LAS VEGAS, Oct. 19, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A Las Vegas chiropractor is making sure area residents understand the benefits of natural treatment methods for car accident injuries -- as well as the urgency of seeking immediate evaluation following an accident. According to Dr. Benjamin Lurie, DC of The Neck and Back Clinics, many people who sustain serious injuries from an auto accident do not realize it until delayed symptoms make themselves known. "We want to catch those problem while they are still simple to treat. Chiropractic adjustment can provide significant pain relief and accelerate healing in such cases," he said.
Dr. Lurie notes that while whiplash and other painful injuries are commonly associated in the public mind with auto accidents, people tend not to realize how easily such injuries can occur. He states that even a slight impact in a vehicle traveling only at 5 miles per hour can injure the spinal column and other joints, due to the sheer force generated by an object the size of a car or truck. "If you are sitting inside that vehicle, your body receives that force and usually goes flying in the opposite direction. This is a primary cause of whiplash -- the head flies forward and backward while the body remains restrained," he explained.
The practitioner adds that whiplash can cause herniation of the discs between the cervical vertebrae as the neck loses its normal spinal alignment. The displaced discs then pinch adjoining nerve roots, creating symptoms such as numbness in the hands, headaches, neck pain, dizziness and blurred vision. He states that muscle and connective tissue damage only add to the pain and stiffness.
Whiplash is not the only kind of musculoskeletal injury Dr. Lurie sees in connection with auto accidents. The chiropractor states that spinal misalignments and disc herniation can also occur lower down in the back, causing lumbar pain and sciatica. "Some patients also complain of shoulder pain or upper back pain as a result of the car's shoulder harness restraining one side of the trunk more than the other side," he said.
Dr. Lurie typically prescribes a combination of chiropractic care and other non-surgical, drug-free therapies to address the skeletal, neurological and soft tissue problems that accompany auto accident injuries. He states that spinal adjustments can quickly and efficiently remove nerve pressure and muscular strain, while massage therapy and physical rehabilitation can help soft tissues feel better and recover faster.
The chiropractor warns the public that a soft tissue injury may take time to show symptoms, allowing serious injuries to go untreated. "Don't assume you're fine just because you're not in agony. Get a spinal screening to make sure," he urged.
In addition to treatment for auto accident injuries, The Neck and Back Clinics help Las Vegas residents with sports injuries, personal injuries, headaches and migraines, and carpal tunnel syndrome.