If you’ve ever been in a car accident, you will remember the scary details and all that happened vividly.

The screech of tires.

The slow motion of your car hitting or getting hit by the other car.

The immediate sudden impact.

The force of the sudden stop and your body being carried forward from the inertia.

The sound of metal being crushed.

The ring in your ears and the smell of the car’s airbags going off.

The emotional shock from the unexpected car wreck.

Finally, you may also remember the pain in your neck and back from the extreme forces you felt throughout your entire body. The pain from your head slamming forward and then back again while the rest of your body was held still by the seat belt.

The experience – traumatic at its core – is a common story told by a victim of whiplash.

What is Whiplash?

Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury to the neck. It is often called a neck sprain or a neck strain. The sudden movement of your neck being pulled forward or backward is the normal cause of whiplash.

For those who have been in a Tulsa car accident, whiplash is the most common injury, often a result from being in a rear-end collision.

Whiplash is more common that you might think

It has been estimated that around 805,000 whiplash injuries are reported every single year in the United States. That is close to a total of $8.8 billion dollars worth of injury claims with insurance every single year. It is also been reported that whiplash or neck injuries make up about 66% of the bodily injury insurance claims.

What to do if you’ve experienced Whiplash

If you have been in a Tulsa car accident or you have previously been injured in your neck or head area from a whiplash accident, you should seek the help of a Tulsa chiropractor and medical professional immediately. Your injuries could have a dangerous impact on your future if left untreated! Call Dr. Curtis Smith and the Care Family Medical & Chiropractic team today to get the medical treatment you may need! Contact our Tulsa Chiropractic Office at 918-836-7900.

Symptoms of Whiplash

Although whiplash is mainly felt in the neck and head area, it can often have effects on other parts of the body. Common symptoms of whiplash from a car accident include:

• Neck pain
• Neck stiffness
• Headaches
• Injury to neck muscles and ligaments
• Upper back pain
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Burning or prickling sensation
• Shoulder pain

Tips to prevent a future Whiplash

In order to ensure that you never experience a whiplash or to significantly reduce the chances of a neck injury, please see the following tips below:

• Obey all traffic laws, speed limits, and road signs.
• Don’t tailgate. Leave enough room between you and the car ahead of you to stop quickly.
• Purchase a car with a good safety rating.
• ALWAYS wear your seatbelt. Make sure your passengers always wear their seatbelts.
• Sit upright in your seat.
• Make sure your headrest is at the proper height.
• If you anticipate a car crash, lean your head back into your head rest and look straight forward.

Call to Schedule a Post-Car Accident Tulsa Chiropractic Appointment

If you’ve been in a recent car accident, your future health depends on how you properly treat your body. Even if you are not in pain at first, your spine, neck, or back may have experienced trauma due to the force from a sudden stop during an accident.

At Care Family Medical and Chiropractic, we offer a FREE medical consultation on your first visit and we can help you establish the proper treatment plans to get you back to full health. Give us a call today at 918-836-7900 to schedule your appointment!