You just had an auto accident. After assessing the situation, you find there is little to no damage to your vehicle, and you aren’t experiencing any pain. You may be thinking that you don’t need to seek medical attention. However, even a minor accident or “fender bender” with no damage to your vehicle still may cause an injury. You may not feel the pain from your auto accident injury for two to three weeks after the collision.
Florida state law requires you to be evaluated by a doctor or chiropractor within 14 days of your car accident. If you fail to receive an evaluation, you will lose all your medical coverage for that accident. That is why it is imperative to seek medical attention right away regardless of damage to your vehicle and immediate symptoms. If you wait until symptoms appear, which can take two to three weeks, you risk losing all the medical coverage you need for treatment. Without receiving proper medical treatment, you may develop permanent injuries. OIWC is here to help educate patients to make the best decisions for their health and wellbeing. Now that you know the repercussions of going without treatment or waiting past the 14-day rule, you may be thinking, how can I tell if I have been injured in a car accident with no damage?
In this blog we’ll discuss a very common neck injury caused by auto accidents. Rear end car accidents (with little to no damage) almost always lead to some form of whiplash. Whiplash is caused by the collision’s impact that forces your head to whip backward and then forward. This “whipping” motion causes the ligaments and muscles in the neck (which hold the joints together) to become over stretched. Pain, tight muscles, and weakness are often felt due to the tears in the muscle fibers produced by the strain on the ligaments and joints. According to Mayoclinic.com, signs and symptoms of whiplash usually develop within days of the injury, and may include:
Neck pain and stiffness
Worsening of pain with neck movement
Loss of range of motion in the neck
Headaches, most often starting at the base of the skull
Tenderness or pain in the shoulder, upper back or arms
Tingling or numbness in the arms
Fatigue
Dizziness
Some people may also experience:
Blurred vision
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
Sleep disturbances
Irritability
Difficulty concentrating
Memory problems
Depression
If you are interested in learning more about whiplash, click here!
Symptoms of whiplash range from severe pain and loss of mobility to occasional pain with minimal obvious symptoms. The key is to get proper care quickly for the best results. Without proper treatment the ligaments/muscles heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue in the ligaments/muscles leads to prolonged or even lifelong limited range of motion, pain, and sensitivity.
Chiropractic care, medical massage therapy and physical therapy are some of the best all-natural treatment options for auto accident injuries. Oviedo Injury and Wellness Center is a complete injury recovery clinic that offers the most state-of-the-art treatments. Chiropractic adjustments are highly effective for reducing pain and inflammation, preventing surgery as well as any future injuries from occurring. Dr. Ressler is an experienced Oviedo injury chiropractor. He uses an adjusting instrument called an "activator" to treat auto accident injuries. The activator is a spring-loaded instrument that sends a gentle force into the joint to move it back into the proper position. The activator method is low force, precise and does not involve cracking or twisting. This makes the activator method ideal for treating auto accident injuries. The activator method is also effective to treat injuries to the wrists, shoulders, knees, and ankles from a car accident.
For soft tissue injuries like whiplash your top Oviedo chiropractor will perform trigger point release to break up any scar tissue. What makes Oviedo Injury and Wellness Center a full-service accident injury clinic? Dr. Ressler believes in prescribing personalized accident injury treatment protocols to give you the quickest and best results. Therefore, he also works with our board-certified medical massage therapists. Medical massage works well in relaxing your muscles, relieving your pain, and increasing your range of motion. In addition, Dr. Ressler will prescribe physical therapy consisting of specific exercises and stretching techniques designed to strengthen and support your injured area. Your customized care plan is created to heal injuries, reduce symptoms of whiplash, and give you maximum auto accident recovery.
Remember: Without proper treatment, even minor injuries can become lifelong! Don’t wait until it’s too late! Oviedo’s injury recovery doctor, Dr. Ressler and the compassionate OIWC staff are here to manage all aspects of billing your auto insurance. This way you can focus on feeling better without the added stress of paperwork. Oviedo Injury and Wellness Center has same day appointments and late hours (M, W, F open until 7 pm) so you can get the care you need to heal faster and feel better sooner! Call 407-977-5005 to schedule your appointment today!