Here are some great pointers to remember if you find yourself in an accident.

• Stay as calm as possible.
• Check for injuries. When in doubt, call an ambulance.
• If the accident is minor, move cars to a safe place.
• Turn on your hazard lights.
• Call the police, even if the accident is minor.
• Notify your insurance agent about the accident immediately.
• Don’t sign any document unless it is for the police or your insurance agent.
• Make immediate notes about the accident including damage to all vehicles, info for the other driver, and witness information.
• Don’t tell anyone the accident was your fault, even if you think it was.
• If it’s safe to do so, photograph the accident scene.

We can provide you a list of 3 or 4 attorneys that we trust. You can call and interview them and see which one communicates best with you or we can just recommend one for you.

Click here to locate an attorney.

Our office houses a large database of attorneys throughout the Henderson/Las Vegas region. Generally speaking, attorneys make our list if they demonstrated a high degree of patient satisfaction as reported by our own patients, and/or they demonstrated a willingness to work cooperatively with Chiropractic Physicians.

Remember, it usually doesn’t cost you a dime more to get the best attorney in town than it does the worst. Most attorneys today work on a contingency arrangement, keeping 1/3 of your settlement as their fee. But if you do not obtain an attorney familiar with Chiropractic practice and soft tissue injury, you often adversely affect you ability to properly settle your case. Therefore, we highly suggest you ask this office for a referral before randomly selecting an attorney. We’ll provide several names specific to the type of case, i.e. personal injury versus worker’s compensation.

If you need a referral, feel free to contact our office at 702-737-0022.

We can provide you a list of 3 or 4 attorneys that we trust. You can call and interview them and see which one communicates best with you or we can just recommend one for you. Either way, you are going to get top notch service from these personal injury attorneys.

The attorneys tell me that I needed to add the following statement: “Naturally, we assume no responsibility for the success or failure of your attorney when you chose to consult an attorney on this list. Establishing a relationship with any attorney is strictly voluntary and done so at your own risk.”

If you want to prevent long-term damage, it is imperative that appropriate treatment begins immediately after an accident. But what constitutes appropriate treatment?

In general, recovery happens in three stages:

1. Relief – use ice to reduce swelling and calm muscle spasm.
2. Correction – restore motion to tight spinal joints and release scar tissue adhesions in soft tissue injuries.
3. Rehabilitation – strengthening and stretching exercises to improve core stability.

Given the stages of recovery, “appropriate” treatment includes the use of ice, soft tissue therapy, spinal manipulation/adjustments and exercise.

Difficult cases may require advanced diagnostics like MRI or CT scan, and a possible referral to family practice physician or appropriate specialist. Our office maintains an extensive list of other medical professionals in case a referral is required.

The following risk factors (based on solid scientific research) help explain why some patients involved in Low Speed Rear Impact Collisions (LOSRIC) get injured and others do not. These risk factors are associated with the potential to develop chronic pain after a LOSRIC. Other issues to consider include, change of velocity, G force, threshold of injury, vehicle mass, and examination findings.

• Female gender
• Rear vector vs. other vectors
• Body mass index in females only
• Immediate/early onset of symptoms (i.e., within 12 hours) and/or severe initial symptoms
• Ligamentous instability
• Initial back pain
• Greater subjective cognitive impairment
• Greater number of initial symptoms
• Use of seat belt shoulder harness. For neck (not back) pain; non-use had a protective effect.
• Initial physical findings of limited range of motion
• Neck Pain on palpation
• Muscle pain
• Initial neurological symptoms. Radiating pain to the upper extremities.
• Past history of neck pain or headache.
• Headache
• Initial degenerative changes seen on radiographs
• Loss or reversal of cervical lordosis
• Increasing age (i.e., middle age and beyond)
• Front seat position
• Target vehicles manufactured from late 1988s through the 1990s (OR=2.7 vs in the early 1980s vehicles. (Rear Impact Only)

The following risk factors (based on solid scientific research) help explain why some patients involved in Low Speed Rear Impact Collisions (LOSRIC) get injured and others do not. These risk factors are associated with the potential to develop acute pain after a LOSRIC. Other issues to consider include, change of velocity, G force, threshold of injury, vehicle mass, and examination findings.

• Female gender
• Weighing less than 130 lbs.
• History of neck injury
• Head restraint below head’s center of gravity (males & females); large topset.
• History of CAD injury
• Poor head restraint geometry/tall occupant (e.g., 80th percentile male)
• Rear vs. other vector impacts
• Use of seat belts/shoulder harness (i.e., standard three-point restraints)
• Body mass index/head neck index (i.e., decreased risk with increasing mass and neck size)
• Out-of-position occupant (e.g., leaning forward/slumped)
• Non-failure of seat back
• Having the head turned at impact
• Non-awareness of impending impact
• Increasing age (i.e., middle age and beyond)
• Front vs. rear seat position
• Impact by vehicle of greater mass (i.e., 25% greater)
• Crash speed under 10 mph
• Rear Struck Occupant, when bullet vehicle has longitudinally mounted motor
• Other issues: DMX Findings, PT Age and the life expectancy chart for future meds, ROM good predictor of pain and disability, muscle strength or imbalance, military spine / reverse curvature, length of time after the accident pt was first seen, symptoms that come and go