The thought of being involved in a car crash can be scary, but if you’re prepared for a circumstance that hopefully will never happen, you’ll be better off.
Aside from damage to vehicles, crashes can lead to many problems for people who are involved -- even in a minor fender bender.
What happens to the body during a car crash
Your soft tissue is what holds the bones together and aids in mobility. When you’re involved in a crash, the spine can be either violently thrusted backward and forward, side-to-side or forward and backward.
“When it’s done so abruptly like that, it overstretches, tears and ruptures your soft tissue,” said Dr. Anthony Crothers, a chiropractic physician, also known as Doc Tony.
Crothers, who has been a practicing chiropractor in the area since 1993, said those injuries can cause problems not only at the time of the accident, but as life goes on.
“It continues along a progressive, degenerative course, so it’s very important for people to take care of those injuries when you’ve been involved in any type of car accident,” he said.
Even in the most minor of fender benders, the force that hits the car goes through your vehicle and through you.
Crothers said it’s important to know that, even if you don’t feel pain at the time of the accident, you might still suffer micro-damage to the soft tissue that supports the joint -- a problem that may not present itself for weeks, a month or even six months down the road.
What next?
It’s important to see a doctor who can evaluate your condition within two weeks after a crash because of Florida’s 14-day law, which requires victims to seek medical care within 14 days of an accident. Seeking care outside of that window will likely cause the victim to be denied insurance coverage.
“You could be paying for your insurance for 20 years, be involved in a car accident and a lot of people kind of wait to see (if it works its way out), but at 14 days, if you don’t go to see a doctor, you lose your insurance benefits,” Crothers said. “So it’s always beneficial to be checked out whenever you’re hit, regardless of how mild it may seem.”
Chiropractors are one of the few primary health care providers who specialize in treating the musculoskeletal system.
At Doc Tony’s, the staff will ensure you get seen as quickly as possible and at a time that works best with your schedule. They’ll also provide transportation if need be.
Upon arriving, you will have the correct diagnostic testing done so as to get to the root of your injury.
Then, you can expect a complete exam with X-rays to pinpoint where your injuries are.
Finally, a customized care plan will be put together that will get you on the road to recovery and help you avoid long-term pain.
Want to learn more? Check out DocTony.com.