Suffering from Whiplash in Porirua NZ

Have you experienced whiplash in Porirua NZ? Rear end collisions are the most common kind of car accidents that happen. Although they usually happen due to a combination of sudden braking, poor driving, or even unclear road signs and directions, they can vary wildly in severity(1). This article discusses how chiropractic care can help.

Quite often, many patients that have been involved in some kind of rear-end collision don't even realize they have received injuries until weeks or even months post-impact. Their medical doctors do not always acknowledge injuries that may occur at lower speeds, despite a great deal of research today that says differently(2). If you believe that you have been injured in an accident, then you need to figure out how serious the injuries may be.

To successfully treat a whiplash injury, it's extremely important to work with a medical professional that understands the problem and how to treat it. If you have been injured recently, you'll need to get your spine checked as soon as possible. The sooner that you get checked up and take the appropriate steps to care for injuries, the less chance you have of developing long-term problems.

All drivers should take actions to reduce the risk of whiplash. Injuries tend to be more significant when your headrest is positioned too low. If you don't adjust it appropriately it can act as an acceleration point when you are hit from behind(3). A 8km per hour impact can result in your head whipping back at a much higher rate of speed causing greater injury(4).

When Should Care Start for a Whiplash Injury in Porirua NZ?

Whiplash injuries are a serious matter. If an injury of this caliber is left untreated then the potential long-term impact can be devastating. Unfortunately, most people that have been injured may not even realize they are injured until long after the accident. By the time many people realize they are in need of help, their problems will need more extensive treatment than if they had started treatment sooner.

Significant improvement was noted for 93% of the 28 patients studied in the Woodward study while under chiropractic care. In the research study the chiropractic care consisted of spinal manipulation, PNF, and cryotherapy(5).

If you believe you have been injured and are in need of a  chiropractor, call our team at Chiropractic Balance in Porirua NZ today to set up an appointment.

(1)Hartling, L., Pickett, W., & Brison, R. J. (2002). Derivation of a clinical decision rule for whiplash associated disorders among individuals involved in rear-end collisions. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 34(4), 531-539.
(2)Alpass, L. (2004). Chiropractic management of 'intractable'chronic whiplash syndrome. Clinical Chiropractic, 7(1), 16-23.
(3) https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2012/12/how-to-save-your-neck-in-a-rear-end-crash/index.htm
(4)Castro WH, Schilgen M, Meyer S, Weber M, Peuker C, Wörtler K. Do "whiplash injuries" occur in low-speed rear impacts? Eur Spine J. 1997;6(6):366-75. doi: 10.1007/BF01834062. PMID: 9455663; PMCID: PMC3467723.
(5)M.N Woodward, J.C. Cook, M.F. Gargan and G.C. Bannister, Chiropractic treatment of chronic 'whiplash' injuries, Injury 27(9) (1996), 643-645.