Car Accidents

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Being involved in a motor vehicle accident, or car wreck, can be scary. It can be especially scary when it's your first one and you do not know what type of pain or soreness to expect. The first thing to know is that everyone responds differently to wrecks.  The second is that you have muscles that you do not have direct control over. These postural muscles that normally just help hold your spine up right, try to protect you when a sudden impact is made by locking down. Because of this, and depending on the type of collision, you could feel soreness and pain a few hours after the wreck or the next morning that you did not feel right away. Third point to make note of is that directly following most wrecks, depending on the severity, the persons involved may be in a state of shock. This can lower the sensation of pain and heighten your energy level making it hard to focus. It's usually when you are able to rest afterwards that your body's normal sensation from pain receptors is felt.  

Whiplash is a  label applied when the involved person has their head whip back and forth, or likewise. This causes the anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) on the front of the spine, or the posterior longitudinal ligament (PLL) on the back of the spine to become sprained. When this ligament is sprained, inflammation rushes to the area affected as the body's first natural reaction to the injury. This inflammation will increase soreness and pain. There are many ligaments in the neck and head area that can be damaged or sprained during a whiplash injury. Depending on the severity of the the collision, X-Rays or more extensive imaging may be necessary to evaluate the area. This will be determined during the initial exam.