If you’ve gone to the BMW Zentrum museum and visitor’s center in Greer, you’ll see an array of beautiful automobiles made by the German motor vehicle manufacturer. “It’s interesting to look at the difference in technology used in earlier models of open cockpit cars with no windshields or airbags, and then later the more sophisticated technology of front airbags in the steering wheel and side airbags in the side doors of cars,” said Dr. Brown.
Airbags-Life-Saving, But Also Injury-Causing
Of course, seat belts and air bags are invaluable for saving lives, but sometimes in a auto accident, the violent collision of the airbag against the face can cause some neck injuries and headaches.
There’s no doubt that airbags are vital for preventing death, but they sometimes cause neck and head injuries. The violent impact of a collision has to be transferred somewhere, so sometimes even in smaller accidents, the body—particularly the head, neck, and spine—takes a significant impact. Dr. Brown sees these injuries daily with people in auto accidents, both relatively minor and severe.
Common auto injuries include
- Headaches
- Neck pain
- Sometimes pain radiating from the neck and into the shoulder and arms
- Upper, mid, and low back pain
ER or Chiropractor’s Office?
While the hospital ER should be someone’s first stop after an auto accident if they’re bleeding profusely, have broken bones, or any life-threatening injuries, if someone doesn’t have any of those, it’s best to see the chiropractor. That’s because often the ER doesn’t have time to do an extensive neurological and orthopedic exam.
Patients are usually prescribed muscle relaxants and pain pills, and sent on their way.
Those aren’t designed to fix anything, but they simply mask the pain to make you feel better and more comfortable while having the issues.
When a patient leaves the hospital, even if they haven’t had broken bones, there’s almost always some type of soft tissue injury involving the joints in the neck or back where they’ve been put through an abnormal amount of force. That’s where we can help.
How Chiropractic Can Help You Heal
Whenever someone is involved in a collision, we do a thorough orthopedic, neurological and chiropractic examination that usually includes X-rays to see the extent of the damage and what the injuries were.
Chiropractors can diagnose and identify serious injuries to the spine early after an accident, and correct them quickly. So the muscles, ligaments, and tendons do not have a chance to heal with scar tissue and hold the spine in an irregular or abnormal position. Those injuries need to be corrected before they become permanent.
If you’ve been in an auto accident, call us today. Let your Greenville chiropractor help you recover from your injuries as quickly as possible.
