Listen or Read Dr. Michael McClung’s Monthly Podcast Interview!
Topic – Whiplash and Car Accidents
Below you will find an easy to read transcript of Dr. Michael McClung’s interview on the razorcast™ monthly podcast. You can either click the video to listen to the podcast or simply read the easy to follow transcripts below. Enjoy!
Podcast Interview:
RC: Hello everyone, this is Liz Harvey coming to you from our razorcast™ studios in New York City where we are dedicated to bringing you cutting edge interviews from many of the leading industry professionals across the United States.
In today’s episode, we are speaking with Dr. Michael McClung. Dr. McClung is the founder of Creating Wellness Chiropractic in Austin, Texas where he is committed to improving the health and vitality of his community through chiropractic and wellness care. Dr. McClung was one of the first chiropractors in America to become board certified by the American Academy of Pain Management. He also has advanced certifications in Whiplash and Brain Traumatology from the Spine Research Institute of San Diego and Motor Vehicle Crash Forensic Risk Analysis. During his career, Dr. McClung has served as the President of the Central Texas Region of the Texas Chiropractic Association, as well as, the President of the Travis County Chiropractic Society.
Dr. Michael McClung is widely considered to be one of the top chiropractors specializing in holistic and alternative health in the country and he is also a contributing member of our national network of industry professionals.
Today we are going to talk about a very important topic: Whiplash and Car Accidents.
RC: Hi Dr. McClung, how are you today?
Dr. Michael McClung: Doing really good, thanks Liz.
RC: You’re welcome, thank you for being here.
Question 1: One of the most common injuries suffered during a car accident is whiplash. How do you describe whiplash, what causes it and what do people feel when they have it?
RC: So one of the most common injuries suffered during a car accident is whiplash. How do you describe whiplash, what causes it and what do people feel when they have it?
Dr. McClung: You’re right. Whiplash is a very common injury and of course, car accidents are a very common event in today’s modern life and I was just reading today where actually one out of seven people will be in a car wreck in any given year. So if you’ve got a driving record of twenty-eight years, you’ve probably had four car wrecks. So if you had fewer than that, you’re a great driver. What causes the whiplash is a sudden arching back of the neck. These things are typically from car accidents but they can come from sports accidents and those kind of things. But as you get hit from the rear and it can be as little as five or six miles an hour, your neck gets thrust back and as it does, it compresses all the joints in the back of your neck and then once your head hits the headrest, it suddenly thrusts forward and it bends abruptly and it can either tear a tissue in there or over-stretch it. So the combination of those two produces a lot of inflammation and it’s the inflammation that as it heals, it produces scar tissue so it’s certainly not something you want to get. So people feel different things, as a matter of fact, about ten years ago, I was just driving down the road on a sunny afternoon and somebody wasn’t paying attention and they just drove into the rear of my SUV and it didn’t even bend the bumper on the SUV but I had headaches for a month and I had a stiff neck and I had other complaints. So it really pushed me to learn a lot more about treating whiplash. It’s a big part of my practice. I’ve probably treated over two or three thousand of these. I enjoy it.
Question 2: Can you test for and diagnose whiplash right away or do you have to wait for symptoms to appear?
RC: Okay and can you test for and diagnose whiplash right away or do you have to wait for symptoms to appear to know someone might have it?
Dr. Michael McClung: You know, in a lot of cases you can’t tell they’ve gotten whiplash. Many times, a patient will have an auto accident and they’re kind of in shock or all excited. You’ve got a police car there, your adrenalin is pumping and they may have some pretty serious injuries and they don’t even know they’ve been hurt. So they go home or they go to the emergency room and they usually just get released and say, “Oh, it’s no big deal, here’s some pain killers.” Many of them go home and just relax and about twenty-four hours later, it begins to swell up and then they start getting on the phone and calling in to see us. Once they come in and it’s inflamed, joints are restricted, it’s pretty easy to spot.
Question 3: Besides whiplash, what other soft tissue injuries are common in car accidents?
RC: Okay and besides whiplash, what other soft tissue injuries are common in car accidents?
Dr. Michael McClung: You know a lot depends on the kind of accident but anyone with whiplash, we see a lot of shoulders. As you go forward and the seat belt or shoulder harness yanks on that shoulder, it twerks you pretty bad. As you go forward, you’re so frightened you’re holding onto the wheel so tightly that it can twerk your wrist, it can bend your wrist back, it can twerk your elbow and if an airbag goes off and it hits your face, here again, it puts a pretty serious impact on the back of your neck. Knees get affected. I’ve had people break their ankles hitting the breaks so hard that it literally bends the break peddle. So these things happen fast and there’s a lot of force involved.
Question 4: If someone has been treated at the scene or sent to the hospital after an accident and released, what are some of the delayed symptoms people should watch out for?
RC: Okay and if someone has been treated at the scene or sent to the hospital after an accident and released, what are some of the delayed symptoms people should watch out for?
Dr. Michael McClung: Good question. Many people do go to the hospital and they get x-rays and they get a bunch of expensive diagnostic stuff and they get released with the statement that nothing is wrong – they just had a simple little strain. But within 24 hours/48 hours, that’s when they start noticing that they can’t turn their neck, they have a headache, they may be sick to their stomach, they may have dizziness issues. And that’s the time that people really really really need to take action because the longer they wait, the more dramatic the injuries can become.
Question 5: What happens if whiplash or other soft tissue injuries are ignored or left untreated?
RC: So to that point, what happens if whiplash or other soft tissue injuries are ignored or left untreated?
Dr. Michael McClung: You know, most people don’t even think about that and many times they have these injuries especially when they’re younger and they don’t even follow up with anybody. They just think that they’ll go away on their own and they typically do go away but I would say half of my practice are people in middle-age years and half of them have issues relating back to an old injury when they were in their twenties or maybe even in high school. And it damaged the joint and the joint healed with scar tissue and it restricted the joint. The restricted joint caused the disc to prematurely wear out so here’s a person in their forties and they’ve got a worn out disc all because of something that happened in their teens and twenties that didn’t get treated appropriately. So it’s super super crucial to get people in here, even young teenagers. Let us see what’s been done and stop some of this stuff reoccurring twenty years later.
RC: Alright well, thank you so much Dr. McClung. We know you are extremely busy so I just want to say thank you for your time and your help today.
Dr. Michael McClung: Thanks.
RC: And for our listeners across the country, if you are interested in speaking with Dr. Michael McClung, you can either go online at www.northwestaustinchiropractor.com or call (512) 250-2225 to schedule an appointment.
On behalf of our entire team at razorcast™, we want to thank you for listening and we look forward to bringing you more top quality content from our country’s leading industry professionals.
