I can’t tell you how many patients I have personally treated who come to me in significant pain and who, after looking at their x-rays, scratch their heads trying to understand what specific past injury caused the bones in their neck to fuse, their headaches to rage and the muscles to weaken.

Then they remember the “minor collision” years ago that they shook off, received a bit of pain-control care and then went back to business as usual. Some patients actually remember several minor collisions over time … which they initially forgot to mention. (This is a testament to how effectively most of us sweep pain aside to get back to work … for as long as we can, anyway.)

Recovering from an auto accident is much more complicated than simply being cleared for fractures, dislocations and concussions and then being released with a prescription for anti-inflammatories. And if you think that being able to walk away from an accident means that you are out of the woods, you need to read on and watch the video at the bottom of the screen.

Even “low impact” collisions (less than 6 miles an hour) can significantly impact your spine, setting you up for structural degeneration that can lasting repercussions which surface long after your accident.

If after any auto collision you have experienced any of the following, you are risk of not recovering and likely headed for re-injury:

1) You shook hands and shook it off, thinking ice and aspirin alone would make it go away.

2) You received treatment for pain relief and once the swelling went down and the pain decreased, you stopped care and continued strengthening.

3) Your insurance “encouraged” you to settle your case and get on with it.

How do you avoid the above setbacks? You need a comprehensive exam that determines whether your accident caused problems in your spinal structure, weakened your muscle strength and adversely affected your neurologic function. Each of these three areas must be examined and addressed to ensure your full recovery. After this, the goal of your injury and recovery care should be to achieve measurable improvement in all these areas.

This is critical.

Let’s take the loss of your cervical curve for example. In studies where patients have been followed 5 years after their car accidents, patients who lost their cervical curve had a much higher chance of increased pain and persistent dysfunction. So is it important that this structural shift be corrected? You bet it is. If you have structural damage, this will not go away by itself.

In our office, we pursue a comprehensive approach to your recovery. We utilize low force spinal adjustments and structural correction strengthening. We monitor your progress carefully to ensure we a making the progress you deserve. If your condition is serious enough, for example you have damaged your spinal discs or sustained a head injury, you may require an even more involved approach to fully heal, perhaps utilizing all aspects of the NSI System.

If you have been in any collision, regardless of the impact, do not allow yourself to get rushed out the door and back to your old stresses and strains. At the very least, you deserve a comprehensive evaluation to determine whether or not anything is really wrong.

Call our office today – 360 705 0900.

You deserve to heal.

Sincerely,

Dr. Dan Greenlee, D.C.
Pinnacle Spine Center
Serving The Greater Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater Areas

P.S. Please watch the 2 minute video above and forward this page to anyone you care about who has been in an accident (no matter how small and no matter how long ago) who may be 1) sweeping their injuries under the rug or 2) not receiving care designed to correct problems to their damaged spinal discs, weakened core muscles, and damaged spinal bone structure. Share the information.

Motor Vehicle Accident & Whiplash Treatment Specialists

Motor Vehicle Accident & Whiplash
Treatment Specialists