to recovery.
