Car airbags work well to protect you in an accident. However, the deployment force of the airbags could cause you to be hurt instead of protected. While other potential injuries could cause chest pain after a car crash, it is usually an airbag that has impacted the injury. Airbag deployment can cause various injuries besides chest traumas. To get your injuries treated and make sure nothing serious is wrong, you should visit a nearby walk-in chiropractor clinic immediately.
What Are Airbags And How Do They Work?
An airbag is a small, lightweight cloth safety device, typically concealed in the car’s paneling, steering wheel, or passenger-side dashboard panel. When fully extended, the driver’s airbag looks like a giant ball.
The purpose of an airbag is to protect the passengers in a vehicle from the force of a collision by triggering a series of events:
- Crash Sensors: They are positioned strategically throughout the car. These sensors alert a crash when a sudden slowdown or impact is detected.
- Ignition: The airbag inflator’s igniter releases gas as soon as it receives the signal.
- Inflation: In only a few milliseconds, the airbag will inflate as this gas quickly fills it. As soon as the airbag contacts your body, it will quickly inflate to its full capacity.
- Deflation: The airbag absorbs the impact and cushions the passenger almost instantly after inflation before deflating.
After a vehicle accident, finding an emergency walk-in chiropractor for quick treatment is essential.
Are Airbags Safe?
Airbags are considered to be safe as they are safety tools. However, there have been reports of people dying because of airbags. In other cases, there were wounds and punctures to the heart and surrounding membranes, multiple broken ribs, and extensive bruises inside the chest.
Top Airbag-Related Injuries
When an airbag deploys, it could hurt any exposed body part. While it usually hits the chest, other injuries can also occur. Look for a local walk-in chiropractic center to get immediate care for such injuries.
- Face Injuries
Given their placement near the upper body, airbags will likely cause facial injuries. The purpose of an airbag is to protect your face from windscreen impact, but the force required to achieve this might damage your eyeballs or even break your facial bones. Potential injuries include damage to the eyes or possibly blindness, as well as brain problems such as traumatic brain traumas.
- Burns
Airbag deployment can cause physical and chemical burns. Airbag’s speed can cause facial and arm scratches and burns. The release of chemicals during inflation and deflation poses a risk of chemical burns, irritation of the skin and eyes, and inflammation.
- Internal Injuries
Airbag chemicals induce asthma attacks and lung irritation. However, when the airbag presses on the abdomen, internal injuries become a major issue. An excessive amount of abdominal pressure can harm the organs, resulting in cuts to the heart, lungs, liver, and spleen. In extreme circumstances, surgical intervention might be necessary due to internal bleeding or bruises.
- Whiplash Injuries
Another area of the spine that an airbag might injure is the upper region, including the neck and cervical spine. Even if the airbag prevents you from being thrown forward in a crash, whiplash is still possible if soft tissues are injured. Here are a few of the most common signs of whiplash:
- Neck pain
- Arm, shoulder, and upper back discomfort
- Feeling lightheaded and tired
- Feelings of numbness or tingling in the fingers and arms
- Deafening noise
- Muscle aches
- Hazy eyesight
- Discomfort while rotating the head
- Shoulder, upper back, and arm pain
- Depression
If you experience any of these symptoms, make an appointment at the walk-in chiropractic clinic in Sunnyvale right away.
Also Read: Can Chiropractic Care Treat Whiplash After A Car Accident
- Chest Injuries
Even though it rarely happens, chest damage can occur when the airbag presses on that area. While some chest injuries may be minor or superficial, others might require examination.
A chest contusion is called a chest contusion if an impact doesn’t rip the skin but harms the tissues or blood vessels just under the surface. This may occasionally lead to superficial bruises, but more severe issues might develop, resulting in interior injuries requiring medical attention.
Chiropractic Care For Injuries Caused By Airbags
Following a vehicle crash, visiting a doctor without delay is essential. Emergency medical services can treat severe injuries and apparent wounds, but they may miss more subtle problems, such as those affecting the spine or soft tissues.
This is where an appointment at near me chiropractic walk in clinic can be helpful. Chiropractic adjustments can help with injuries to the neck, spine, and soft tissues caused by misalignments and tensions caused by the force of an airbag deployment. Chiropractors can treat airbag injuries in the following ways:
- Soft Tissue Therapy
Soft tissue therapy can loosen stiff muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The potential benefits include less discomfort, more mobility, and faster recovery.
- Rehabilitative Exercises
Strengthening and stretching affected parts are the goals of rehabilitation activities. This can ease discomfort and increase mobility.
- Spinal Manipulation
Spinal manipulation is a manual treatment that involves realigning the spine using mild pressure. This can ease discomfort and make moving around easier.
Summing Up
Even though airbags save lives in crashes, they can also cause injuries. Airbag injuries are serious, so knowing what to look for and how to avoid them is important.
If the airbag deployment causes discomfort or swelling, you must act quickly. Making an appointment at a nearby walk-in chiropractor clinic will guarantee you get the help and support you need during this difficult time.
Tropea Chiropractic Inc. can help if an airbag or seatbelt injures you. We provide expert solutions to help you recover naturally from the common injuries sustained in car accidents. Contact us today!
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long do airbag injuries last?
Airbag injuries heal differently depending on the type. Most bruises and cuts recover within a few days, but complex injuries like fractures and tendon ruptures can take weeks or months.
- What injuries might airbags cause?
Airbags can induce whiplash, neck and back strain, chest injury, and soft tissue damage. They may cause nerve compression or joint misalignment.
- How might chiropractic help airbag injuries?
Chiropractic therapy restores alignment, reduces discomfort, and improves mobility. It corrects joint misalignments, relieves nerve strain, and speeds up the healing of airbag injuries.