Dr. Rathburn's Blog

I returned from the seminar in Atlanta Sunday night!  It was one of the best seminars I have attended in the past ten years.  Many of you know that neck injuries are just one of my specialities.  This seminar series was presented by one of my friends, Dr. Peter Fernandez.  You may remember him as my colleague who is the author of the book Neck Pain, Neck Pain, You Don't Want It, You Don't Need It, of which I was a contributing author. 

I was amazed at some of the facts concerning neck injuries from auto accidents:

1. Six million auto accidents cause three million cases of neck injuries in one form or another.

2. Somewhere between only 25-33% of these will seek chiropractic care (the most appropriate care for non-severe whiplash cases.  Severe cases are defined as needing surgery).

3. Women are twice as likely to sustain a neck injury from an auto accident as men.

4. Most neck injuries occur when vehicle damage is considered none or minor.

5. In 2000, the direct cost to U.S. employers (for both on the job and off the job) per employee involved in a crash in which seat belts were not worn is $27,750 compared to $11,310 for those in which the seat belts are used.  Total costs to employers in 2000 were estimated to be $41.5 billion for motor vehicle crashes.  Driver inattention and recognition delays were the leading cause of rear impact collision (93%).  Cell phones were the most common culprit. 

6. 45% of Americans with chronic neck pain attribute it to an auto accident. 

7. The threshold for sustaining a neck injury from an auto accident has been shown in actual real life whiplash volunteers to be somewhere between only 2.5 and 5.0 miles per hour.  That's how slow your car is traveling and you can still be at risk for whiplash.

Know someone with a neck injury from a car accident?  Tell them to seek out good chiropractic care!!