Car accidents occur in the United States with alarming regularity. Many of these accidents result in permanent injuries that can leave people suffering from chronic pain issues that cannot be addressed by traditional medical techniques.

Injuries can leave people out of work for long periods of time; creating financial struggles in addition to injury pain and discomfort. Fortunately, chiropractic care is renowned as an excellent treatment technique for many of the injuries commonly experienced following an automobile accident.

On average, there are approximately 6 million car accidents each year in the United States. This figure goes up every year in spite of new safety features being introduced into vehicles. This is largely attributed to an increased number of people entering the workforce and commuting on major roadways.

Three million people are injured in car accidents each year. Keep in mind that these are reported injuries. Many people suffer from the symptoms of whiplash and other neck/back injuries without seeking appropriate treatment.

Out of these injured people, over 2 million are reported to have experienced permanent injuries as a direct result of car accidents. These injuries can result in chronic pain issues that are often addressed unsuccessfully by medication regimens.

One of the newest trends related to automobile accidents is accidents caused by distracted driving. Distracted driving refers to texting or talking on a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. Surveys done by the Census Bureau report that as many as 69% of people who participated in the survey admitted to using the phone while driving.

Almost 33% of people surveyed also admitted to either sending or receiving text messages while driving. Many states have implemented (or are in the process of implementing) laws that prohibit the use of cell phones while driving in an attempt to reduce accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

In addition to the pain and suffering often caused following a car accident, the costs of treatment and vehicle repairs are astronomical. Vehicle crashes in the United States cost approximately $230 billion each year. That is almost $820 per person!

Although insurance (medical or automotive) often covers medical expenses for victims involved in the accident, these insurance policies often have limits that are quickly exceeded.

Chiropractic care offers a safe alternative to traditional medicine. Often, these services are covered by insurance companies and they tend to be much less expensive for patients who may not have any insurance coverage at all.

Even more important than the costs associated with treatment is the improved health that can be achieved with regular chiropractic visits. While pain medications are designed to mask the symptoms of many car accident related injuries, chiropractic care goes right to the source and has been proven as an effective way of eliminating many chronic pain symptoms.

No one is a stranger to the idea that exercise or movement is better for your overall health than less. But what many people do not realize is how important posture plays a role in keeping the body healthy during movement.  Proper posture is another way of saying the body is in balance.  A body out of balance will lead to to breakdown and likely pain no matter how many times you walk around the neighborhood in fact will speed it up.So much like a car needs to have balance with equal amount of air in its tires to prevent wear, your body should have proper alignment to get out of exercise what you intend.

When we look at balance in relation to posture certain images hopefully come to mind. Attached to your spine are muscles.  When muscles get injured or are under or over used, posture is affected leading to breakdown and reduced ability for the body to thrive as you age. From the journal of Biomechanics, 2005(june), “Abnormal spinal curvatures enhance the likelihood of whiplash injury and may have long- term clinical and bimechanical implications.” And from Movement Therapy journal, Nov. 2005, “Symptomatic individuals had altered muscle recruitment patterns that persisted throughout the sustained occupational task.” This is saying if you are at the computer for long hours and your upper back and neck are painful and tight the muscles are overworked and will affect your posture.

How do you know if your posture is adequate? One test you can do is to test your balance. Simple stand straight, tuck in your pelvis and lift one leg 90 degrees to the floor. If you cannot sustain this for 30 seconds without having to put your leg down to prevent yourself from falling you may have a posture problem stemming from your pelvic area. One way to improve that would be to sit on a large inflatable exercise ball on its center, tuck in top part of your pelvis causing the ball to role back a little and breath out, then move it forward  breathing in. Do this slowly 5 times to begin with daily.

So to sum up, proper posture means you are in balance. Proper balance means you are moving the way life intended leading slowing the joint breakdown and aging process. for more questions or exercises and posture analysis consult with a chiropractor.

How does one one know they are doing everything they can to heal after an injury? Receiving chiropractic care is essential in just about all cases, but have you considered that the foods you take in can have a positive or negative effect on the speed of your recovery? They do, and here are a few suggestions to improve the rate of reovery.

Food items that one should make sure they have enough of daily after an injury, like a car accident or fall, would be those that contain high levels of vitamin A. Products with high Vitamin A content help with cell growth and the immune system. Foods like sweet potato, carrots, liver, mango, turnip greens, papaya, and red bell peppers are rich in this vitamin.
Fruits and vegatables that are high in vitamin C like oranges, berries, broccoli, cabbages, tomatoes, and cantaloupe help the body form collagen. Collagen is a protein needed for strength and flexibility. It repairs tendons and strengthens bone.

Zinc has also been found to be beneficial after an injury because of its wound healing effects. Foods like meat, seafood, sunflower seeds, and almonds contain zinc. Cold water fish, in particular, have components that reduce pain and inflammation and have been found to be more effective than NSAIDs(nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs).

You may be thinking, “That is all well and good, but who eats a perfectly healthy diet?” I agree, but if you want to heal more effectively and more quickly, you need to reduce pain and inflammation quickly. This can be done by reducing or avoiding foods, at least in the short term, that are fried or contain trans fats, hydrogenated oils, or a lot of sugar.

Examples of these are: French fries, fried chicken or fish, doughnuts, cookies, cakes ,and potato chips. These items have been clearly shown to make inflammation worse. Fried foods have also been linked to chronic diseases like kidney disease and diabetes. For those who are overweight, it is even more essential to make the change, because fat cells produce extra inflammatory chemicals.

Eat well.