Whiplash & Car Accident Injury Care in Mission Viejo, CA
Symptoms often arrive days after the collision. The exam finds what the adrenaline hid.
Whiplash is a rapid forward-and-back acceleration of the head that strains the soft tissue and joints of the cervical spine, most often in a rear-end collision. At Foudy Chiropractic in Mission Viejo, auto injury cases receive a documented examination — range of motion measured with a protractor, neurological testing, surface EMG, and digital X-rays — because a personal injury claim needs objective findings, not just a description of pain. Care combines cervical traction, soft tissue work, and adjustment. Symptoms frequently do not appear until 24 to 72 hours after the collision.
What it feels like
If several of these sound like you, they are worth measuring rather than guessing at.
- Neck stiffness that started a day or two after a collision
- Headaches from the base of the skull
- Pain between the shoulder blades
- Dizziness, or difficulty concentrating
- Reduced ability to turn the head to check a blind spot
- Jaw pain or ringing in the ears after impact
| Relief | Correction | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Quiet the symptom | Address the cause |
| Typical length | A few visits | A course of care, then maintenance |
| What is included | Adjustment and modalities | Adjustment, modalities, and corrective exercise |
| Re-testing | Not usually | Progress exam against your own baseline |
| Likelihood it returns | Higher | Lower, if the exercise work is done |
What this means for you: both are legitimate choices, and Dr. Foudy will not push you toward the longer one. You just make the choice knowing which one you picked, and what it does and does not buy you.
Why you feel fine at the scene
Adrenaline is an effective short-term analgesic. It is common to decline treatment at the roadside and wake up two days later unable to turn your head. That delay is normal and it is not evidence that the injury is minor.
It does create a practical problem: the longer the gap between collision and examination, the harder it is to connect the two. If you have been in a collision, get examined even if you feel fine.
Documentation matters as much as treatment
A personal injury claim rests on objective findings. Range of motion measured with a protractor rather than estimated. Neurological testing. Surface EMG showing nerve root function level by level. Digital X-rays showing the cervical curve.
Dr. Foudy has been a licensed X-ray supervisor and operator since 1989 and is certified in paraspinal electromyography. Carmen handles the paperwork side, including liens and attorney correspondence where a case requires it.
In summary: whiplash & auto injury at Foudy Chiropractic
- What it is. Symptoms often arrive days after the collision. The exam finds what the adrenaline hid.
- How it is found. Surface EMG reads nerve-root function level by level, digital X-rays show the structure, and palpation validates both — so the cause is measured rather than guessed at.
- How it is treated. Chiropractic adjustment, the open-floor modalities, and where discs are involved, AccuSpina spinal decompression. Corrective exercise follows so the correction holds.
- What it costs. An adjustment visit is $90 with every modality included. Decompression plans are quoted in person after your exam.
- Where. Foudy Chiropractic, 28892 Marguerite Pkwy #150, Mission Viejo, CA 92692 — (949) 365-0403.
Whiplash & Auto Injury — questions people ask
How soon after a car accident should I see a chiropractor?
As soon as you are able, ideally within a few days. Symptoms commonly appear 24 to 72 hours after impact, and an early documented examination both starts care sooner and establishes the link between the collision and the injury.
Do you handle personal injury paperwork?
Yes. The office documents findings appropriately for a claim and works with attorneys where a case requires it. Call (949) 365-0403 and ask for Carmen.
What if I already feel better?
Feeling better and being structurally recovered are different things. Soft tissue heals with scar tissue that is less elastic than what it replaces, which is why untreated whiplash frequently becomes chronic neck pain years later.
Will my insurance cover it?
Auto injury care is usually handled through the claim rather than health insurance. The office can explain how that works before you commit to anything.
Other things this office sees every week
Sciatica
Pain running from the low back into the buttock and down the leg. Dr. Foudy hears this almost every day — and can almost always help.
Read more →Lower Back Pain
The most common reason people walk through this door — and the one Dr. Foudy says he can almost always help.
Read more →Neck Pain
“Every time I turn my neck a certain way, I get this shooting pain into my shoulder blades.” He hears it constantly.
Read more →Headaches & Migraines
“I'm getting these headaches that are kind of all over my head.” Many of them start at the top of the neck.
Read more →Herniated & Bulging Discs
A gentler alternative to medication or surgery — decompression with oscillation at maximum load.
Read more →Numbness & Tingling
Where you feel it is rarely where it starts. The scan finds where it starts.
Read more →Forward Head Posture
The posture your desk gave you — measurable, and correctable.
Read more →Sports Injuries & Performance
The chiropractor behind a gold medal team. What the athletes got is what you get.
Read more →Scoliosis
A curve that is measured, tracked, and worked on — not just watched.
Read more →Shoulder & Hip Pain
Almost every joint in the body can be adjusted — not just the spine.
Read more →Pregnancy & Prenatal Care
Gentle care for the back and pelvic pain that pregnancy brings with it.
Read more →Get an answer, not a guess.
One visit tells you whether whiplash & auto injury is something this office can help with. You will see your own scan and your own X-rays before any plan is proposed.