Tips to Avoid Whiplash
By Sara Butler
A lot of people who have whiplash visit the chiropractor. Whiplash can occur as the result of any sudden motion that involves your head and neck but is often the result of a car accident. There are a few things you can do to reduce your chances of experiencing whiplash when you're in a car. Here are a few helpful tips from the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic to help you get started.
Get a Good Restraint
When you buy a car, you're probably thinking about how safe it will be for you and your family if you're involved in a car accident. You check for airbags and proper restraints, but have you ever taken the time to check out the head restraints? A car should come with head restraints with a good safety rating to help cushion your head and neck upon impact.
Adjust Your Head Restraint
Your car comes with a head restraint in order to help reduce injury if you're involved in a car accident -- but it's only going to work as well as it can if you have it adjusted the right way.
In order to adjust your head restraint the right way, your seat shouldn't be inclined more than 20 degrees. When you sit in a position, then it helps to protect your head if you're involved in an accident. The top of the head restraints should be level with your head or slightly above it. It should also only be about two inches from the back of your head. If you're in doubt about how far from your head it should be, then just opt with the closest position -- that's always going to be better than being too far away.
If You Get in an Accident
Even with a good head restraint that is properly adjusted, you may not walk away from a car accident unscathed. In fact, whiplash is a sneaky injury that can cause injuries you may not feel right away. That's why it's important to see the chiropractors at The Joint Chiropractic after a car accident, to ensure that no damage has occurred that you don't know about.
Whiplash is not a condition you want to ignore, so make sure to see the chiropractor in the event that you suspect you may have it.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Fairfax, Va.