What type of treatment should I expect after a car accident?
Car accidents can be a frightening experience that can have both short-term and long-term consequences. You can feel pain and discomfort immediately after the accident or have lingering symptoms days and months after the event. While a severe injury will require emergency care and treatment, minor injuries can be evaluated and treated by a qualified chiropractor.
Chiropractors are medical practitioners who are well equipped to deal with the pain and injuries that can result from an auto accident. Chiropractic care typically offers alternative treatments in the form of spinal adjustments, massage therapy, and other physiological treatments to bring your spinal cord and the surrounding nervous system into balance.
Nature of injuries after a car accident
A car accident can cause significant injuries that require immediate medical attention. Even when your injuries are minor, the sudden impact on your body following a car accident can result in the following symptoms:
Neck pain or pain in the lower back
Loss of range of motion
Pain and inflammation in your limbs with difficulty walking
Numbness, dizziness, headaches, or blurred vision
Soft tissue injuries, if left untreated, can cause pain and arthritis
Whiplash is very common in a car accident that can be fully cured through chiropractic assistance. A car accident can cause a pinched nerve in and around your neck, causing pain and affecting your mobility.
The trauma from an accident can cause anxiety and PTSD symptoms that can be treated using a non-invasive and holistic process taken by chiropractors.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care
Reduces pain
After a car accident, your chiropractor can use spinal manipulation to help your body release pain-reducing hormones, like oxytocin. The release of oxytocin can alleviate pain, letting you avoid pain killers with side effects.
Reduces inflammation
Some amount of inflammation is common after a car accident. Your chiropractor can use techniques to realign your spinal cord, triggering cytokine production that lowers your pain and inflammation in the affected area;
Restores range of motion
The injuries from a car accident can lead to a loss of flexibility in the neck and limbs. Chiropractic adjustments can restore the range of motion in these areas, allowing you to heal naturally;
Treats scar tissue
Where a car accident causes damage to the muscles and tendons, you can have scar tissue forming causing pain and stiffness. Chiropractors can break the scar tissue, allowing the area to heal faster;
Allows natural healing
Chiropractic treatments offer a non-invasive, holistic approach that uses pressure techniques to align the spine with the rest of the body. It does not involve medication with side effects and can help you avoid surgery unless required.
Treatments you may need after a car accident
Injuries after a car accident can range from severe injuries requiring immediate medical supervision to minor injuries that can be treated with medical assistance.
If you have suffered injuries after an auto accident that has caused lingering pain and discomfort, visiting chiropractic care can help you get the following treatment.
Chiropractic treatment
Chiropractic treatment can be of two types:
Spinal manipulation
Chiropractors also use other treatments, like hot and cold therapy, ultrasound, electrical stimulation therapy, soft tissue mobilization, and spinal traction to heal your injuries.
Other forms of treatments
It involves using techniques that pop the joints, releasing blocked gasses that reduce pain and inflammation in the joints. It also uses spinal adjustment techniques where pressure is applied to realign the spinal cord, healing your body from within.
Massage therapy
Your chiropractor can use massage therapy to loosen muscles before spinal manipulation. In some cases, massage therapy is used on its own to smoothen out knots in case of soft tissue damage.
The chiropractor can recommend deep tissue or trigger point massage based on your injuries. While deep massage helps heal muscle damage, trigger point massage focuses on specific muscle segments.
Physical therapy
Physical therapy is a common treatment used by chiropractors while treating injuries from a car accident. It involves stretching exercises to loosen muscles, helping you recover from auto accident injuries. Based on the area of injury, physical therapy can be:
Orthopedic physical therapy
Injuries from a car accident can affect your bones, muscles, ligaments, and tendons, causing pain, inflammation, and restricted mobility. Orthopedic physical therapy helps in restoring mobility while reducing pain and discomfort in the affected areas;
Neurological physical therapy
Where a car accident causes damage to the nerve, causing a tingling sensation, numbness, or weakness in the extremities, your chiropractor can use physical therapy to heal the nerves, restoring your body's balance.
Physiotherapy
Your chiropractor can use electrical stimulation as a form of treatment to reduce pain and assist in soft tissue healing following a car accident. The treatment is not harmful and is a non-invasive, painless method of using electric current to relieve pain and stiffness while improving joint mobility.
Acupuncture
It is a treatment based on ancient Chinese medicine where very thin needles are inserted at strategic points in the body, relieving pain and discomfort. It is a non-invasive, non-drug method of treating painful injuries from a car accident.
Treatments You Can Get at Accident Care Chiropractic
We at Accident Care Chiropractic offer a wide range of treatments to heal the pain and injuries resulting from a car accident. We also provide nutrition services to improve your diet and help you get the most out of chiropractic treatments.
If you have suffered injuries from a car accident, our specialists at Accident Care Chiropractic may request imaging tests, such as X-rays and MRIs to determine the nature and extent of your injuries before creating a plan for your treatment.
Our service area extends to Portland, OR; Vancouver; Salem; Hillsboro; and beyond. So if you or your loved ones are experiencing car accident-related injuries, reach out to us today to schedule a consultation!
