The #1 fact all Car Owners Should Know
The most critical thing you should do as you climb behind the wheel of a car is adjust your headrest into the proper position. If you do just this ONE thing you can minimize the impact of whiplash trauma and protect the most vulnerable part of your body, your upper neck and brain The average American will be in 3-4 motor vehicle accidents over the course of their lifetime, so this is not a hypothetical risk. As seat belt usage has improved, death from motor vehicle accidents has gone down, however due to chest restraints the incidence of whiplash trauma has gone up exponentially. There is no way to stop the whiplash from occurring, the ENTIRE trauma happens in less than 500 milliseconds and most of it occurs in less than 200 milliseconds which means your muscles are not even able to activate before the trauma occurs.
So what can you do?
There should be less than 2 inches of space between your head and the headrest. Under NO circumstance should your head restraint be bellow your head, this will not only provide zero protection, but it will also increase the trauma by allowing your head to fulcrum over the headrest and damage the neck even further. It is absolutely critical that you get in the habit of adjusting your headrest before turning on your vehicle. This simple habit will protect all the small ligaments of your neck for decades to come.
What if you do have an accident?
It has been scientifically proven that motor vehicles accidents cause soft tissue damage no matter the speed of the collision. In fact, new evidence is pointing too increased risk of neck trauma if the accident was under 10-MPH. The largest area of vulnerability in the spine is the joint between the skull and the first bone of the neck. This joint is highly mobile and as such 
tends to have less stability when a traumatic force hits. It is absolutely critical that every person who is in a car accident gets their upper neck checked for misalignment. People can have trauma here with or without neck pain. Because the joint is flexible, sometimes dysfunction can exist, but pain may not show up right away. It is important to use clinical objective measurements to test for this type of trauma. At Advanced Spinal Care we have been taking care of this important region of the spine for almost 20 years. Many of our existing patients send their friends and loved ones to our clinic when they have been in this type of trauma.
If you have had any kind of car accident, whether old or new, it would be a good idea to get your spinal alignment checked. We offer consultations to all of our community members free of charge. Call today to inquire about setting a consultation.