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Approximately 2.3 million people are injured every year in car accidents in the U.S. While most people are able to heal from their injuries relatively quickly, too many people are left to deal with chronic pain and disability. We see many of these patients here in our Redondo Beach office. Thankfully, Dr. Kari Hawkins is here to help you heal from your auto injury.

The science confirms what we see in our office: A British study was carried out on 28 men and women diagnosed with chronic whiplash pain. Each participant received chiropractic adjustments and 93 percent of them experienced improvements following their adjustments, even though 43 percent of whiplash sufferers overall usually never find relief. This confirms that chiropractic is a great way to avoid chronic pain after an auto injury.

It's important to note that studies have also found that putting off care after a car crash can adversely affect healing time, so getting in to see Dr. Kari Hawkins immediately is key to having a speedier recovery.

Dr. Kari Hawkins has worked with many auto injury sufferers, and we're here to help you, too. Call our Redondo Beach office today for more information or an appointment.

References

• Association for Safe International Road Travel. Retrieved from http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics
• Dies S & Strapp J. (1992, September). Chiropractic treatment of patients in motor vehicle accidents: a statistical analysis. The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 36(3), 139-145.
• Woodward M et al. (1996, November). Chiropractic treatment of chronic 'whiplash' injuries. Injury, 27(9), 643-645.

Neck pain is a common condition after a car crash, and it's something that Dr. Kari Hawkins sees frequently in our Redondo Beach office. What causes neck pain after an auto injury? How can a chiropractor help?

It's not surprising that neck pain is the most common problem experienced after an auto injury. During even a low speed collision, your head is exposed to very rapid acceleration. In such accidents, a head that normally weighs about 10 pounds can suddenly weigh eight times as much. This force exerts a severe strain on the tissues of the cervical spine. The bones of your spine are held together with strong bands of tissue called ligaments, and these ligaments provide stability for your neck. These ligaments can be sprained during a collision, just as your ankle ligaments can be sprained. A sprain means that the ligament is stretched or torn.

When you experience a sprained ligament, the injured tissues gets inflamed and tender, and that's what occurs after a car crash. Your chiropractor helps by increasing mobility in the injured region, which helps the tissues heal and helps minimize scar tissue.

Let us help you recover from neck pain. Dr. Kari Hawkins has helped many people with the same problem, and we can probably help you, too. First, we'll do a careful examination to determine the root cause of your pain, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Ready to make an appointment? Give us a call at (310) 540-8333 and we'll get you back on the road to health.

If you suffer from headache after an auto collision, you're not alone. Dr. Kari Hawkins sees this type of condition frequently in our Redondo Beach office. Why is headache such a common symptom after an auto injury? How can chiropractic care help you recover?

There are many different kinds of headache. Headache that's caused by a car crash, though, typically starts as tension or strain in the muscles of the neck. In a wreck, the neck muscles can be damaged, which causes inflammation and pain. These kinds of headache can be felt in different places, including the back of the head or even the temple.

Another common cause of headache after a collision that we see in our Redondo Beach office is cervicogenic headache, or headaches that start in injured ligaments of the neck. Ligament injury is quite common after a crash, and it's important to get treatment for this type of problem to avoid the creation of scar tissue.

Chiropractic is an effective way to treat headaches, including those caused by car crashes. Dr. Kari Hawkins can help reduce the inflammation and strain in your neck, which will help relieve the headache pain.

Dr. Kari Hawkins has been helping patients in Redondo Beach since 2003, so we know what you're suffering from. We're here to help you, too. First, we'll do a careful examination to determine the root cause of your problem, and then decide how to restore your body's natural functioning. Call us today at (310) 540-8333 if you have questions or would like to make an appointment.

We treat many auto injury cases in in our Redondo Beach office, and a widespread symptom we see in our patients is thoracic outlet syndrome. Why is thoracic outlet syndrome such a common symptom after an auto collision? How can chiropractic care help you get better?

The thoracic outlet is a bundle of blood vessels and nerves that pass through your neck and shoulder to your arm. These nerves and blood vessels don't have a lot of space, so they travel under and through the strong bands of muscles that support your head.

In a collision, these muscle groups can be stretched and strained. If injured, the muscles become swollen and tender, and they can develop scar tissue which limits motion and puts pressure on the tissues of the thoracic outlet. Pressure on the nerves can cause tingling or pins and needles in the shoulder, elbow and even the wrist. Pressure on the blood vessels can also cause problems in the arm.

Redondo Beach Thoracic Outlet Treatment

Chiropractic can be an effective way to treat thoracic outlet syndrome, as Dr. Kari Hawkins will help improve mobility in your spine and restore normal nerve function in your neck and shoulder.

Dr. Kari Hawkins is here in Redondo Beach to help you recover from thoracic outlet syndrome. We've been helping patients since 2003 and we can probably help you, too. Dr. Kari Hawkins will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Call us today at (310) 540-8333 if you have questions or would like to make an appointment.

Back Pain is a common problem after a car accident, and it's something that Dr. Kari Hawkins sees frequently in our Redondo Beach office. Chiropractic is an excellent way to treat back pain. Let's look at how back pain is caused by a crash and how Dr. Kari Hawkins can help you.

During a rear-end car crash, your car and car seat are quickly accelerated forward against your body. Since car seats don't perfectly align with the curvature of your spinal column, the car seat can put inconsistent pressure on your lower back. This can cause some of your spinal vertebrae to move in one direction while an adjacent vertebrae might move in another direction. This differential movement can sprain or strain the structures that hold your spine together. This type of injury can cause chronic back pain if not treated right away. Fortunately, chiropractic is one of the most effective ways to treat back pain.

Dr. Kari Hawkins has been helping patients in Redondo Beach since 2003, so we know what you're going through. We're here to help you, too. Dr. Kari Hawkins will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Give our office a call today at (310) 540-8333 to make an appointment.

Shoulder Pain is a common symptom after an auto collision, and it's something that Dr. Kari Hawkins sees often in our Redondo Beach office. Why is shoulder pain such a common condition after an auto injury? How can your chiropractor help you heal?

There are at least two ways that you can get shoulder pain after a crash: by direct injury to the shoulder or by radiating pain from the neck.

Direct damage can be caused by striking your shoulder on a hard object in the car during the impact, or can occur if you have a tight grip on the steering wheel during a rear end impact. With this type of trauma, you'll often be aware of the pain shortly after the crash.

More commonly, Dr. Kari Hawkins finds that shoulder or arm pain does not immediately appear after a collision, but begins a few days or weeks after the trauma. This type of shoulder pain actually starts in the cervical spine. Injured ligaments or muscles in your spine can squeeze nerves in your neck, causing numbness, tingling, or pain in your shoulder, elbow, or wrist.

We've worked with both types of shoulder problems in our Redondo Beach office. This care involves chiropractic adjustments to restore your spine's natural mobility and home exercises that strengthen your neck and shoulder.

Dr. Kari Hawkins has been helping patients in Redondo Beach since 2003, so we know what you're living with. We're here to help you, too. Dr. Kari Hawkins will first determine what's causing your pain and then work to restore your body to its natural functioning. Call us today at (310) 540-8333 if you have questions or would like to make an appointment.