Auto Accidents

Crash, bang, boom…It sounds all too familiar. People are involved in all types of accidents from minor fender benders to severe spinal “whiplash” injuries. I have found, in my nine years experience in auto accidents, that whether you were involved in an accident at 10 mph or 65 mph, you can still have damage to your spine. Cars are manufactured differently than they were 40 years ago. Today, they are made out of plastics and aluminum, not steel. That 2,000-pound car that hit you from behind won’t injure your car as easily as it will damage YOU. All that force travels somewhere...and that somewhere is your delicate spine. Ouch! National statistics estimate that an average person is involved in an accident every seven years. I was involved in three within three months. That is a tremendous amount of trauma over a lifetime, multiplied with falls, stress and bad habits.

Research shows that within a two-week period, the body will form permanent scar tissue in the injured area. This scar tissue is formed as a result of muscle spasms, poor flexibility of the bones, poor blood supply in joints and nerve interference. I have found in adult X-rays, years after the accident, that the patient will have permanent arthritis and degeneration (if the misalignment is not corrected immediately).

In my experience, the major causes of severe injuries are: rear end collisions, head turned to the left or right during the time of impact, tightening up before you get hit or arthritis in your spine already (this degeneration makes your spine weak and unstable).

It is extremely important that you have your spine checked after every accident, no matter how minor it may seem. Research shows that it only takes the pressure of a dime to take away 60% of the nerves’ ability to function properly. Remember that pain is always the last symptom that will occur. Your nervous system controls every function in your body from breathing, digesting, smiling to running. In the nervous system, 90% controls function and ONLY 10% controls pain. It would be a terrible thing to have you live your life for the next 25 years with a SUBLUXATION, until one day he would develop a headache or neck pain, but lived the last 25 years with less than 100% nerve function to every part of your body. I have found that immediate attention to any injury will speed the healing process and decrease the chances of permanent injury.

I look forward to re-aligning you and your family. - Dr. Lachuta

For additional information, please call Northgate Chiropractic at
(206) 367-2224.