Patients involved in car accidents who come to my practice, Soft Touch Chiropractic in Porter Ranch, CA, generally have suffered from one of two types of whiplash. 1. Front to back whiplash or 2. Side whiplash Watch the video below to learn the difference between the two and why it's so important to thoroughly explain details of an accident to your chiropractor. If you have been in a car accident, see a chiropractor right away because delaying chiropractic care after an auto accident can lead to other health complications.
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In an accident, seat belts can both, save your life and cause injuries. In my seventeen years of practice at Soft Touch Chiropractic in Porter Ranch, CA, I have treated patients whose rib subluxations were caused by their seat belt, when they were in an auto accident. Because neck and back injuries due to whiplash are most common, rib injuries tend to be ignored or maybe not get so much attention. Some of the symptoms of rib subluxations are headaches, depression, compromised immune system, difficult breathing, pain while breathing, chest pain, upper back pain and fatigue. There are other causes of rib subluxations that shouldn't be ignored. Watch the video below to learn more. What is the Difference Between a Chiropractic Exam and a Medical Exam after a Car Accident?6/2/2019 During my 17 years of practice at Soft Touch Chiropractic in Porter Ranch, CA, I have examined countless numbers of patients who have been in auto accidents. Although a chiropractor must examine a patient the same way a medical doctor does, a chiropractor also palpates the joints to identify spinal fixations, muscle spasms, and misalignments between the vertebrae. Chiropractors also make use of X-rays and MRIs much like a medical doctor does, but chiropractors use the art of palpation to identify joint stress. Watch the video below to learn more. If you have been in a car accident or you have joint pain, call to make an appointment with your chiropractor today. By Dr. Masoud Shamaeizadeh of Soft Touch Chiropractic, Porter Ranch, CA The alignment of the neck can affect a person’s posture and low back health in a major way. The top two vertebra of the spine, known as atlas (C1) and axis (C2), which are part of the neck, must be aligned for the rest of the spine to also remain aligned, healthy and pain-free. If the atlas and axis are misaligned, the rest of the spine will compensate with misalignment. The low back particularly will be affected as the spine counteracts to make up for the misalignments in the neck. See the video below for a good visual example. One of the most common injuries caused by a car accident is whiplash, which will cause at best misalignment of the neck and at worse severance of the spinal cord. It is very common for a person involved in a car accident to experience little to no pain immediately after the accident. However, a few days later, neck and back pain will manifest even if the accident seemingly did not cause injuries directly to the low back. If you have been in an automobile accident, visit your local chiropractor as soon as possible. If you are experiencing low back pain, consult your chiropractor and be sure to ask about the alignment of your neck. Every year, in my practice Soft Touch Chiropractic in Porter Ranch, CA, I see patients who have suffered whiplash due to car accidents or reactionary driving without being in an accident. Whiplash is the most common cause of neck misalignment.
It’s no secret that during the holidays, our levels of stress are off the charts. Many of us are in a hurry to get last minute shopping done, prepare for guests or prepare to travel. Life can be hectic this time of year. Because people’s driving tends to be more erratic during November and December, the number of whiplash incidents increase during the end-of-the-year holidays. Whiplash can happen even when a driver is not involved in a car accident. Since we drive everyday, we tend to ignore injuries that are seemingly insignificant because they were not caused by an accident. One of the most common causes of whiplash is sudden breaking. This can happen when another driver cuts you off on the road and then breaks abruptly, causing you to react suddenly and hit the break, giving yourself whiplash, even if the cars never collide. The other reason whiplash incidents increase is because of accidents caused by drunk drivers. It’s common for people to attend numerous parties where alcohol is served, especially as we approach the New Year. Driving defensively during the season, staying off the roads and designating a sober driver are all good practices to avoid an automobile accident. If you are involved in a car accident or suspect you suffered whiplash while driving, see your local chiropractor even if you are not in pain. Although you might feel fine, the misalignment of the neck caused by whiplash can lead to more serious back problems. Whom Should I Talk to First After a Car Accident? The Other Driver, Insurance Company, Chiropractor or Lawyer? Having been in this business for 24 years here at Soft Touch Chiropractic in Porter Ranch, CA, I have learned that, unless a person is in critical condition and in need of emergency medical care after a car accident, the best thing to do is:
When patients come to my office, Soft Touch Chiropractic in Porter Ranch, CA, I am usually their last resort for pain relief or treatment of chronic conditions such as arthritis, degenerative joint disease, pain caused by car accident injuries, etc. After everything else fails, and patients are scared to death of surgery because of what they’ve heard from an orthopaedic surgeon, they decide to finally see me for chiropractic care. So far, the majority of my patients have experienced excellent results in their health while quitting their medications and/or avoiding surgery. Here is the best order of treatments for pain and illness:
