Weight Gain & Twin Cities Car Accidents
Did you know that a car accident you experienced 3-5 years ago could result in sudden weight gain?
This is Dr. Soli, I do apologize if the Headline for this article offends any one, but I feel it is my duty to let patients know what I see in my practice. A lot of my patients in Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center/Maple Grove/Coon Rapids/Blaine Minnesota who have experienced a rear end car accident have gained 20 lbs or more in one years' time.
OBESITY HAS BECOME A public health crisis in the United States. The medical condition, which involves having an excessive amount of body fat, is linked to severe chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and cancer. It causes about 1 in 5 deaths in the U.S. each year- nearly as many as smoking.
The financial cost of obesity is high as well. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the United States was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars: the medical cost for people who have obesity was $1,429 higher than those of normal weight.”
While researchers say the obesity epidemic began in the U.S. in the 1980s, there has been a sharp increase in obesity rates in the U.S. over the last decade. Nearly 40% of all adults over the age of 20 in the U.S. – about 93.3 million people- are currently obese, according to data published in JAMA in 2018. Every state in the U.S. has more than 20% of adults with obesity, according to the CDC-a significant uptick since 1985, when no state had an obesity rate higher than 15%. Certain states have high rates than others: there are more obese people living in the South (32.4%) and Midwest (32.3%) than in other parts of the country.
Whiplash Injuries from Car Accidents
Whiplash is a condition which results from a jarring of the neck forward and backwards upon impact to the body. It causes the head, which weighs (8-10 pounds), to spring in the same manner. This results in damage to the muscles and ligaments which support the neck and keep the head poised over top of the shoulders.
Unfortunately, the area where the neck meets the torso or rib cage becomes damaged the most. This is because the momentum of the head at the time of the vehicle collision was too much for the muscles and ligaments to handle. Ironically the same situation occurs for the driver who hit the other car as well as a driver who was waiting at the red light.
This is why they invented headrests in cars. Before headrests were invented, more people lost their lives. But even with headrests, injuries from car accidents cause damage to the area of the spine where the neck meets the rib cage. This damage begins a process where the bones of the spine start to change shape. This is known as “Osteoarthritis” or “Degenerative Joint Disease”.
How Can a Car Accident Cause Me to Become Fat
The thyroid is the organ that manages weight. Because the nerves which control the thyroid exit the spine the very same level where the neck meets the torso these nerves get squashed as the bone start to change shape.
With the nerve supply getting pinched off, the thyroid ends up becoming sluggish and the person gains weight, gets chronically tired. There are also other hormonal changes that can occur.
The body has a delayed reaction, think about smoking. One cigarette won’t kill you but over time it can lead to cancer. Same thing with spinal degeneration. Every car accident you have will change the shape of the bones in your spine. You won’t notice it right away but after 3-5 years you will have symptoms which are related to the car accident you had which you totally forgot about.
Important! Call Dr. Soli if You Have Been in a Car Accident
If you have been involved in a car accident, call Soli Chiropractic Immediately!!! The earlier you address it the less likely those bones will change shape. In the state of Minnesota every insured driver has a minimum $20,000.00 medical coverage, this coverage is also known as PIP (Personal Injury Protection). Again, let us help you not only address the pain from your car accident but also possible future weight gain. Together, we in the Brooklyn Park/Brooklyn Center and surrounding Twin Cities can help each other to address the pain and weight gain from these car accidents. Also, be sure to be on the lookout for our next article, “ 7 Proven Ways To Lose Weight After an Injury’. If you know of any one that would like to receive our email news send them to: http://www.solichiropractic.com
