ABC's of Accident Injuries

A

Accidents

An unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.

Acute Injuries/Pain

An acute injury is a severe injury that happens suddenly. Sprained ankles, strained backs, and fractured hands are acute injuries.

Adrenaline

Adrenaline is a hormone that prepares your sympathetic nervous system to fight or flee, and your body makes it in response to a stressor or threat.

Anxiety

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what will happen in the future.

B

Bruises

Bruises form when blood pools under the skin after an injury. Bruises start black and blue, brownish or purple. The color becomes less intense once it begins to heal.

C

Chiropractic Care

A health-care profession that focuses on the spine and other joints of the body, and their connection to the nervous system.

Chiropractors

A primary care doctor who specializes in spinal health and well-being.

Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is pain that lasts for over three months. The pain can be there all the time, or it may come and go. It can happen anywhere in your body. Chronic pain can interfere with your daily activities.

D

Depression

Is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act.

Dislocations

The place where two or more bones in the body come together is called a joint. A dislocation occurs when the bones in a joint become separated or knocked out of their usual positions.

E

Evaluation Process

Chiropractors examine the structure and function of the spine and then determine specific chiropractic treatments. Specific orthopedic and neurological tests may also be used to assess the:

F

Flexibility

Flexibility is the ability of a joint or series of joints to move through an unrestricted, pain free range of motion.

Fractures

A fracture is a partial or complete break in the bone. There are many different types of fractures. Bone fractures are often caused by falls, injury, or because of a direct hit or kick to the body.

H

Head Trauma

Brain dysfunction is caused by an outside force, usually a violent hit to the head. Traumatic brain injury often occurs as a result of a severe sports injury or car accident.

Heat and Cold Therapy

Therapy to help relieve aches and pains from muscle or joint damage. Heat therapy can utilize hot water bottles, heat pads, or warm baths. Cold therapy involves ice packs, cool water, or cold compresses.

Herniated Disc

A herniated disc refers to a problem with one of the rubbery cushions (discs) between the individual bones (vertebrae) that stack up to make your spine.

I

Inflammation

Immediately following an injury, the traumatized area becomes red, warm, and painful, and it begins to swell. The swelling process, also known as edema, is the result of acute inflammation, a response triggered by damage to living tissues.

J

Joints

A joint is the part of the body where two or more bones meet to allow movement.

L

Lacerations

A laceration or cut refers to a skin wound. Unlike an abrasion, none of the skin is missing.

M

Medical exam

Migraines

A migraine is a headache that can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head.

Mobility

The potential for movement and the ability to get from one place to another using one or more modes of transport to meet daily needs.

MRI

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique that uses a magnetic field and computer-generated radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues in your body.

Muscle Spasms

Otherwise known as muscle cramps, spasms occur when your muscle involuntary and forcibly contracts uncontrollably and can’t relax.

N

Nerve Damage

Pinched nerves occur when something presses against a nerve in your body and interferes with the nerve’s function.

Nervous System

The nervous system is the major controlling, regulatory, and communicating system in the body. It’s the center of all mental activity including thought, learning, and memory.

Nutritional Advice

A process by which a health professional with special training in nutrition helps people make healthy food choices and form healthy eating habits.

P

Pain Management

Pain management specialists help you control pain with medications, procedures, exercises and therapy. To reduce or relieve pain, your provider may recommend one approach or a combination of several.

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is a dynamic and evidence-based profession that helps to improve or restore mobility, relieve pain and reduce the need for surgery and prescription drugs.

S

Sacroiliac Joint Pain

Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is felt in the low back and buttocks. The pain is caused by damage or injury to the joint between the spine and hip. The two joints provide support, stability, and play a major role in absorbing impact when walking and lifting.

Scarring

Scars form as part of the healing process after your skin has been cut or damaged. The skin repairs itself by growing new tissue to pull together the wound and fill in any gaps caused by the injury.

Shock

Shock is a critical condition brought on by the sudden drop in blood flow through the body. Shock may result from trauma, heatstroke, blood loss, an allergic reaction, severe infection, poisoning, severe burns, or other causes. When a person is in shock, their organs aren’t getting enough blood or oxygen.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

“Slip and fall” is a term used for a personal injury case in which a person slips or trips and is injured on someone else’s property.

Soft Tissue Massage

A soft tissue massage is a form of massage therapy where the joints and soft tissues are exercised to lessen muscle tension and pain.

Spinal Misalignment

Is a common condition in which a part of the spine is out of position. When this happens, it can lead to nerve-related issues as well as unpleasant symptoms in more than just your back.

Spine and Joint Manipluation

Spinal manipulation is also called spinal manipulative therapy. It’s a technique where practitioners use their hands or a device to apply a controlled thrust (that is, a force of a specific magnitude or degree in a specific direction) to a joint of your spine.

T

Tendons

A tendon is a cord of strong, flexible tissue, similar to a rope. Tendons connect your muscles to your bones. Tendons let us move our limbs.

W

Whiplash

Whiplash is an injury to the neck due to a sudden loss of momentum. The injury occurs when your neck jerks back and forth quickly and violently.

Workplace Accidents

An unplanned event that results in personal injury or property damage at a place of work.

X

X-Ray

X-rays use invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs on film or digital media. Standard X-rays are performed for many reasons, including diagnosing tumors or bone injuries.