Car Accident Treatment Center Honolulu, HI - Oahu Spine & Rehab

Car Accident Treatment Honolulu, HI

Car accidents rank as a leading cause of injuries in the U.S. About 5 million accidents are regularly reported each year. Injuries differ from one person to the next and from crash to crash. However, accident victims experience one or more types of common injuries. These injuries can involve the back and head, neck and chest, or laceration or tears.

Car Accident Facts:

  • Americans traveled 2.39 trillion miles in 1995 and 3.1 trillion miles in 2015. That’s a 30% increase.
  • During the same 1995-2015 period, the number of police-reported accidents on U.S. roads decreased by 5%, dropping from 6,613,000 to 6,296,000. People are traveling further but having fewer car accidents.
  • The number of motor vehicle occupants killed in accidents during 1995 was 41,795. That number declined by nearly 20% to 35,092 in 2015. The fatality rate per 100M miles traveled dropped from 1.7 to 1.12 persons. That means that when we do have an accident, it’s become less likely that someone traveling in the vehicle will be killed.
  • The statistics show an even more positive trend with respect to injuries. The number of occupants injured in accidents fell 32% from 3,232,000 in 1995 to 2,443,000 in 2015. The injury rate per 100M miles traveled declined from 90 persons to 78.

Unseen Injuries

After your car accident, you may be too distracted or busy to worry about your pain or well beings. Certain conditions like ligament injuries or whiplash can take a few days to set in and don’t always show up right away after the accident.  Not to mention that stress and adrenaline levels will spike which might disguise symptoms and pain.

Inflammation and the aches and pains that go with it tend to reveal themselves when the body calms down. Whiplash symptoms can last for up to a week or two weeks. Not only will you be sore, but it’s you may be dealing with dizziness, neck pain, headaches, blurred vision, and stiff neck until after a few days after a car accident.

Here at OSR, our chiropractors can detect your injuries and find the best treatment plan to help your body heal as efficiently as possible. The sooner you see a chiropractor after your accident, the better. Chiropractors are experts in the neck and spine and they are able to diagnose quickly what kind of pain and injury you might be dealing with later on and help prevent it.

Avoid Needless Medication

Chiropractic treatment is the most common and effective nonsurgical treatment for back pain and neck injuries. Through specialized gentle manipulation, a chiropractor can relieve pain, correct misalignments, and promote a foundation of wellness. Getting a chiropractic adjustment, along with doing physical and massage therapies here at OSR can reduce pain, increase blood flow, strengthen your muscles help your body heal faster from your car accident.

It’s important that you go to a chiropractor or physical therapist within days of your accident to assure that you are addressing any injuries that could cause damage long term. Often, people ignore whiplash and deal with the pain until the aches go away. In some cases, this is enough, but whiplash can cause serious lifelong issues in your ligaments in your neck. Give us a call today if you are suffering from pain due to a car accident at 488-5555!

Types of Car Accident Injuries

Car injuries usually affect he head and back because of the trauma experienced from this type of impact. Patients may often suffer neck and chest complaints, including whiplash. The following information elaborates on the various types of car injuries.

1. Head Injuries

Head injuries rank as the most serious of injuries in an accidents. Drivers often strike their head against dashboards, windows, or dashboard in high-speed collisions. The injuries may result in traumatic brain injuries, which range from a mild concussion to a coma and ongoing cognitive problems. Usually, long-term medical care is required after these injuries. The head injuries suffered in a car accident can also lead to vision difficulties, hearing loss, and skull fractures.

2. Back Injuries

Back injuries are common injuries in car accidents. Any damage to the spinal column causes substantial nerve damage. Patients may experience less sensation over the control of legs, feet, hands, and arms. Some of the more serious back injuries lead to permanent paralysis.

3. Herniated Disc

A herniated disc is often diagnosed after a car accident. This type of injury id less severe than a head injury or spinal damage. Nevertheless, the patient frequently experiences numbness, muscle weakness, tingling sensations, and leg or arm pain. This type of injury results when a victim is hit from the back, or may happen if the driver twists or turns when being struck.

4. Neck Injuries

Many people associate car accident injuries with whiplash. Any sudden movement of the neck or head (such as rear-end impact) can lead to ligament and muscle damage to the neck. A whiplash injury may vary from one person to the next, depending on the health of the individual and the severity of the crash. Generalized swelling and neck pain denote this injury. Some patient experience vocal cord paralysis when they injure their neck.

5. Chest Injuries

Many of the serious injuries involving car accidents affect the chest area. Any blunt force trauma may cause collapsed lungs or fractured ribs. In addition, injuries to the internal organs, the abdomen, or pelvis may occur when the chest is injured in a car wreck.

Other Car Accident Injuries

  • Pedestrian Injuries – Injuries to the hands, legs, and arms are common in car accidents. When the accident involves a pedestrian, he or she may suffer both foot and leg injuries.
  • Injuries to Motorcycle Riders – When the injuries involve motorcyclists, the motorcycle rider can suffer a number of significant injuries. Motorcyclists are vulnerable as they are not contained within their vehicle. Therefore, injuries may involve broken bones, severed limbs, or ligament injuries, such as torn ACL. Fatality rates for motorcyclist are notably higher than they are for other drivers.
  • Psychological Injuries – When a person crashes in a car, not only is his or her body affected, he can suffer psychologically. Many car accident victims receive treatment or counseling for psychological conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or similar psychological disorders.

Symptoms of Car Accident Injuries

The symptoms a patient experience depends on the site of an injury and its severity. Because many injuries involve the neck and back, the patient may experience pain in the neck region or lower back and suffer from chronic pain for a long time. Below, symptoms are listed in relation to the type of injury.

Symptoms to the head may include the following:

  • A headache
  • Lightheadedness
  • Edema
  • Hemorrhage
  • Confusion
  • Temporary ringing in the ears

Neck Injury Symptoms

  • Aches and stiffness in the neck region
  • Swelling
  • Spinal dislocation
  • Rupture disc

Back Injury Symptoms

  • Pain in the upper, mid-region, or lower back
  • An inability to straighten the back
  • Pain that radiates down the back of the leg, which can be quite severe
  • Problems with balancing

Chest Injury Symptoms

  • Difficulty breathing
  • Severe soreness in the chest region
  • Chronic pain and aches

General Treatment Options for Car Injuries

The treatments you receive for a car injury will depend on the injury and the site of the damage. Most treatments, however, are chiropractic in nature, as the back or neck are often affected in car wrecks. Some of the general treatment options follow.

  1. Chiropractic Care – Many car accident victims must receive chiropractic care after a car accident. This type of care enables a patient to gain pain relief in the areas of the spine, neck, or lower back. Patients who suffer from whiplash or back injuries often resort to chiropractic care for rehabilitation.
  2. Physical Therapy – Car accident victims find pain relief by scheduling physical therapy. This type of treatment allows a patient to improve the use of his or her limbs or back so he can walk or function with greater ease. Physical therapists show patients what exercises facilitate relief from chronic or acute pain.
    3. Pain Relief Medications – To endure any chronic or acute pain during the healing process, doctors prescribe medications to offset any type of discomfort. Pain medications are prescribed or patients gain relief by taking other-the-counter OTC drugs as well.

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