How to Decrease Chances of Injury in a Car Accident?
Per the studies conducted by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly six million car accidents occur every year in the United States. A person dies in a car accident every 12 minutes. Many people suffer only small cuts, bruises with no serious injuries. However, certain injuries can go a long time and may need serious attention.
1. Whiplash Neck Injuries – These injuries typically occur when a person inside the car experience sudden jerking of the head forward and backward or whipping during a collision. Neck injuries can be serious and may need X-rays or MRI to evaluate the full damage after a crash. Whiplash can be painful and you may need to wear a neck brace to speed up the healing and keep from putting the strain on the injured structures.
2. Head Injuries – Trauma to the head can lead to temporary or permanent injury depending on the severity of the injury. Loss of consciousness or concussion must always be evaluated by a doctor. Intracranial hematomas or “Brain bleeding” may become a reason for swelling in the brain tissue which may further lead to damage of blood cells causing your doctor to order a CT scan of your head for further evaluation. Head injuries, if not treated on time, may lead to brain damage or death.
3. Broken Bones – If you have pain after an accident chances are you could have a fracture. Extremities such as your arms and legs are common but other spinal fractures such as compression fractures need x-rays for proper diagnosis.
4. Spinal Injuries – Your nervous system controls every single function in your body. Without our delicate nervous system, our bodies would be nothing more than an immobile group of cells unable to communicate and perform the necessary functions to sustain life. Our spine is what protects our nervous system allowing it to function 100% at optimal levels. Many times after a car accident the spine and nervous system have undergone trauma needing further evaluation. These symptoms might not start immediately but become more evident after the accident. This can lead to symptoms such as headaches, neck pain, back pain, insomnia, sciatica, shoulder pain, knee pain, hip pain, etc. This is why finding a chiropractor near you is essential to preventing further damage to your spine and nervous system. Accident damage the facet of zygapophyseal joints in the back and neck which are the exact joints that chiropractors realign and adjust back into the proper position to help with spinal pain or injury.
It is impossible to estimate the exact amount of residual disability after an accident, but it can be stated with certainty that the cervical, thoracic and lumbar facet joints will be intolerant to unusual stress or strain. They will be subject to further damage or even a slight provocation due to the injury of the zygapophyseal joint tissue and the ligaments Flava ligament. The resulting disability will be dependent upon the functional demands placed on the spine and ability to adjust to and to tolerate, the limitations imposed upon activities at home and future work duties. Even with guarded usage, the progression of current abnormal motion segment integrity is inevitable.
Ways to avoid an accident:
1. Pay attention to other drivers on the road to lessen the chances of injury making sure to check your blind spots and staying at least a car length distance from the vehicle in front of you. Avoid speeding or racing the vehicle. While you might be in a hurry to be somewhere, it’s better to get there safe.
2. Keep your car’s headlights and taillights on in the night so other people on the road can see you properly.
3. Don’t drink and drive.
4. Obey traffic safety rules while driving.
5. Make sure your car has proper maintenance and tire pressure to avoid getting in an accident due to mechanical failure.