A car accident can leave you shaken, upset, angry and (or course) injured. If you've never been in an auto accident or experienced any major physical trauma before, you may be puzzled, concerned or frightened about both your symptoms and your treatment options. Our chiropractic team here at Lifetime Health and Wellness wants to help put your mind at ease and point you toward the proper care, so here are some answers to frequently asked questions about car accident injuries.

• How fast do I have to be going to sustain serious injuries? Your musculoskeletal system can receive a serious jolt from an automobile impact even if you or the other driver were moving at just a few miles per hour. This is because the sheer mass of the vehicles can transfer a large amount of force to the body, causing it to twist or bend beyond its natural capacity.

• What kinds of spinal injuries can these forces cause? When the spinal column undergoes a severe jolt, the vertebrae and their discs can slide out of alignment and suffer injury. Herniated discs can push on nerve tissue to cause pain, numbness and tingling elsewhere in the body. Two of the most common results are whiplash and sciatica.

• What are the symptoms of whiplash? Severe pain and stiffness in the neck are two telltale signs of possible whiplash. Other symptoms include jaw pain, headaches, tinnitus, blurred vision, cognition problems, dizziness, and nausea.

• What exactly created my whiplash symptoms? Whiplash is named after the "whipping" motion of the head flying forward and backward. This forceful motion damages soft tissues in the neck while also causing subluxation (misalignment) in the cervical spine.

• When should I suspect sciatica? Sciatica, which can be caused by a herniated disc in the lumbar region, typically manifests itself as pain, numbness or tingling in one or both legs. A herniated disc may also cause severe back pain.

• What if I don't have any symptoms? Visit our chiropractic center right away even if you feel fine. Many car accident injury symptoms don't appear until later on, in which over time, even more damage has occurred.

• How can chiropractic care help? We can examine your spine to see if you have sustained a musculoskeletal injury that requires treatment. Chiropractic adjustment can restore a misaligned spine to its proper orientation, while spinal decompression can pull herniated discs away from nerves and back into the spinal column.

• What other treatments do you offer? In addition to chiropractic care, we also employ massage therapy, acupuncture, cold laser therapy, and other natural treatment methods to relieve pain and help soft tissues heal.

Injured in an Auto Accident?

If you need auto accident injury care, call (303) 423-4610 today. We can do more than just answer your questions -- we can help you feel better and recover more quickly!