Auto Accidents

Establishing the mechanism of injury is part of the puzzle that must be solved for understanding your injuries to provide the most appropriate care. It must also be proven to the auto insurance companies for them to finance your treatment. If you have PIP coverage (also known as 1st Party Medical) you care is paid for by them as you receive it. If not but you were not at fault, the person who hit you or caused the collision’s insurance will pay at the end of treatment at the time of settlement. It is important for you as a victim in a collision to write down as much as you can remember about the collision. How fast were you going, did you see it coming, where exactly was your vehicle struck, where you were seated, use of lap and shoulder harness, airbag deployment, etc. You should photograph your vehicle, the other vehicle, yourself if cut or bruised, etc.

When you come to Mile Hill Chiropractic Clinic following a collision we will take a detailed history of your collision and your health status (if you are a new patient). If you were taken to the emergency room following the collision, please bring all paperwork you received there so we may make a copy. If films or scans were performed we will have you sign a release so we may obtain a copy for our use in detecting injuries to the spinal structures of your neck, back and extremities. We will also perform an extensive examination to further document your injuries. If you have not had X-rays we will want to perform them of your neck and back. We will also use the Myovision Technology to assess dysfunction of the muscles and nerves of your spine.

When a patient seeks Chiropractic care due to pain or an injury it is important to document areas of dysfunction. Soft tissue injuries, such as those incurred in an auto collision can be difficult to document using standard MRI scans or X-rays unless the victim has sustained notable disc or nerve injury. Pain and dysfunction, however, from injuries to the spinal facet joint capsules and their nerves is very real and can be life altering. More conservative means of testing have become state of the art for showing the presence of these problems.

Surface Electromyography or sEMG is a device to measure whether the muscles that line your neck and back are functioning normally after some kind of injury. Muscles have the tendency to “brace and guard or tense up” as a natural defense mechanism to pain and injury. The exam detects abnormal muscle function that is caused by or results in pain. This provides proof of a spinal problem when you have suffered an injury.

Another great device for documenting dysfunction is Myovision’s Paraspinal Thermal imaging instrument. This is an extremely sensitive and accepted method of analysis of nerve function.

These state of the art tests are safe, non invasive and cause no pain or irritation. Chiropractic is extremely effective at correcting spinal dysfunctions. The more we know about your problem the more help we can provide.

Chiropractic has been found to be especially beneficial in the treatment of the sprain/strain types of injuries from auto collision. Your treatment for these injuries will be designed to decrease pain and stiffness and to restore function to the joint structures of your injury sites. Many victims will experience a decrease in pain before their function has returned. Dysfunction can be difficult to assess following an injury. Because we feel so much better than we do right after the injury, we think we are back to normal and discontinue treatment prematurely.

The Myovision tests help determine when maximum improvement has been reached. It also helps to determine if residuals requiring “flare up” or “maintenance” care is recommended to keep your condition at its optimum. Along with your chiropractic adjustment, your condition may need ice therapy, intersegmental traction, and strengthening work. We can take care of those needs as well.

Massage therapy is another treatment that helps with the injuries sustained in an auto collision. For your convenience, we have two licensed massage therapists available. If your injuries require medications and diagnostics beyond those we have, we will refer you to a medical doctor, familiar with collision related injuries or specialist as needed. We can also refer for MRI or CT scans and physical therapy.