My experience is that the propaganda of mainstream media and peer review publications, which are affiliated with interest groups, present information in reverse. They advocate medication and surgery before chiropractic. Everything in our body is controlled by the brain and the nervous system, including every healing ability we have, and there are many. When we take pain-killers, the medications slow down or completely block the communication between neurons in the nervous system. In essence the very system that is supposed to be working to heal the body is being shut down or slowed down by pain-killers, thus preventing or slowing down the healing process. Chiropractic as a first choice is best because it is the most conservative, safest and least invasive treatment. When you take medication, especially opioids, it might make you feel a little better, but over the long term, it never fixes the cause of suffering; not only does it not heal the body, but it might put your kidneys in jeopardy or create addiction. When you have surgery, the best case scenario might be 50% chance of getting better and 50% chance of getting worse for life. Chiropractic can reverse disease, relieve pain, heal the root cause of the pain and improve health. Surgery comes with some dangers. Infections, problems with scar tissue and paralysis are all possible side effects of going under the knife; having said that, there have been a few times when I have referred patients to a medical doctor to pursue surgery, but that only happens after I have made sure that I have done everything possible with chiropractic, or some other alternative care like acupuncture, to treat the patient and their bodies just don’t responded to the care. Below are links to two studies about the efficiency of chiropractic paired with either surgery or medications, both were published by major medical journals. Effect of Usual Medical Care Plus Chiropractic Care vs Usual Medical Care Alone on Pain and Disability Among US Service Members With Low Back Pain Chiropractic Distraction Spinal Manipulation on Postsurgical Continued Low Back and Radicular Pain Patients: A Retrospective Case Series The point here is that these studies have the principle backwards. If the patients on medication had tried chiropractic first, they could have potentially avoided medication altogether. If the surgery patients had tried chiropractic before an invasive surgery, they might not have needed surgery at all. In both of these cases, the patients would have been better off trying chiropractic before any other treatment. If you are experiencing pain due to chronic illness, inflammation, a car accident or a personal injury, please call your local chiropractor today for an exam and treatment. I recently finished reading Dr. Joe Dispenza’s book entitled, You are the Placebo. I highly recommend this book. Dr. Dispenza scientifically proves that our thoughts can heal our bodies in the same way that our thoughts can make us sick. His own experience with healing his body through meditation after being hit by a car while riding a bicycle is very impressive. He teaches the reader how to use science and thought to bring about healing. This is not a mystical book of stories. The proven facts are as real as it gets. If you are experiencing pain or major health issues, I highly recommend you read his book and follow his recommendations. I give the book 5 out of 5 stars for its moving stories and scientific facts.
Three ways to know you need a chiropractor after a car accident Generally, there are three kinds of accidents: mild fender-benders, moderate accidents where the patient will have whiplash from side to side or front to back, and severe accidents where a patient may suffer broken bones, cuts, bruises, bleeding or concussion. Mild Fender-Bender Although it seems harmless and apparently poses no major issues to the body, I can tell you from experience, after seeing countless numbers of patients in my practice here in Porter Ranch, CA, who fail to exchange information and let the matter go, that days or weeks later, they experience back or neck pain. They cannot believe that a seemingly insignificant accident could cause all that trouble. Even in cases when no accident actually occurred, such as slamming on the breaks or sudden turns, I have seen patients in my office with neck pain caused by these sudden, extreme maneuvers. Even if you are in a mild fender-bender, it is a good idea to get checked by a chiropractor. Moderate Accident Injuries like whiplash are caused by moderate accidents, but a patient may have no broken bones, bleeding or bruising. This type of accident can also be deceiving because after the shock of an accident, the body produces two hormones which act as natural pain-killers - endorphin and enkephalin. Some people, although they have been in severe accidents, feel no pain until hours or days later. In these cases, it is extremely important that the person see a chiropractor. If the person goes to the hospital, the medical staff might prescribe pain medication to ease the pain, but a chiropractor will check for soft tissue injuries and vertebral misalignments which pain killers cannot fix. Severe Accident In the case of severe accidents, which have caused the victims concussions, bruises, bleeding or broken bones, a person must be taken directly to the emergency room for evaluation of neurological damage or vascular damage, which could be life-threatening, especially in the case of rib fracture, which could puncture the lungs. But in this case, after the patient is out of immediate danger, a person needs to go to a chiropractor to further assess, evaluate and treat vertebral misalignments and musculoskeletal issues that most hospitals are not equipped to treat. If you have been in a car accident, visit your local chiropractor as soon as you are physically able to be assessed and treated. The answer is absolutely, yes! As I was watching a newscast, the reporter was questioning whether the statement that sitting is the new smoking was exaggerated. I say it is absolutely accurate. Prolonged sitting has major health repercussions. Here are only three of them, although there are many more.
If your job requires you to sit at a desk for long periods of time, here are three things you can do to prevent the adverse consequences of sitting.
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