In my San Diego Chiropractic office, I hear this question from most of my patients who have been involved in car accidents.  Aside from the pressing issues of neck pain, back pain and headaches that are common after a car accident, payment of medical bills is one of the more common concerns of my patients. The reason that this question is so common is because there are so many avenues through which your medical costs can be covered.

Most people have a medical payments provision on their auto insurance.  Your medical payments will cover all or the great majority of your medical expenses up to the stated limit on your policy.

If the person that hit you is uninsured, you may be able to cover your medical costs with the uninsured motorist provision of your auto insurance – if you opted to have this type of coverage on your policy.

Some people don’t carry medical payments on their insurance policy (you really should because it is inexpensive).  If this is the case in your situation, you can pursue the responsible parties insurance via what is commonly known as a third party claim.  Often you can settle a third party claim on your own but some prefer to use a lawyer.

If you choose to hire a lawyer, your medical expenses will be covered under an attorney’s lien.  We accept liens as do many other doctors’ offices.  When your medical care is covered under a lien, your doctor will be paid out of the settlement after your attorney settles your claim.

I hope that this basic explanation of insurance benefits related to care for car accident injuries is helpful.  There are other scenarios but the ones that I mentioned above are the most common.

Your’s In Good Health,

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

Well, it happened again.  This past Monday I had a new patient in my San Diego Chiropractic clinic that was complaining of neck pain with radiating pain in his right arm. 

This patient had been in a car accident in which he was whiplashed nearly 20 years earlier and he stated that his neck pain began as a result of that accident.  Like many of my patients, he never received care for his neck injury because he always thought it would go away even though as the years passed he felt that his episodes of pain were increasing in both frequency and intensity.

This past weekend he woke up with his typical stiff neck but this time it was accompanied by a dull aching pain that radiated down his arm and into his right hand.

Since radiating pain can be caused by anything from muscle spasms to herniated discs I sent him for x-rays so I could see why his arm was achy.  As I expected from an old, untreated whiplash injury, this patient had his share of spinal arthritis including a few large bone spurs and thinning discs.  These x-ray findings were consistent with his current symptoms and his whiplash history.

Unfortunately for this patient any kind of treatment whether medical, acupuncture or in this case, chiropractic care will only be to help control his symptoms – there will be no “cure” for him.  Treatment for whiplash needs to begin within days or weeks of the injury to give the best chances of avoiding this patient’s situation.

Statistics tells us that even with early treatment that approximately 25% of whiplash victims who receive care will develop chronic pain due to their injuries.  Some studies show that up to 75% of patients who don’t receive early care or any care at all will likely suffer from ongoing pain related to the long term effects of their injuries.

This patient would be in much better shape had he received treatment for his injuries 20 years ago versus waiting until now, unfortunately his wait and see approach has resulted in chronic pain that will require ongoing attention.

Yours In Good Health

Dr. Steve Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

Whiplash does nasty things to your joints and the muscles and ligaments that support them.  Sometimes these processes are painful immediately and other times they don’t become symptomatic until years later.  The key to relieving pain now and / or avoiding future episodes of pain or disability is to get treatment for your whiplash as soon as possible.

Tremendous amounts of force are placed on the muscles and ligaments when we are involved in whiplash accidents – these forces far exceed normal movements that we purposefully engage in.  The force of a whiplash accident tears muscles and ligaments resulting in swelling, pain, spasms and scar tissue formation.  Scar tissue can not only become a source of pain but it can severely restrict your range of motion as you age.

We all know those older (and sometimes younger) people who have to turn their entire bodies in order to look behind them.  Those people have limited range of motion of the joints in their necks.  With rare exception, this limited range of motion is caused by scar tissue formation and arthritis that has accumulated from old injuries.

Chiropractic treatment helps with many different conditions and is even beneficial as a health maintenance type of treatment.  That being said, chiropractic care is the perfect therapy for most injuries that are related to whiplash.  Chiropractic care helps control the pain associated with torn muscles and ligaments and it is also very effective with breaking down excessive scar tissue that restricts normal range of motion.

We have successfully treated hundreds if not thousands of patients who suffer from either current whiplash injuries or the later effects of those injuries in my San Diego chiropractic office.  Chiropractic treatment combined with a structured stretching / exercise program and proper nutritional support can be the difference between chronic long lasting pain and a healthy pain free spine.

Have a great day!

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

By far the most common injury that our patients suffer when hit by another car from behind is neck pain. Neck pain as a result of a car accident is usually caused by muscles and ligaments being stretched and torn from the force of the accident. I treat many people injured in car accidents in my San Diego Chiropractic office because chiropractic care is perfect for the types of injuries found in car accidents.

When you are in your vehicle and hit from behind, the first thing that happens is that your neck straightens and your head is whipped backward. As your head whips backward, the muscles in the front of your neck are stretched to their limit and sometimes beyond. The stretch placed on these muscles pulls and tears some of the muscle fibers causing a painful, strained or bruised feeling.

After your head is whipped backward, the muscles that were stretched in the front of your neck experience a forceful, reflexive contraction that whips your head forward and stretches or tears the muscles in the back of your neck which also causes a painful strained feeling in the neck.

Your neck is more likely to be injured in a car accident than other parts of your back because it has the smallest muscles, it has the least protection from the vehicle and it has to balance and control the weight of your head. All these factors lead to easy injury on the neck in a rear end type motor vehicle.

Chiropractic care is ideal for treatment injuries like whiplash. Chiropractic care reduces your pain, improves your mobility and helps you heal faster.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

After becoming a chiropractor and seeing x-rays of my neck, I have to conclude that had I received regular chiropractic care early on I would not have the issues that I have today.

