Clermont’s Auto Injury Doctor

How life changing an Auto Accident can be! Spilt seconds and you can have some serious injuries. Even what can seem to be a small whiplash can cause pain and possibly show up years later. Here at Citrus Ridge Health Center our Chiropractic and Medical Physicians specialize in whiplash and helping you to a speedy recovery. Weather you need medical, chiropractic, physical therapy or all three as part of your auto accident recovery, be sure our doctors can help you. Countless Clermont, Davenport and Four Corners residents already have.

“The longer you wait,” says Dr. Scott Barnhart, “the more unseen damage there is from auto injuries and the longer it seems to take to recover.”

What Injuries can I have from an Auto Accident?

If you do not have serious injuries that require a hospital visit, then you may just think you have scrapes and bruises. However even a small fender bender can produce whiplash injuries. Whiplash injuries can manifest in a wide variety of ways, including neck pain, headaches, fatigue, upper back and shoulder pain, cognitive changes and low back pain. Due to the fact that numerous factors play into the overall whiplash trauma, such as direction of impact, speed of the vehicles involved, as well as sex, age and physical condition, it is impossible to predict the pattern of symptoms that each individual will suffer. Additionally, whiplash symptoms commonly have a delayed onset, often taking weeks or months to present. Make sure to seek treatment quickly with a qualified professional.

How will I Recovery from Whiplash?

With proper care, many mild whiplash injuries heal within six to nine months. However, more than 20% of those who suffer from whiplash injuries continue to suffer from pain, weakness or restricted movement two years after their accident. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these people will continue to suffer from some level of disability or pain for many years after that, if not for the rest of their lives. Whiplash is a unique condition that requires the expertise of a skilled health professional specially trained to work with these types of injuries. The most effective treatment for whiplash injuries is a combination of medical, chiropractic care, physical rehabilitation of the soft tissues and taking care of yourself at home.

Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care utilizes manual manipulation of the spine to restore the normal movement and position of the spinal vertebrae. It is by far the single-most effective treatment for minimizing the long-term impact of whiplash injuries, especially when coupled with massage therapy, trigger point therapy, exercise rehabilitation and other soft tissue rehabilitation modalities.

Soft Tissue Rehabilitation

The term ‘soft tissue’ simply refers to anything that is not bone, such as your muscles, ligaments, tendons, nervous system, spinal discs and internal organs. During a whiplash injury, the tissues that are affected most are the soft tissues, the muscles, ligaments and discs in particular. In order to minimize permanent impairment and disability, it is important to use therapies that stimulate the soft tissues to heal correctly. These include massage therapy, electro-stimulation, trigger point therapy, stretching and specific strength and range of motion exercises.

Medical Intervention

In some severe cases of whiplash, it may be necessary to have some medical care as part of your overall treatment plan. The most common medical treatments include the use of anti-inflammatory medications, muscle relaxants and trigger point injections. These therapies should be used for short-term relief of pain, if necessary, and not be the focus of treatment. After all, a drug cannot restore normal joint movement and stimulate healthy muscle repair.

At Citrus Ridge Health Center we combine all of these therapies and services at one location for our Clermont, Davenport and Four Corners Patients. You will be able to have x-rays taken, and have an appointment with both a medical physician and chiropractor all in the same day if you require. We offer this multi-disciplinary approach so that you can get the pain relief and mobility you deserve.