Chiropractic Care After an Accident
Chiropractic Care After an Accident
This article was provided by Dr. Craig Anshus DC, a chiropractor at The New Art Of Chiropractic in Cottage Grove, MN. To learn more, please visit their website at https://www.famchiropractic.com/
Auto Accidents
Many people are injured in minor auto accidents every year and in case of a rear-end accident, it may result in back and neck pain. Reports show that between 20 and 50 million people all over the world are disabled or injured in a vehicle accident. If this happens, you may suffer from injuries such as scratches, minor bumps and in severe cases broken bones or muscle damage. In case you don’t seek the right treatment, you may develop chronic problems in the future as a result of a minor auto injury. Even if you suffer from a minor vehicle injury such as fender bender it can still be dangerous. Luckily, you can handle these health problems by visiting a doctor who can assess your condition and offer the right treatment and follow up. When it comes to auto injuries, most people don’t think about visiting a chiropractor. The truth is that chiropractic care is an effective treatment option for those who are suffering from an auto injury. In this article, we are going to look at some of the most common auto injuries and how a chiropractor can come in handy in treating them.
Soft tissue injuries
The common injuries that people look at when they have an auto accident are skin, muscles and bone injury. However, most people fail to think about the likelihood of suffering from soft tissue injuries after an auto accident. If you are involved in an auto accident, soft tissue injury may take quite some time to heal. According to one study conducted in the past, about 70 percent of patients who visited an emergency room after an auto accident suffered from pain which was attributed to soft tissue injuries. This explains why it is important to visit a chiropractor. A soft tissue injury refers to an injury that affects parts of the body such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles. During a motor vehicle injury, damage may occur to the soft tissue in case there is a strong force that violently stretches ligament, tendon, and muscle. This injury usually occurs in the back and neck after an acute trauma has occurred during a car accident. If soft tissue injuries are left untreated it may cause pain for many years. Seeking chiropractic care is important because a chiropractor knows how to treat soft tissues that are torn so that you can get relief from pain.
Herniated Discs
Your spine has a complex vertebrae network that is separated and aligned vertically by vertebrae discs. These discs prevent painful friction and absorb force during trauma. When an accident occurs, your body may not expect the sudden force. Therefore, your body may not have time to ensure your back is stabilized, which may lead to herniated discs. Some herniated discs can heal on its own but most of the time it may lead to chronic pain. Chiropractic treatment can effectively reduce the pain associated with herniated discs which lead to faster recovery.
Back Pain
It is easy to think that a simple fender bender may not result in bodily injury. However, when an auto accident occurs, a victim may likely suffer from neck and back pain. Just like neck pain, back pain usually comes in different varieties. Back pains may occur during the jarring of a car involved in an accident but it may take up to a few days or weeks for someone to discover that they are suffering from this condition. Back pains can be detrimental to someone because it makes it difficult for them to go on with their day to day activities such as climbing stairs, caring for children among others. When our back is injured it can be difficult to use our spine normally to perform the everyday movement. Because of the muscle pull and strain as well as spinal injuries and nerve damage, car accidents may lead to immediate and lasting pain which affects your back. It is difficult to treat back pain using medication because it only relieves pain for a short time before it comes back again. But with a chiropractor, they can help reduce chronic back pain so that you regain function over time.
Neck Injuries Other Than Whiplash
Auto accidents and the force associated with it can lead to serious damage to your neck. Your neck is a crucial part of your body because it is associated with head movement but can be sensitive to sudden force and movement. Neck injuries also known as neck strain is not the same as whiplash in that it does not require jerking of your body for it to occur. However, neck sprain can be quite as painful as whiplash. Visiting a chiropractor can be beneficial because it can help reduce the pain associated with a neck strain. Other than neck injuries, you may also feel general soreness after an accident. A doctor may not be able to prescribe treatment for this condition but seeing a chiropractor can prove to be vital because they can alleviate neck stiffness and pain.
Inflammation
Every time we go through a trauma our body will experience trauma in the injured body parts. An X-ray may not be able to capture the micro-tears which occur in your muscles and ligaments after an auto accident. Inflammation occurs when there is increased blood flow to the injured body parts. The problem with inflammation is that it can make a minor injury more painful. A chiropractor can realign your body so that it reduces inflammation faster than your body can on its own.
Whiplash
Whiplash, also known as neck strain or neck sprain, is a form of a neck injury. This is a common car accident injury that happens when your neck is jerked very fast in a forward and backward motion. Other activities that may result in whiplash include riding a dirt bike, riding a scooter, rollercoaster, or playing sports. You may stay up to 24 hours before you start experiencing the symptoms of whiplash. After a car accident, you may experience symptoms of whiplash such as neck pain, dizziness, low back pain, fatigue, headache, and shoulder pain. Indeed, whiplash may not result in open wounds or broken bones but it can make it difficult for someone to bend or move their head before experiencing severe pains. You may use medication to help relieve the pain but visiting a chiropractor can help treat whiplash.
Auto injuries can leave your body feeling stiff, painful, and sore. These injuries can prevent someone from carrying out their daily activities. This is why you should consider visiting a chiropractor. In case you have been in an auto accident and received a major or minor injury, you should visit a chiropractor right away. Seeking prompt chiropractic care is important because it will help boost your body’s natural healing process as well as help patients avoid chronic pain after an auto injury. You can learn more about how we can help auto accident victims as you recover quickly.