Naturopathic Management of Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Trauma and other Physical Injuries

I remember my first car accident.  The impact was minor and I had no injuries but the memory of the body was such that I felt it would happen again any time when I was driving. My back was “anticipating” it. It took me a good couple of weeks to be able to feel normal in the car again.

I was taught by my ESP teacher that once you see a car coming your way or anticipate an impact do not tense up, do the opposite, try to let it go, go “limb and heavy”. Rubberlike body, like jello, will adapt to the impact while woodlike body will get hit and break. It explains why drunk drivers often come out of car accidents intact as they are not tense during the accident.

Of course, it does not apply to every case. People get hurt or killed while they are asleep in the car during MVA, it all depends on the impact and the position in the car but the theory that tensed up body is more prone to injury definitely stands the ground.

During MVA body structures including muscle, ligaments, bones, spine, soft tissue get damaged from a high-velocity impact.  One of the major outcomes of car accidents is an injury called whiplash. If it is not addressed promptly the outcome is chronic pain and neck stiffness, depression later on and possibly disability.

Then chronic backpain sets in. If there is pain, there is inflammation, accumulation of lactic acid, poor cellular function, altered circulation in the chronic stage, limited function and slow degeneration. You become aware of this part of your body at all times and the part of the brain responsible for it is continuously “lit up”.

Each cell in the body is physically connected to the neighboring cell by the structure call The “scream” from one cell is passed on to the next. The whole body is affected by the high velocity impact.

Usually, we do not feel much after the MVA being in shock but in a day or so it comes at you with vengeance. Back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, difficulty sleeping, stiffness, mood swings. You expect they go away but they tend to stay. Pain leads to inflammatory response in the brain which affects healing.

Prolonged inflammation results the change in the circulation at the damaged site, fibrosis and scarring of the tissue. We often say “I have never fully recovered”. Reduced function and inflammation in the brain lead to an emotional response, often a roller coaster.

When MVA happens we rarely think about seeking medical help right away.  We think it will go away. More often we are concerned about the car and the cost. The most expensive item with respect to reduced function and mostly damaged one in MVAs is the body which needs to be attended to right away before it sets into the chronic mode.

Any physical trauma will heal faster and with less damage if attended to promptly, MVA is even more so due to the high velocity impact.