‘Tis the season for snow around these parts, and an unfortunate side-effect of snow is car accidents. I’ve driven past a number of fender benders since it finally started snowing, and social media is all aflutter with stories of accidents and icy roads.
So here’s the low-down: If you get in an accident, you need to get checked. Believe it or not, the human body was not designed to go that fast or stop that fast. Whatever forces the car doesn’t absorb end up being absorbed by your body, and that means injuries in the spine.
Research has shown for years that car accidents as slow as 5mph can cause whiplash. I don’t know if I believe that’s true every time, but I have seen more x-rays than I can count that tell a story that a “fender bender” caused a neck injury that the body couldn’t recover from on its own (both neck and lower back). Signs of arthritis and degeneration abound just because the body never healed right. Thanks to our clean, stable environment that is now set up to help us live to 100 years and beyond, we need to prepare for the long haul. If you or a loved one has been in an auto accident, please come and get checked for your sake or theirs. Plus if the accident was less than 12-18 months ago, insurance will often cover the cost of the exam and most of the treatment, if an insurance claim was filed for the accident.