Pennies & Pounds

After a relatively minor car crash a year ago, I am even more keen to get across the importance of getting yourself treated following even slight incidents that may or may not result in any obvious injury.

This may seem like scaremongering, or even a way to generate more income for therapists. However this is not the case at all. In my case I was in a rear end collision where the back of my car was dented significantly, the resultant impact meant I also used my brakes to stop myself hitting the car in front, and my head was thrown backwards, then forwards at point of impact.

This is a common state of affairs - within a few minutes I had neck and left shoulder pain. We call this whiplash. Being a therapist, I booked the closest appointment I could find, which ended up being a back and neck massage. I would have had Bowen Therapy if I could have found someone quick enough. So within an hour of the impact my body was being treated.

As it happens, I ended up with about 5 or 6 treatments over a 6 month period of Bowen Therapy which went through the insurance company - and I can assure you my body needed it.

So what is my point?

In my experience the majority of whiplash type problems occur 6-9 months following a minor car incident. The reason for this tends to be due to the fact that at the moment of impact, the shockwave will travel down the spine, and if there is braking involved, down the right leg.

Initially the recipient may have a bit of neck ache or maybe not for a day, but then they think nothing of it as it goes away, and in many cases, the vehicle itself may only have a minor dent in the bumper.

However the shock that has struck the body both physically, and we mustn't underestimate this, emotionally and psychologically. The shockwave, as I have already mentioned, ends up usually around the base of the spine, and also the tensional shock of applying the brakes on the right leg.

This will work it's way up the body over a period of months. Sometimes this will manifest itself as a bit of backache, but because it is so long since the accident no-one puts two and two together. 6 to 9 months down the line, the patient starts to experience neck pain, headaches and all the whiplash type symptoms. By then of course everyone has forgotten about the car crash.

My advice, is regardless of whether or not you feel hurt following a car accident, get some treatment of some kind ASAP. Err on the side of caution - even if there is no physical damage, how many of us can truly say that we aren't going to be affected in any way by being struck by a piece of metal weighing more than half a Ton travelling at 20/30 mph or more?

It can be a shocking experience in many ways; physically, emotionally and psychologically.

Why only get treatment when something is visibly serious? Small things given time can add up to big things - As granny always used to say: Look after the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.

TTFN