Auto Accident Injuries

Thousands of accidents happen on the road every day. At The Wellness Center PDX our chiropractors and alternative medicine team meet people of all ages struggling with a variety of auto accident injuries - which may or may not present right away. 

Among the most common auto accident injuries examined and treated by our team, we frequently see:  

• Whiplash - a syndrome of neck pain, shoulder  pain, headaches, and other symptoms caused by the rapid whip-like movement  of the neck when the body suddenly stops or changes direction 
• Shoulder Injury - this may include a rotator  cuff strain or tear (muscle fiber damage) or brachial plexus injury  (nerve fiber damage), often as a result of seat belt impact 
• Disc injury - a herniation (rupture) or bulge  (abnormal protrusion out of place) can easily lead to impingement of  nearby nerves and other structures, causing numbness, pain, and/or  weakness in an arm or leg (as well as back pain at the level of the  disc) 
• Knee injury - the blunt impact of the knee against  the dashboard can cause damage to the knee cap, tendons, and ligaments  around the knee joint (so-called "dashboard knee") 

Interestingly, some of these injuries don't show up right away following an auto accident injury, because hormones that surge during stressful situations (like adrenaline) can block pain for days, weeks,  or sometimes MONTHS before they return to their normal resting levels.  What this means is that just because you may feel "fine" after an accident doesn't mean you're necessarily injury-free! Our advice? Come see us right away just in case. 

Every person's auto accident injury is slightly different, so your plan of care will be fully customized while still being non-invasive and drug-free (fewer, if any, side effects!). Our chiropractor and other  team members provide services including:  

• Chiropractic adjustments - realign joints that have been jarred out of place, stimulate the release of natural pain-relieving hormones 
• Acupuncture - insertion of small sterile needles at specific trigger points in the body modulates the nervous system and promotes healing effects in the immune system,  musculoskeletal system, metabolic system, hormonal system, etc.  
• Massage therapy - manual pressure breaks up adhesions and tension in injured tissues and enhances circulation for better pain and stress relief