With the unexpected shock of a whiplash injury, car accident victims and their injuries can often times be delayed or go undiagnosed but they should never be ignored.
Buckle up and prepare for a ride through the unexpected aftermath of car accidents. No one hops into their vehicle expecting a collision, yet these incidents occur all too frequently on the roads of the Kingwood, Humble and Houston, Texas.
Picture this: thousands of Houstonians navigating their daily commutes, only to find themselves thrust into the chaos of a car accident. We all know how stressful it can be to drive in Houston traffic on I-10, I-610, I-45, Hwy 69 or Hwy 99, everyone is a rush, some driving over 90 miles per hour. While some encounters may result in mere inconveniences like minor scrapes and fender benders, others leave lasting imprints on one's life requiring emergency room visits and months of chiropractic and rehabilitative treatments.
Here's the twist: the true impact of car accident injuries isn't always immediately apparent. In the heat of the moment, shock and adrenaline can cloak serious symptoms, leaving individuals unaware of the lurking dangers within their own bodies. It's like a silent countdown until the moment these injuries make their grand entrance onto the stage of discomfort and pain. Dr. Hamel, in his Kingwood, TX office has seen thousands of car accident patients, He says many of these patients don’t feel the full effect and symptoms until 1-2 weeks after their car wreck. When looking at all of the factors contributing to a car accident, it is no wonder the body is in shock and doesn’t feel every symptom right away. Dr. Hamel looks at some key factors when a new whiplash injury patient comes in:
- Speed of accident- speed of impact matters to some degree, we see patients that are in slower speed accidents, (30 mph or less), and they still can have significant neck and back pain. It has a lot to do with how the patient is sitting, where they are looking and did the patient see the accident coming.
- Damage to the vehicle- many times an insurance company will totally write off the car because it is ruined. When the car is damaged that badly there is a good chance that the person driving, or anyone else in the car has injuries that should be looked at.
- Details- did the patient hit their head on the head rest, did the air bags deploy, was there any flying objects that hit the patient after impact, (pens, glasses, phone, keys etc.). Dr. Hamel says they often see whiplash injured patients come in with bruises on their face, chest and legs from the seat belt and air bags being deployed.
- Emergency room- did the patient have to go to the emergency room after their accident. If so did they get x-ray, CT scan, did the doctor prescribe them medicine or muscle relaxers.
- Work status- is the patient able to go to work, to do their duties at work? Some whiplash victims are unable to physically work; these patients are really stressed says Dr. Hamel; they want to get back to work as soon as possible; they can’t afford to be off.
All of these details can impact the severity of injuries suffered from a car crash. Let us take a look at some of the late to arrive symptoms that might not show up for days, or 1-2 weeks after the car accident.
Spinal Cord injuries: Brace yourself for the common culprit known as whiplash. Despite the snug embrace of a seatbelt, the jerking motion of a collision can wreak havoc on your spinal cord, leaving you with a throbbing headache and stiffness that is brutal. The affect of whiplash injuries is harsh on the spine, whether it is a side impact or rearend impact your spine gets tossed around like it has never been tossed before. This is why we often see injuries to the nerves, spinal joints and the surrounding muscles and ligaments of the spine; it is just the nature of this injury.
Headaches: Not Just Stress-induced Dramas: Those post-accident headaches can actually be signaling a deeper issue, like a concussion. Take this symptom seriously as a concussion needs a visit to the emergency room and monitoring by a doctor.
Emotional Rollercoaster: Ah, the unseen injuries—the psychological aftermath of a collision. Anxiety, depression, PTSD—these villains can linger in the shadows, casting a shadow over one's mental well-being. Often times we may think, OK I was in a car wreck but I have to get on with my life; that can be easier said than done. Dealing with constant pain after a car crash can beat you up both mentally and physically; it really just zaps your energy says Dr. Hamel. Make sure to get plenty of rest, take care of yourself, get the chiropractic care you need to restore your health back to the way it was before the accident.
There are thousands of car accidents and whiplash injuries every day in Kingwood and in the north Houston, Texas area. Some times someone gets rearended by another car, sometimes a semi-trailer runs another car into the wall, other times a car might just hydroplane out of control and end up flipped over on the feeder road. Either way; car accident injuries are serious and you should go see a car accident chiropractor to get properly evaluated and treated.
FAQ’s
After a car accident what is the best way for me to check for hidden injuries, X-ray, MRI?
Answer: If you go to an emergency room after your car accident, they will usually do an X-ray and prescribe pain medicine and muscle relaxers. The doctor should be ruling out two things: fracture and concussion. An X-ray is always a good place to start; yes of course you can rule out fracture, however, a whiplash injury causes damage to the spine and sometimes you can see this affect on an X-ray. You should have certain curves of your spine, (C curve in the neck, Minor Kyphosis curve in the mid back and C curve again in the lower back). After a whiplash injury those curves in your spine may have changed; often times we see the C curve in the neck and lower back straighten out; this is not good and definitely needs therapy to fix. In his office Dr. Hamel uses a thermal scan to assess the level of inflammation in the neck, mid back and low back; this is one of the best ways to see hidden problems. After a car wreck the patient is usually in severe pain; with a scan you can see the level of inflammation the patient has and determine the type and frequency of chiropractic treatment they need. As long as there is a severe anti-inflammatory response in the back or neck; healing is unable to happen and the pain will not go away. Dr. Hamel recommends X-ray and thermal scan to see any type of damage or injury, hidden or not.
