The aftereffects of a car accident are many. No matter how minor the incident, there are always things to deal with. Some details – such as damage to the car, insurance company calls and police reports – are so time consuming and overwhelming that the physical problems you might be experiencing are forgotten. Yet, many of the physical effects of even the most "gentle" moving vehicle accident don’t show up right away, and may not show up for weeks or even months later.

Just what happens in an accident? How does your body react? What parts are most vulnerable?

When you are driving in a car, you are an object in motion. As long as the car and your body are traveling at the same speed, there is no problem as the lines of force match. But, if your body and the car part company in any way (that is, if the lines of force, direction, motion and speed are disturbed), then the weakest link will bend or break. In a car accident, the weakest link is you! If the vehicle in which you are traveling stops abruptly, the car and your body go in separate directions. You hit the invisible wall of inertia. You may experience the result as the bruising, tearing strain and counterstrain called "whiplash."

Partly because there are other things happening at the same time, and partly because it is the nature of the injury, a whiplash is not always felt right away. An accident can put your system into an emergency mode. With pain-suppressing endorphins released, your body may postpone registering injury as a self-preservation technique. Some accident effects are not felt for up to a week after the date of the incident. By then, it is often too late to easily correct the damage, and a therapist must first deal with the compensations already developing.

The body’s first reaction is most often to resist – to tighten and pull back into place those parts of yourself that are being dragged out of position. Unfortunately, adopting a rigid physical attitude is the worst thing to do. If it were possible to simply "go with the flow," to travel along with the violent changes happening, we might be much better off. It is the ability of certain dancers, athletes, parachute jumpers and cats to stay relaxed when they fall that saves them from excessive injury. However, most of us are unable to have that much control over ourselves.

It is very important to be treated immediately after an accident. It is, of course, important to first establish that there are no broken bones, concussions, internal bleeding or other serious injuries. The types of injuries I am discussing here are "walk away" injuries, where you feel fine until the next day, when you wake up stiff and sore.

For example, let’s say your primary injury in a car accident is to the base of your neck. Most often the muscle running along the top of the shoulders (part of the trapezius muscle) is the first to tighten. Suddenly, you can’t turn your head as far when you look over your shoulder, nor can you tilt your head from side to side. This is the first compensatory reaction. Within a few days, other compensations may show up. Since the trapezius muscle runs in a large triangle shape that covers the area over the top half of your back, you may begin to feel a pain under the lower edge of your shoulder blade. After another few days or weeks, the edge of the trapezius along the top of your shoulder and upper spine begins to stiffen. Turning your back may feel restricted. Pain may appear in your mid-back. If the compensations are strong enough, your neck pain may actually seem less noticeable. Your posture beings to change. Your head thrusts forward lightly, your shoulders hunch up, your chest becomes slightly concave and your shoulders rotate inward. If the situation continues long enough, your posture (with compensations) becomes habitual.

If an injury is worked on while it is in the primary state, compensatory reactions can be avoided or greatly diminished. When working on recent injuries, bodyworkers use different techniques. Often a very light touch is all that can be tolerated or should be used. Sessions may have to be frequent in order to track body changes as they occur. I’ve worked on accident cases daily for a week to keep compensations from setting in.

CranioSacral Therapy can be highly effective following an accident because touch can be very light (less than the weight of a nickel). Additionally, the technique specializes in "unwinding" the imposed vectors of injury. All muscles and tissues seem to have a "memory" of how the vectors of injury occurred. If this pattern can be traced backwards, through each and every stopping point, it is as if the pattern is then erased. In addition, there is an important psychological factor in speeding healing: being cared for, gently and therapeutically, so soon after a frightening experience can be useful in triggering the body’s own abilities to heal and recover.

Recognizing your body’s needs and caring for yourself is not being "a baby." There is no long-term advantage to ignoring pain. The signals are there for a good reason, and there are enormous benefits to immediate recognition. With prompt care, the effects of some accidents can disappear within a few short weeks. On the other hand, I’ve seen clients who have waited a few weeks after the accident to seek treatment, only to spend many more months on healing. If I could have my way, a bodywork specialist would be part of any emergency team!

Jocelyn Paine, a bodyworker who practices in Anchorage, has been in enough car accidents to appreciate the value of immediate post-accident care. Readers may call her at 276-8195.