The Truth about Minor(?) Auto Accidents. Scenario: There you are, setting in your car at the end of a busy off ramp waiting for the light to change. You glance in your rear view mirror just in time to see some IDIOT in an old dump truck bearing down on you entirely too fast to stop in time to avoid hitting you. In an instant, you see the horrified look on the drivers face as he looks up from finding his favorite radio station.

Then WHAM! At first your head is violently thrown backward. Then your car is rammed into the car ahead of you and your head is thrown violently forward. The adrenalin rushes through your body. Fear and anger grip your mind almost simultaneously. Your bodies natural defences jet hormones into your blood stream, temporarily blocking out the pain you should be feeling. Your mind is racing with thoughts like, "Now what do I do?".

What you should do, even if you do NOT appear or feel as if you have sustained any serious injury: DON'T MOVE!

1. Unless you are in imminent danger from other cars crashing into you, you smell gasoline, see smoke or any sign of fire, just set there for a full minute.

2. Take a deep breath, at least try to relax and then take a quick inventory of yourself for possible injuries and consider your situation. If your rear view mirror is intact, make sure your face and head are NOT bleeding. Shock can disguise itself behind adrenalin. If you are bleeding don't move till help comes, if at all possible. Slowly test the movement of your neck, shoulders, arms, legs and feet.

3. Regardless of how minor the accident appears or how well you think you feel, never dismiss the possibility that at least some soft tissue damage or minor Sublimations (Spinal misalignments) HAVE occured. Understand they may not cause pain for days, weeks, months or even years. See a Spinal Specialist ASAP to be safe.

4. Okay, so you don't think you are seriously injured. Now, it's time to get hold of yourself and take care of business. Reach into your glove box or console and pull out the brightly colored envelope that contains your blank Accident Report Form/Diagram, (CLICK HERE to print yours NOW!), your pen (Flash light if necessary), and fill out the Accident Report while your memory is fresh.

Well, MAYBE ..... Ok, you have gotten through the hassle of doing the CYA (Covering Your Assets?) drill by doing the Accident Report, dealing with the police and the other driver as well as you can. Hopefully it was not a serious accident. If not, you still need to stay extra alert for the little things your body may be trying to tell you.

Let's say your back at home, that day, that night, the next morning or maybe even a few days later. Your adrenalin and endorphin levels are back to normal. Then, you start noticing things. You may be experiencing obvious pains and symptoms like muscle stiffness or spasm, neck pain, headaches, numbness and tingling, back pain, difficulty sleeping, irritability, memory loss, fatigue, difficulty concentrating and any number of other difficulties. Maybe some are not so obvious. Worse than that, you may still be injured and feel no pain.

The old adage that "If nothing hurts then nothing was injured", could not be more misleading. Present research continues to prove that these low speed accidents especially whiplash can indeed cause many problems, some of which may be life long if not corrected.

Even if you are just a "Little sore", get checked out. If you need to go to the Emergency Room, follow up with a doctor who is an auto injury expert. Dr. Jones can be reached at (619) 280-0554.

One of the problems that can arise from your not being treated, or inadequate treatment, is Post traumatic Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, over time, can ruin your posture (giving you a slumped or hump back appearance). Osteoarthritis can cause the discs in your spine to degenerate and create scar tissue formation leading to chronic stiffness and the inability to move properly. All that CAN be avoided! Get evaluated and treated by an auto injury expert! Remember! Nothing is more important than your health!

Additional information and articles regarding whiplash and Low Velocity Impact (LIV) injuries, CLICK HERE.   Proceed >>>