Can A Seat Belt Injure You?

Since seat belts became mandatory in the early 1980s, incidences of seat belt injury to victims of auto accidents have tripled. Many wonder how something that is designed to prevent injury and even death, could cause so many injuries. The primary reason is actually a bit counter-intuitive to what you might think. Seat belts do prevent you from moving out of your seat at the moment of impact. However, they also place immense pressure against your chest, upper arms, ribs and shoulders as your body forcefully slams against the seat belt. Even though newer seat belts offer more flexibility and "give" than older seat belts, they still can cause severe bruising, stiff neck and abdominal pain for weeks after an accident. A chiropractor specializing in musculoskeletal and central nervous system disorders can help relieve the pain caused by seat belt injury.

What are the Possible Symptoms of Seat Belt Injury?

Seatbelts are vital to road safety but can still cause injuries.Weakness in the lower back and legs accompanied by periodic dizziness could indicate damage to spinal nerves or compression of the internal organs.

Because of the force seatbelts place on your body, whiplash commonly affects seat-belted passengers in cars that are struck from behind. Because your body is held in position by the seat belt, your neck and head absorb most of the energy produced by the collision. Snapping of the head forward and then quickly backward seriously strains neck muscles and jars spinal vertebrae out of alignment.

Seat belts crossing over the abdomen and kidneys can deliver a severe, blunt force to that region that later causes constant abdominal pain radiating to the hips, lower back and even the ribs. Don't prolong suffering from seat belt injuries. Rest and pain medication are not always enough to heal your body’s injuries. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, get effective chiropractic treatment for auto accident injuries at Golinsky Specific Chiropractic today.