While we rely on the emergency room for critical care, there is a trend in the way more people are being treated for some kinds of urgent injuries. Acute or even emergency cases are quite common in chiropractic clinics. Although there are a number of situations where urgent chiropractic care is indicated, the treatment of acute injury following an auto accident is one worthy of mention.

Of all the research literature regarding chiropractic care, a significant portion details the science and effective results of chiropractic treatment in the area of whiplash-associated auto accidents. In short, the response from patients who undergo chiropractic care following whiplash or “hyperflexion-hyperextension” injury is very good. Well over 2 million Americans are injured in whiplash-associated accidents every year. The important thing to note is that according to a culmination of studies from all over the world, as much as 40% of those injured may suffer from chronic, sometimes life long symptoms. That accounts for a significant amount of people in this country alone dealing with long standing painful conditions. Fortunately, the consensus of a large body of research evidence demonstrates that car accident victims who undergo chiropractic management recover sooner and have a much lower percentage of chronic residual symptoms.

In describing the forces that occur during whiplash accidents, it has been revealed that during an impact, the car being struck is pushed forward at some speed which causes a chain of events to happen through the trunk and upper body. It’s a unique event where the car’s motion propels the upper body or torso forward faster than the car, then the neck and head are propelled forward even faster than the torso, all of which culminate in a compression of the entire spine with a whip-like movement of the upper body and head.

A major factor that produces much of the injury is not the speed at which one car hits another, but the change in speed when the impact occurs. It has been proven with a lot of ugly math that even at slow impacts, tissue damage occurs from the very sudden change in speeds that happen faster than the muscles and supporting tissues can respond for protection. The ligaments and other connective tissues surrounding the spinal joints become easily sheared, torn and compressed. It is those small, but very damaging tears in the ligaments and even the nerves that cause much of the long standing, sometimes debilitating conditions. Other factors like concussions from the whipping of the head or the impact of body parts on the inside of the car will likely contribute further injury.

One of many studies that describe effective chiropractic treatment of whiplash-type injuries was recently published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Medicine. The three orthopedic surgeons and one chiropractor of the study declared that 74% of chronic whiplash patients got better with chiropractic care. This is one of several studies that show similar results from chronic patients, which means they had pain and certain disabilities for long periods of time before beginning treatment. The authors of this study have also concluded, like many other studies, that "conventional treatment of patients with whiplash symptoms is disappointing”.

When treatment begins right away for new or acute injuries, chiropractic patients are again shown to respond very well, typically with faster recovery and with less chronic or recurrent symptoms. The reason for the urgency to begin care right away is due to the nature of ligaments and tissues that are injured. They heal better and faster when proper movement is restored sooner, as opposed to stopping movement such as when a patient is put in a cervical collar. Another recent study determined that up to 36% of patients who were put in a cervical collar (but not due to a fracture) soon after the accident were more likely to develop chronic problems. Current treatment programs and guidelines do not support the use of a cervical collar, stating that “absolute immobility in the absence of fracture is discouraged”.

Whether the injury is new or long standing, chiropractic management produces good results because the very tissues that are injured are the same specific tissues that chiropractic successfully treats. Evidence from other areas of study clearly show that restoring the function of the joints and associated tissues is exactly what promotes more optimal healing and alleviates chronic tissue damage.

The trend toward chiropractic usage for these types of injuries may be due to the many studies, but more likely it is simply because of good results especially when a number of individuals recover from chronic problems that conventional care didn’t help.

Chiropractors have been actively treating whiplash soft-tissue injuries for decades but another recent study shows how that trend is shaping up. It shows that since 1987, the claims to chiropractors for whiplash cases have steadily increased by almost 40%, while claims to ER’s and general practitioners have decreased by almost as much. Also mentioned in the report is that personal injury cases in general are reflected in an increased trend of chiropractic usage.

When serious injuries occur or sudden life threatening events happen, the emergency room is the first destination. However, as many chiropractic patients can attest urgent care is not always just for the emergency room. There is good reason why many chiropractic physicians have emergency after hour numbers. Many patients in acute pain or after injuries will make that call – to take action and treat their injuries promptly for more optimal response and improved healing. While these specific studies show how victims of whiplash accidents have good reason to seek out chiropractic care, personal injury cases of all sorts show the same positive results.

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