Save your Neck or your Car?

By Dr. Todd N. Grant

(Chiropractic Physician, certified in motor vehicle occupant injuries)

Trailer hitches: should you keep them on or take them off?

Ultimately, it depends on whether you would like to save your neck or your car.

In today’s work, it is likely that your trailer hitch is removable. The short square pipe containing a trailer hitch ball at the other end often goes into a receiver that is built into your truck or car.

Many people choose to leave the ball and hitch attached, even without the necessity of attaching a trailer, in the hopes of protecting their vehicle in case someone rear ends them or they back into something they don’t see.

This is a bad idea. Why? Unlike other areas of your car, your trailer hitch has no crush zones built into it. In fact, having a trailer hitch on the back of your vehicle makes the outcome worse if you do get hit from behind.

In normal circumstances, your bumper and the side panels of your car have crush zones built in. These serve to slow down and mitigate the impact in order to protect the occupants of the vehicle. When your trailer hitch is sticking out beyond the end of your car, the intended crush zones are much less effective. They aren’t able to spread force throughout the vehicle, so the impact is much like connecting your neck directly with the trailer hitch. The force directly impacts the areas of the neck and spine. Without the hitch attached, crumple zones cushion the hit like a shock absorber in order to soften the blow. You may still get hurt, but likely not as severely.

Some neck injuries become permanent, which can leave you with lifelong pain. It is important to do everything in your power to prevent injuries, with steps like taking the trailer hitch out of the receiver.

What’s the bottom line? It is better to put your hitch away when it is not in use in order to enable the crush zones to operate effectively. You can replace the bumper or fender of your vehicle, but you can’t replace your neck. We can help you with your neck pain, but it is far better to prevent, or at least diminish, the injury in the first place.

Citings: Spine Research Institute of San Diego, Personal Injury Training Institute.

When it comes to auto accidents, one of the most common injuries one will experience is whiplash. Finding the right treatment for whiplash can be challenging as each case is different. Certain spinal manipulations and stretching can lead to improvement, but many people find the stiffness and pain can last for weeks. During whiplash, there is a sudden flexion and extension of the neck. According to research, about two-thirds of people involved in an auto accident will develop signs and symptoms related to whiplash. In most cases, these developments can take 48 hours for the symptoms to fully develop. In addition to car accidents, whiplash is also experienced from sports injuries, falls, slips, work accidents, and more.

The most common issue with whiplash relates to pain and stiffness of the neck. Not only do patients feel pain in the neck, it is common for there to be shoulder pain, upper back pain, upper chest pain, and even arm pain. Headaches are another common symptom, while others can experience nausea, problems swallowing, blurred vision, and dizziness.

Neck adjustment is one of the common treatment methods used for neck pain related to whiplash. A neck adjustment will target pain by improving the mobility of the spine, thereby increasing range of motion. The goal of the adjustment is focused on the treatment of stiffness and soreness, which will help in decreasing pain.

Speeding up the healing process will depend on the results we are seeing with patients. Some patients respond well to massage therapy and rehabilitative exercises. Other patients may need to consider additional treatments based on the severity of the injury.

Of course the best outcomes will involve the patients participation in the healing process. At-home stretching and movements are part of the overall treatment plan. Patient involvement in the program will have the best outcomes coupled with our doctor’s treatment program. If you are suffering from a whiplash injury, contact Grant Chiropractic today for an evaluation.

Spend Less Time in Pain and More Time in the Game!

Grant Chiropractic is pleased to bring the latest in NHN LASER technology treatment to our Kaysville office, the Multi Radiance Medical Laser. This modern treatment is designed to help patients find relief from pain in the neck and shoulders. We have found the new laser to be a safe and effective way to treat chronic pain and injuries in our patients.

What is the Multi Radiance Medical Laser?

The US Food and Drug Administration cleared the Multi Radiance Medical MR5 laser technology for disc herniation’s of the spine, neck pain, lower back pain, knee pain, ankle pain, shoulder pain, wrist pain, and more. Only a few therapeutic laser companies have received clearance for the NHN product classification standards. The laser uses a sophisticated software system to synergize multiple wavelengths to correctly penetrate different tissue layers. Unlike other systems, Multi Radiance Lasers are designed to target deep tissue, not just the superficial layers. Many patients with chronic pain have found the Multi Radiance Medical Laser to be one of the best methods to train pain and improve their day-to-day living.

The Benefits of the Multi Radiance Medical Laser

Using laser treatment is a non-invasive way to treat pain. Similar to stem cell injections, without the risk, the Multi Radiance Medical laser will stimulate the cells, causing them to increase ATP Production from the mitochondria. Mitochondria are a cell organelles that focuses on regenerating damaged tissues and promotes healing. The Multi Radiance Medical Laser is FDA approved, and has received positive reviews from patients seeking a non-invasive treatment.

Laser Treatment versus Stem Cell Therapy

In the recent years, there has been a lot of discussion pertaining to stem cell research. Stem cell treatment involves using undifferentiated stem cells from umbilical cords, and injecting these cells into the joints or other damaged tissues to accelerate healing. However, despite some positive results, there are serious risks associated with stem cell therapy.

According to the FDA, unproven stem cell treatments can be unsafe. At a 2016 public workshop, several cases of stem cell treatments were discussed and many showed adverse effects to patients such as causing blindness, spinal tumors, and more. Safety risks are common with stem cells, even if they are the stem cells of the patient. Manipulation of the cells can occur after removal, which increases the risk of contamination, leading to adverse side effects.

Natural, Safe, Drug-Free Treatment for Chronic Pain

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), recently stated that over 50 million people suffer with chronic pain. With such a high prevalence for chronic pain, it is no wonder why so many pain remedies have been created to try and help people find relief. Multi Radiance Medical Lasers provide a comfortable, convenient, and effective tool to provide long-term pain relief, reduce inflammation, improve blood flow, increase mobility, and repair damaged tissues by stimulating cells.

How It Works and What to Expect

When you come to our Kaysville chiropractic office, we will discuss the treatment in detail. Our goal is to help you understand everything that will occur, and how it will be able to improve your health. Patients will lie on a comfortable treatment table or chair, and we lightly move the laser across the treatment area. The gentle beam of laser light immediately stimulates the cells to start repairing tissues. Most therapy treatments will last 3-15 minutes depending upon the condition that is being treated.

Within a few minutes, most patients notice improvement in motion and feel a reduction in pain. Depending upon pain, inflammation, and current muscle status, patients normally need 2-5 treatments to see continued improvement. We will set up a patient treatment plan with you to confirm that all treatments are given within the specified timeframe, and to ensure the body is healing effectively.

Who Can Receive Laser Treatment?

The Multi Radiance Laser treatments are designed to help stimulate the body’s natural healing ability. Using the treatment prevents the need for drug therapies, and laser therapy does not include side effects commonly seen with other treatments. Multi Radiance Laser technology has been tested and received numerous accolades and validation for its healing abilities. In controlled laboratory testing, the results showed it was safe for all skin pigmentation and results also showed it did not raise skin temperatures to dangerous levels like other lasers have done.

Multi Radiance Medical Laser treatments have been used by high profile entities including Olympic, National, collegiate and professional sports teams. This technology is safe and has been used on a variety of patients varying in demographics. Contact Grant Chiropractic today to schedule a consultation for Multi Radiance Laser treatment and find yourself back in the game instead of on the sidelines!

Monday	8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday	2:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday	8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday	8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday	Closed
Saturday	Closed
Sunday	Closed