Perhaps driving on a congested road and facing traffic on the way is something we have all gone through. It gets observed especially in underdeveloped states where there is no strict implementation of traffic rules. Road mishaps, for this reason only, have survived to be one of the leading global issues. However, this does not mean that the issue regarding road accidents got left neglected. Nations worldwide have joined hands to impose to introduce more practical ways for the better channelling of traffic. These strategies prove effective because it holds drivers accountable for their carelessness by charging them hefty sums of money as penance.
These regimes have no doubt curtailed the hazard of road accidents to some extent. However, a couple of highways and roads on the main routes still pose a significant threat to road accident injuries. Since this blog talks particular to the United States, a few common ways facing overcrowding routinely include Houston’s Southwest Freeway, Eastex Freeway, and the Dallas’ Woodall Rodgers Freeway.
The most intriguing factor about road accidents is that they can be as minor as just a scratch on the side of your car or a matter so serious it involves a lawsuit. Let us now understand some commonly witnessed automobile accidents in the US before investigating when people face them. Common injuries observed include lower back pain, whiplash injury, disc herniation, and spinal manipulation. Perhaps what is most concerning about such accidents is that the probability of them happening can never depend upon common concepts like the height or age of the driver behind the wheel.
Perhaps it is scary that everyone can get potentially threatened at the hands of such mishaps because of just one slip up. Often people believe that taller people are more likely to get into accidents that trigger lower back pain. But this notion is nothing but a baseless argument that needs some scientific backing. Hence, we must examine the actual factors that play a role in significantly increasing automobile casualties. We must keep reading further to understand how and why such accidents occur and how one needs to treat post-accident trauma by a trained accident injury doctor.
The first step towards understanding disc slips and whiplash accidents is to know that they concern with disrupted nerve cells and torn muscles and joints. Symptoms come to life within the first few days after an accident occurs. They include sensations such as tingling and numbing felt by patients all over the body. Some might even experience such feelings, especially around the neck region or in the lower back area.
Therefore, to save ourselves from such misfortune, let us now look at why such accidents happen at all.
Whiplash Accidents in the States
Whiplash accidents occur because of the sudden jerk of movement around the neck due to the onslaught of collision. The unforeseen hit drastically impacts the cervical spine, and the victim faces severe surges of pain at the injury site.
A study got conducted in the institute concerning neurology in San Antonio using lifeless objects such as statues to investigate the logic behind random waves of chronic pain. Research conducted proved that at the scene of an accident, the impact of the collision disrupts the bones in the lower portions of the spinal cord. These bones get pressed in a state known as hyperextension. On the other end, the bones in the upper areas get forced into a hyperflex state. This causes the derailment of bones from how they previously were to an abnormal S-shape of the spine and pulls the ligaments far beyond their capacity. These ligaments that were previously holding the spine in place now face wear and tear.
Statistics have given a more accurate picture of the ongoing casualties of car accidents and show that around 3 million Americans annually get affected by automobile accidents. About 1.5 million endure some form of post-accident trauma. Some encounter recurring pain surges, and 300,000 individuals on average face handicap.
Studies like these help us realize how the human body is nothing less of a marvel but can also get prone to suffering wear and tear. The National Transportation Safety Board proposes that one-car accident in the United States occurs every 10 seconds and equals about 2 million injuries recorded in a year.
What is most intriguing about such facts is that most of these casualties have to do with whiplash accidents and injuries. And another striking feature is that you do not even have to be driving at high speeds to suffer from neck jerks and disruption of joints. Whiplash accidents can occur at even 12 miles per hour, and in such a situation, other factors come into play.
So What Causes Whiplash Accidents and Injuries?
Car accident doctors deem the following factors as crucial in understanding the cause behind life-threatening vehicle accidents.
Car design
Car design pertains to the vehicle structure and increases road accidents by up to 30%. Some designs have the headrest way up or below the optimum level, which does not give good neck support to the driver. The imbalance boosts the odds of a whiplash accident because of excessive pressure delivered onto the neck and the lack of cushioning for the neck muscles.
Social Factors for Whiplash Accidents
Age
Slower reflexes, such as for aged people, increase the chances of whiplash injury. As a person ages, the vigor that their muscles and tissues once possessed gets lost on the way. The body frails over time and loses the flexibleness of joints it once had. It also can no longer react to unexpected stimuli because the response rate goes down. The body now requires more time to recover because the weakened ligaments consume more time to get renewed.
Post- Accident Injury Treatment
Do you reside anywhere close to the southern part of Mexico in the United States in San Antonio? Because there is some good news in store for you if you do. Neurology in San Antonio is top of the notch, and pediatric therapy also gets provided that caters to the needs of children as well. Efficient treatment strategies for whiplash injury and spinal disc slips promise speedy recovery to whoever needs it.
Post-accident trauma clinics exist at a stone’s throw from every district in town so that treatment becomes accessible to all citizens. Because let’s be honest, who does not wish to be up and running on their own two feet at the earliest?
Last Thoughts
The takeaway from the studies above is not to discontinue driving out of fear that you can fall witness to the injuries mentioned above. Instead, what we must understand is that driving is the most liberating activity if done right. One can only master it by following the correct methods and staying on your radar throughout.
And even if you slip up and face injury, believe that it is never too late to pick yourself up and convince yourself to be up and running again. It all comes down to just some time and patience required for situations to start normalizing once again! And if we trust in treatment at the earliest, it will prove to be fruitful.