Columbus Injury and Rehab Centers provided this article to help explain how chiropractors can help out with car accident cases. They are a top-rated auto accident chiropractor in Columbus, OH.

After a car accident, it can be a scary and confusing time. Depending on the severity of your injuries if you feel it is a medical emergency you should have an ambulance take you straight to the ER or have someone drive you. If you feel sore, achy and stiff where you feel it is not a medical emergency you can call a Chiropractor that can see you right away and provide free transportation if needed. Should it be possible after the accident it is important to take as many pictures as you can of the accident scene such as damage to your car or other car and vehicle location at the time of crash unless your injuries you sustained prevent you from doing this? If you were not at fault, you should also take a picture of the other driver’s insurance policy information for your records. Next, you should start a daily journal documenting all of your injuries and symptoms that you are experiencing and also make note of any problems with performing your Activities of Daily Living such as sleeping, getting showered or dressed, standing, sitting, etc.

When you are seen at a Chiropractic office. The Chiropractor will do a thorough evaluation, exam and will take any necessary X-rays to document the injuries you suffered from the auto accident. They will begin therapy that first visits as well to reduce any swelling, inflammation, and pain. They will review your exam findings and correlate these with the X-rays to go over with you on your next during the Report of Findings to explain to you how we will provide an individualized treatment program for your injuries to allow the best possible outcome. As chiropractors, we focus on the underlying cause of the problem and work hard on correcting that rather than just covering up your symptoms.

The first phase of care you will start is known as the Passive Phase of Care. This is where modalities such as Heat, Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS), Traction, Ultrasound, Chiropractic Adjustments, Stretching and Range of Motion Exercise will be done assisting you in these movements also known as Passive Stretching Exercise. The objective during this phase of care is to decrease pain, reduce inflammation/swelling, break down scar tissue/adhesions and work as much as possible on Passive Range of Motion. Every visit the Chiropractor will document and review your Activities of Daily Living with you as well. A reexamination will be performed that may include computerized testing after about 2 weeks of care to determine how you are progressing and to determine any changes that are needed.

After you have made significant improvements, you will start a new phase of care known as the Active Phase of Care. In this phase, The Chiropractor will continue with Chiropractic Adjustments of your spine and extremities along with Strengthening and Endurance Exercise without assistance with various types of Rehab Equipment. The objective during this phase of care is to work on increasing your active Range of Motion along with strengthening and endurance training of the involved muscle groups to provide stability and support. Every visit a Chiropractor will document the resistance level, repetitions and sets you perform to determine if changes are needed. They will also provide a reexamination along with any computerized testing to evaluate your progress and make any appropriate changes to your care plan. As you progress during this phase of care your pain will continually decrease to where you aren’t having any pain. As Chiropractors, we realize the pain is just a symptom and it is the last thing to appear with an injury and it will be the first to go away with treatment. So a Chiropractor will treat your injuries past the point of no pain to make sure that the areas you injured have fully recovered properly to prevent any possible flare-up.

Upon completion of care all your records along with a narrative report will be sent over to your Attorney should you have one of the Insurance companies. Should you have any residual effects after you are released from the care you should call the Chiropractor right away for a follow-up appointment to be seen.