Chiropractic Effective for Auto Injury Pain

More than 1 million people are hurt in rear-end collisions annually in the US, and a sizable proportion of whiplash cases result in pain for years or even decades. The good news is that chiropractic has been found to be an effective way to treat whiplash injuries and prevent chronic pain. Dr. Ernst has helped many Arlington, WA, residents who have experienced an auto accident and we may very well be able to help you, too!

A 1996 British research study sums up the problem:

"The 'whiplash' syndrome is a collection of symptoms produced as a result of soft-tissue injury of the cervical spine. The accumulated literature suggests that 43 percent of patients will suffer long-term symptoms following 'whiplash' injury. If patients are still symptomatic after three months then there is almost a 90 per cent chance that they will remain so. No conventional treatment has proven to be effective in these established chronic cases."

The authors of this paper studied the success of chiropractic in twenty-eight people with persistent whiplash pain. The patients were referred to the chiropractor an average of 15.5 (range, 3-44) months after the accident, and were questioned before treatment by both an independent chiropractor and an orthopedic physician. The subjects were allotted to one of four classification groups: A - No symptoms; B - Symptoms are a nuisance; C - Symptoms are intrusive; and, D - Symptoms are disabling. The initial evaluation placed 27 of the 28 patients in groups C or D.

"Following treatment, 26 (93 per cent) of the patients had improved: 16 by one symptom group and 10 by two symptom groups. This improvement was independent of whether it was assessed by an orthopaedic surgeon or a chiropractor. In the group that had improved, 17 had stopped their treatment at the time of assessment; symptoms had recurred to a minor degree in four (24 per cent) of these patients and they were considering further treatment."

This confirms what we find in our practice here in Arlington, WA. Chiropractic adjustments are a fantastic strategy to enable you recover from auto injuries and reduce the risk of long-lasting pain and disability.

Don't suffer with old or recent motor vehicle injuries! We've been providing care for auto injury patients in Arlington, WA since 1990. Call our clinic today at (360) 659-8464 to see how we can help you.

Woodward MN, Cook JCH, Gargan MF, Bannister GC. Chiropractic treatment of chronic -whiplash- injuries. Injury: International Journal of the Care of the Injured 1996;27(9):643-645.