My first set of chiropractic x-rays from 1991 showed mild arthritis in the joints of my neck. I was only 27 years old – and I had arthritis in my neck! Arthritis is usually thought of as an old persons condition. In reality, arthritis is more time related than age related.

In my case, a car accident in my teens led to chronic neck pain and stiffness. I did get some chiropractic care to relieve my pain but I quit treatment way to soon and didn’t make chiropractic care a priority in my budget until many years later. By that time, the damage had been done. The arthritis had started and I was well on my way to chronic neck pain.

Chiropractic care following car accidents helps restore normal movements of the joints in your back. It also helps reduce muscle spasms and break down scar tissue which can also be a source of pain and muscle spasm.

Since scar tissue build up and abnormal joint motion leads to arthritis, and chiropractic care helps break down scar tissue and improve joint motion, I can only conclude that had I received the chiropractic care that I needed that I would not be dealing with as many neck problems as I currently have.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Automobile Injuries

We treat patients who have been in whiplash accidents on a daily basis. One of the more common complaints that our whiplash patients have is headaches. In fact, I would say that headaches are the most common complaint that car accident victims have next to neck pain.

Usually headaches from car accidents are caused by damage to the neck muscles and the muscle tension from the accident. In my practice, almost everyone that I see with headache issues from a car accident also has neck pain. That is not to say that everyone with neck pain has headaches although at least 50% of them do.

Car accidents generate a lot of force through the neck and upper back. Under circumstances like those found during car accidents, the weight of your head is simply too much for the smaller muscles in the neck and at the base of the skull. When those muscles get stretched and torn, the other surrounding muscles tighten up as a protective mechanism. It is those tight muscles that trigger the muscle tension headaches that are so common after car accidents.

Chiropractic care safely and effectively helps you recover from both neck pain and headaches. Chiropractic manipulations ease muscle tension, improve your range of motion and reduce your pain. This care combined with at home therapies including ice packs, light stretching, light exercise and rest can help you regain your health.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

Whiplash accidents have a magnified effect on our necks because the muscles that support our necks are relatively week compared to the weight of our heads that they have to support. When we are in a rear-end type of accident that is known for producing neck injuries, the impact produces a wave of energy that travels up our spines and snaps our heads and necks sort of like when you crack a whip.  The result is neck pain.

The muscles that move and support the neck and head simply become overwhelmed by the “whipping” motion of the spine and they end up getting stretched, strained, torn and sometimes even their attachment points are torn from the bone. Sounds painful doesn’t it? I have been unfortunate enough to experience this type of injury on a few occasions and I can confirm that it can be quite painful.

I have explained in blog posts in the past that joint injuries, like whiplash, follow a predictable path. In cases of whiplash, the joint is irritated / injured by the accident. The joint then becomes inflamed and the muscles around the injured joint spasm in order to limit movement of the injured joint. The inflammation causes pain and the muscle spasm causes stiffness and tightness. If the inflammation lasts for a long enough period of time, like more than 7 to 10 days, scar tissue and adhesions begin to form which further limit joint motion and also become a source of pain.

It is because of this process that a seemingly simple car accident injury can cause a lifetime of pain if it is not treated properly and in a timely manner.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

Chiropractic care for whiplash revolves around healing the muscles and ligaments with a variety of therapies and restoring full, free and painless range of motion with chiropractic adjustments. Under the care of a chiropractor, once you are pain free you will work on specific stretches and exercises to help support your spine to insure your best chances at complete recovery.

Chiropractic care for whiplash is a proactive treatment. Its success depends on you (the patient) maintaining recommended treatment schedules and following at home instructions regarding icing, rest, exercise and various other activities.

Whiplash is considered a sprain / strain type of an injury and as such should resolve in about 8 to 16 weeks with proper care.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

The most common injury resulting from car accidents is whiplash. Whiplash is a non-medical term that describes an injury that involves straining, spraining and sometimes tearing of the muscles and ligaments that move and support our joints, especially the joints of our spines.

Whiplash is most often associated with rear-end type auto accidents in which the heads and necks of those in the car being hit are suddenly snapped violently backward and forward by the force of the impact.

Whiplash can occur at almost any speed, even in low force auto accident at speeds as low or less than 5mph. Whiplash can also be related to other incidents or mishaps in which the head is pushed or jerked beyond its normal range of motion.

Common outcomes of auto accident injuries include serious and chronic neck pain, as well as back pain, headaches, blurred vision, ringing in the ears, nausea, numbness and dizziness. More serious injuries such as bruising of the brain can sometimes occur in auto accidents resulting in concussion.

If you were injured in an auto accident it is important to get evaluated by a chiropractor who is trained to deal with injuries related to auto accidents.

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash

If you have ever been in a car accident and experienced pain in your neck, you have most likely had suffered a whiplash. Whiplash, also commonly referred to as a soft tissue injury, is an injury that involves the joints, muscles and ligaments of the neck and back.

The typical whiplash injury that we see in my chiropractic office is from a rear-end type of an accident. When you get hit from behind, your head is thrown backward which stretches the muscles and ligaments in the front of your neck. The second phase of this type of accident involves your head being thrown forward which can stretch the muscles and ligaments in the back of your neck. In severe cases of whiplash the damage can include the joints, discs and nerve roots.

Symptoms of Whiplash

Most people experience neck pain or stiffness either right after the accident / injury or within the next few days. Other common symptoms of whiplash include:
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Neck stiffness
·

Muscle spasms
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Headaches
·

Difficulty with swallowing and hoarseness
·

Abnormal sensations such as burning numbness or tingling
·

Pain between the shoulders
·

Back pain

Your’s In Good Health

Dr. Jones

(619) 280-0554

Whiplash