What type of doctor should I see right after a car wreck?
Answer: Depending on the severity of your symptoms you may want to visit the emergency room where you would see a medical doctor. An MD is great, they are definitely going to examine you and make sure your are ok to go home; often times they will prescribe pain medication and muscle relaxers to help take some of the pain away. If your symptoms are very severe, like dizziness, confusion, fracture or internal bleeding you will definitely go to a hospital and they will get you stabilized there. Dr. Hamel says if you are really dizzy or have a very severe headache after a car accident, definitely go to the hospital. When you are cleared by the medical doctor, to get your injuries assessed and treated you could seek out a chiropractor or physical therapist. Over the past 24 years, Dr. Hamel, in his Kingwood Chiropractic office, has seen thousands of car accident patients; the types of whiplash injuries they have are well suited to chiropractic treatment. Getting the spine realigned, taking pressure off nerves, reducing muscle spasm; this all helps the healing process and gets these car accident patients back to normal in a fairly short period of time. Remember just taking a prescription medication can make you feel better but in no way is it going to fix a misaligned spine, a pinched nerve or what’s causing your headache.
What kind of treatment should I expect after a car accident for my injuries, I heard there are some shady places out there.
Answer: Dr. Hamel says it is very true, he has heard some horror stories about going to these car accident clinics and there is not even a doctor present; they just put some heat and TENS machine on your back and that is it. You deserve comprehensive chiropractic care to get you back to pre-accident status says Dr. Hamel; at least be as close to feeling like you did before the accident. In his Kingwood chiropractic office, he gives each patient a thorough examination, orthopedic testing, thermal scan, chiropractic treatment, corrective exercises, recommended nutritional supplements and a follow up plan for treatment. If you are getting the right care you should be seeing positive results for the treatment in as little as one week. Some of Dr. Hamel’s whiplash injured patients come in for a total of 8 weeks, others with more serious injuries come in for 6 months, they are released when they feel they can do their daily activities and hobbies with little to no pain. Check for a reputable chiropractic office nearby where you live, this is your best option for great care. Be weary of in state or out of state attorneys saying that you can only go to ABC auto accident and injury clinic; they might see 100 patients a day but the care might not be exactly stellar.
If I use all of my PIP insurance for chiropractic care what are my options after that?
Answer: For patients who are using their own PIP, (personal injury protection), insurance from their auto policy they usually have certain limits, which are $2500, $5000, $7500 or $10000. This is the amount of funds available to each person in the car who was involved in the car accident. There are times when we have an entire family of 4 come in for car accident injury treatment; they were all involved in the accident says Dr. Hamel. These PIP limits can be used for any medical treatment stemming from the auto accident. Dr. Hamel adds that for his patients, most PIP auto policies that are $5000 and up will cover all the necessary chiropractic care for a person’s injuries. In the case of severe injuries, the patient might require more care than their PIP limits provide. For example, if a car accident patient has a $2500 limit, and they use all of those funds up for medical; the options for care after this are either medical insurance or self-pay. With medical insurance Dr. Hamel’s office accepts Blue Cross Blue Shield and Aetna insurance, all plans including PPO, POS, EPO and HMO, if you have an HMO plan you must get a referral from a medical doctor. Depending on the benefits of the medical insurance the patient may have a deductible to meet or a co-pay, we will give you the benefit details of your particular plan. At Hamel Chiropractic and Wellness they want chiropractic care to be affordable for everyone, they do offer discounted packages of chiropractic visits for those patients who are self-pay.
Does your office accept 3rd party car accident cases or attorney referral cases?
Answer: At the time, Dr. Hamel ONLY accepts new car accident clients who are using their own PIP auto policy insurance to cover their chiropractic care. When a 3rd party insurance company and an attorney is involved; these injury cases can go on for years and sometimes they never get settled says Dr. Hamel, this is why he only accept PIP cases. Also, the fact of the matter is that insurance companies these days will only pay out a certain dollar amount when it comes to car accident injuries; for most cases in Dr. Hamel’s office the care would never exceed $10000. If a patient experienced a very severe injury, they were hospitalized, paralyzed or have lasting symptoms, Dr. Hamel would recommend seeking out an attorney for these kinds of cases.
What kind of chiropractor should I be looking for in order to treatment my car accident injuries?
Answer: Dr. Hamel has been treated car wreck injuries for over 24 years; here is what he would recommend when seeking out a chiropractor to treat your injuries:
- Make sure it is a local chiropractic office-read the reviews and ask around your community who they would recommend in your city or close to it.
- Convenience is key-many car accident patients get treatment 3X per week for the first few weeks, let’s face it, you don’t want to have to drive an hour a way to go for your treatment every time.
- Get quality treatment-make sure you have the right chiropractor treating you, make sure they are answering your questions, listening to you and playing a role in your recovery. The good thing is, if you don’t like the way you are being treated by a certain doctor, then go some where else. With treatment you should be getting chiropractic adjustments, exercises and other therapies to help you recover quickly.
- Availability- make sure you can get an appointment right away; some office and doctors have waiting lists and for your car accident injuries, the last thing you want to do is wait. When a new car accident patient calls, we can usually get them in the same day or at least the next day says Dr. Hamel; we know they want to get treatment right away and get rid of their pain.
