It is normal to experience occasional feelings of anxiety as you go about your daily life. However, if you start experiencing persistent bouts of worry, stress, and an unhealthy fear that prevents you from living your everyday life after having a traumatic event, like a car accident, you might have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety can be a normal and healthy emotion as it prepares us for stressful situations in life. But when the feelings of stress, unreasonable fear, and worry routinely affect your ability to enjoy day-to-day activities, anxiety can be a cause for concern.
What is an anxiety disorder?
If you feel a lasting sense of intense panic, stress, worry, or unreasonable fear about everyday situations, making you feel out of control, you may have an anxiety disorder.
Causes of anxiety disorders
Even though the exact cause of anxiety is unknown, you can feel anxiety due to factors like:
Environmental stressors, like stressful work situations, family issues
Genetics where you have family members suffering from anxiety disorders
Alteration in brain chemistry because of misalignment of hormones
Medical factors like effects of medications, stress from surgery, or symptoms from a different disease
Withdrawal from addictive substances can trigger some anxiety symptoms
Traumatic events, like a car accident
Risk Factors for anxiety disorders
Some risk factors that are common in anxiety disorders are:
Family history of anxiety disorders
Certain personality traits like shyness in social situations
Traumatic events, such as an automobile accident, in childhood or as adults
Side effects of certain health conditions like thyroid and arrhythmia
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
You can have a range of symptoms depending on the type and intensity of your anxiety disorder. Some of the common symptoms of having an anxiety disorder are:
Increased heart rate and hyperventilation
Sweating, trembling with headaches, dizziness, and nausea
Inability to concentrate and perform daily activities
Avoiding public places, social engagement, and the triggers that cause anxiety
Sleeplessness and trouble falling asleep
A feeling of stress, nervousness, fear, and worry in ordinary situations
Having gastrointestinal issues
Generalized anxiety disorder ( GAD)
GAD is the most common form of chronic anxiety disorder that involves feelings of stress, worry, and fear about life’s general situations, events, and objects. People suffering from this disorder cannot identify the specific reason behind their anxiety.
People with GAD can suffer from the following symptoms:
Easily fatigued
Feeling wound up, restless, and on edge
Sleeplessness or trouble falling asleep
Difficulty in concentrating
Having headaches, stomach aches, muscle aches, and unexplained aches and pains
Having persistent, uncontrollable feelings of worry and stress
Panic disorder
These disorders typically involve sudden intense bouts of terror and apprehension leading to physical symptoms like sweating, dizziness, shaking, nausea, and breathing difficulties. Panic attacks can occur suddenly and peak rapidly in about 10 minutes. Sometimes, it can last for hours.
You can experience a panic disorder after a frightening incident, like an auto injury, or a period of prolonged stress. Sometimes it can happen without any specific trigger, making the person feel like they have a life-threatening illness. A sudden panic attack can cause the person to make drastic behavior changes to avoid future attacks.
People having panic disorders can have the following symptoms:
Breathlessness and sweating
A pounding or racing heart
Chest pain
A tingling or trembling sensation
The feeling of being out of control
A persistent feeling of impending doom
Anxiety after a car accident
If you were in a car accident, you are likely to develop anxiety symptoms that may linger long after your physical injuries have healed. For many individuals, being in a car accident can cause long-term phobias and anxiety about driving or riding in a car.
For car accident survivors, there are many factors other than the seriousness of the auto accident that can determine the degree of anxiety suffered by the individual concerned, such as:
Where the individual believes that their life is in danger
Previous experience of a car-related injury
Where the individual is involved in ongoing litigation regarding a car accident
After a car accident, an individual can suffer from one or more anxiety symptoms like:
Heart palpitation, chest pain, and nausea;
Dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath;
Irritability, restlessness, and trouble concentrating
Car accident survivors need to be treated for anxiety right away, or else they might develop serious symptoms of vehophobia, or fear of driving. Such people can stop driving altogether as the anxiety of driving can become too overwhelming without suitable treatment.
Individuals involved in auto accidents can develop other anxiety symptoms like:
Having repeated flashbacks of the accident
Having a fear of repeating the same accident over again
Feeling nervous or anxious about passing the accident site
Having severe anxiety and suicidal thoughts
Experiencing blackouts, nightmares, and severe physical distress
Car accidents that are especially violent and damaging can create severe car-related phobias among the survivors that may require specialized treatment to avoid the worsening of their mental condition.
What is the treatment for anxiety?
Back pain, based on its severity, can be treated using medicines, chiropractic services, and surgery.
Treatments of anxiety involve:
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT):
It is psychotherapy that helps you alter your thinking and behavior to reduce the feelings of anxiety in stressful situations, helping you cope with the triggers causing anxiety.
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART):
It is an evidence-based therapy that assists in the rapid recovery of anxious patients by reprogramming the ways their brain stores traumatic memories and events;
Medications:
Certain medicines, like anti-depressants, are used to relieve people of anxiety symptoms, bringing normalcy to stressful situations.
How can a chiropractor help with anxiety?
If you have anxiety because of trauma and pain from an auto injury, your chiropractor can help you deal with the pain and provide a holistic approach to reducing your anxiety. The chiropractor can use gentle massaging techniques to :
Lower your blood pressure, decreasing the symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.
Release positive hormones as chiropractic adjustments can boost the release of hormones, like oxytocin, reduce stress, and alleviate pain to improve your physical and mental wellbeing.
Promote sleep as chiropractic care can relax the body and improve sleep patterns.
Reduce muscle tightness and relieve body aches and pains, helping with the anxiety symptoms.
Reduce the Symptoms of Anxiety & Improve Your Overall Physical & Mental Wellbeing
Unlike other anxiety treatments, chiropractic care deals with the body as a whole and uses spinal manipulation and adjustments to align your spine, providing holistic care for your entire body. Chiropractic care uses the body’s inherent healing abilities to develop a long-lasting treatment for your anxiety symptoms.
If you are currently suffering from anxiety because of a traumatic car injury or pain issues, you can take steps to visit a highly experienced chiropractor to resolve your anxiety symptoms.
Our service area extends to Portland, OR; Vancouver, Salem, Hillsboro, and beyond. So if you are experiencing anxiety-related disorders, feel free to reach us to schedule a consultation!
