Reasons To Go To a Chiropractor After An Auto Injury

How many automobile crashes occur per year and how many involve injury? 

Overall, there were 6,756,000 crashes nationwide in 2019. Of the total, 1,916,000 resulted in injury. Whiplash is a very common injury occurring in automobile crashes. The statistics on just this one injury type are staggering. “In the longest study ever performed on whiplash-injured patients (a study looking at the health status 17 years after injury), 55% of the patients still suffered from pain caused by the original trauma. (Accident Analysis and Prevention, 2002)” (3)

Chiropractors have the proper training to assess your injury following an auto injury. They have training in MRI, Orthopedic evaluation, and X-ray interpretation. Chiropractic students undergo rigorous training and education, comparable to the hours dedicated to medical training. They both have around 3,065 hours of training total. However, the focus of their training differs, with each profession emphasizing different areas. Chiropractic puts more of an emphasis on anatomy, diagnosis, microbiology, neurology, and orthopedics. Medical students put more of an emphasis on chemistry, obstetrics, pathology, physiology, and psychiatry. The exact same amount of time is spent studying radiology. Chiropractors spend almost double the amount of hours studying diagnosis, giving them extensive knowledge in spinal pathology diagnosis and treatment. A well-trained chiropractor is also able to understand that medicine is sometimes needed, and possesses the ability to work with medical doctors. Click here to see statistics

Primary care providers are typically where people think to go after a whiplash injury or a car collision. They are very well trained to handle things such as heart disease, diabetes, treating illness, and other issues. They lack training on how to handle trauma or injury cases associated with trauma. Due to the nature and the amount of patients they are expected to see, they may not have half an hour or an hour to spend on the initial examination.

The reason that our office is set apart from other chiropractic offices in this realm is the possibility of serious injury that can occur in a car crash that an average chiropractic clinic may not be trained enough to detect. Dr. Gorski is fellowship trained in spinal biomechanics and trauma. He is also trauma qualified, hospital based spinal care qualified, and MRI interpretation and review qualified. This gives Dr. Gorski a unique ability as a chiropractor such as: 

• The ability to identify serious nervous system injuries (spinal cord, brain etc.)
• The ability to communicate openly with you, your medical provider, and lawyer about MRI interpretation, and trauma care.
• The fellowship has allowed Dr. Gorski to do rotations with different surgeons to allow him to fully understand what they do, enhancing our ability to work collaboratively with them. 
• We are able to work closely with various healthcare providers such as primary care physicians, pain management, orthopedic surgeons, and physical therapists so that we are able to treat collaboratively to provide all of the care you need in a convenient fashion. 

Therefore when you are searching for a Chiropractor to see following an auto injury, be sure to find one that is properly trained to work with other providers. Your chiropractor should not hesitate to send you for proper testing following injury.

Types of injuries that must be differentiated after enduring a trauma such as an auto injury include: 

• Minor: Muscular strain
• Moderate: Whiplash
• Serious: Broken bone or injury to the central nervous system

Properly trained chiropractors possess the ability to triage patients with these types of injuries, allowing patients to receive the care they need.

Chiropractors are a great option following auto injury because of their impact on opioid use and prescription. This allows patients to come see a provider whose only means of treatment is to prescribe them medication that is potentially harmful or addictive without exhausting the conservative measures that they have available to them first. Although this is important we also acknowledge that medication has its place, when needed our chiropractors are trained to detect these circumstances and direct patients somewhere that may prescribe the medication that the patient needs to help their pain and enhance their care. 

It is important to understand that there is a mechanical aspect of spine injuries that medication does not solve, we have seen this with the opioid crisis. Understanding that mechanical problems present an issue in the spine and can be a root cause of the pain being experienced is where chiropractors can help. 

Do you like cheaper healthcare? If so, chiropractic is a great option for you, we are known to decrease the cost of healthcare. This is done with a lower cost of treatment while being highly effective and safe. 

Finally, how can chiropractic care be of help for the injury acquired during the crash? 

Chiropractors offer spinal adjustments that are specific to your pain to enhance stability, mobility, and pain relief. Not only this but there are conservative treatment options that chiropractic is able to provide to aid in pain relief and healing. These options include: 

• Medical laser: The medical laser enhances healing and decreases pain and inflammation.
• Interferential current therapy: Interferential current therapy is an electrical stimulation that provides pain relief to the area of complaint while decreasing muscle spasms and tightness. 
• Injury specific exercise

Here at Elite Family Chiropractic, there are 4 promises that we make to every patient. 

1. We will always treat you in the same way that we would treat a family member. 
2. We will find the root cause of your issues to help get you better and get your life back. 
3. We believe in a many minds approach. We will be collaborative with physical therapy, pain management, orthopedic, neuro, primary care physicians, and anyone else who can help us help you. 
4. If we can not offer the help that you need, we will get you to a doctor who can.

Author

Brad Gorski DC, FSBT At Elite Family Chiropractic in Charleston, South Carolina, Dr. Brad Gorski is a top-ranked chiropractor offering effective treatment options for back pain, knee pain, neck and shoulder pain, sciatica, migraines, pinched nerves, herniated discs, and more. Dr. Gorski received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in 2008. He has completed extensive post-graduate training, becoming qualified in Hospital Based Spine Care, MRI Interpretation Review, and Trauma while also completing a Fellowship in Spinal Biomechanics and Trauma. He provides chiropractic care and helps his patients achieve their goal of optimum health and wellness.