How Can Chiropractic Benefit After a Car Accident?

Victims of a car accident do not think of a chiropractor as one of the first medical professionals to use directly after their injury.

However, after the initial medical assessment, it is one of the most beneficial treatment plans you could have.

Chiropractic care can behoove you, particularly if you have injuries related to your musculoskeletal system or spine.

A chiropractor can thoroughly evaluate your injuries and make
a treatment recommendation.

Back, neck pain, and stiffness combined with feeling muscle soreness or restricted range of motion are widespread symptoms after an accident.

Chiropractic Clinics of South Florida can identify these symptoms instead of numbing them with medication. Then, we can perform spinal and other joint adjustments, physical therapy, and healing. As a result, pain relief can be achieved.

Making a treatment plan will provide these primary benefits:

• Reduces inflammation and scar tissues: small tears called micro-tears within the muscles and ligaments in the body are common and are not identified by x-rays.
  In addition, after a muscle is injured, it can get scarred after an accident and cause stiffness and soreness.
  A spinal adjustment will allow the body to return to normal alignment.
• Reduce the need for medication: Most prescription medication is highly addictive.
  Chiropractors heal the affected areas instead of masking or covering up the pain.
• Receiving chiropractic care immediately after a car accident can prevent minor injuries from becoming worse, causing a chronic condition down the line.
• Restore range of motion: When inflammation is present, it restricts your range of motion.
• Chiropractic adjustments to the spine will allow the healing process to return to the proper range of motion.
• Reduce pain: Chiropractic adjustments promote relief of the affected area and throughout the entire body.

The Pros and Cons of Conventional Medicine:

Conventional medicine saves lives in emergencies or life-threatening conditions.

However, the potential downside of this treatment when it comes to car accident injuries is that unless a bone is broken or some other serious injury, many doctors prescribe pain and anti-inflammatory medication and send the patient on their way.

Unfortunately, this may only be temporary relief without healing the root of the problem.

Why Choose a Chiropractor?

A chiropractor can identify why these symptoms are arising and, instead of numbing through medication and can perform spinal and other joint adjustments along with physical therapy.

Through these sessions, many patients may experience these eight primary benefits:

1. Reduces inflammation:

Micro-tears within the muscles and ligaments of the body are common and cannot be found through a standard x-ray. Spinal adjustments can bring the spine back into alignment, producing natural anti-inflammatory properties to assist with discomfort from these tears.

2. Reduces scar tissue:

Muscles can get scarred after an accident, causing stiffness and
soreness. A chiropractor can target these scarred areas and help break down the build-up quicker than if it was left to heal on its own. Less scar tissue means a person is likely to feel better much faster.

3. Decreased need for medication:

Prescription pain medication can be very addictive. Taking a heavy painkiller in the short term may become a continued addiction or dependency. Chiropractic adjustments can ensure that the actual injury is healed and that pain isn’t simply masked as an effect of the medications.

4. Long-term benefits:

Receiving chiropractic care promptly after a car accident can help prevent minor injuries from worsening into severe and chronic conditions down the road.

5. Restore range of motion:

Neck or back injuries can result in restricted mobility. It may be challenging to turn your neck or move other ways when your muscles are inflamed. Mobilizing the spine through chiropractic adjustments can help restore the proper range of motion and encourage the healing process.

6. Reduce pain:

With spinal adjustments, a person can have reduced pain in the affected areas and relief throughout their entire body. In addition, many people feel significant relief immediately following an adjustment, possibly due to the release of pain-reducing hormones.

What If My Accident Injuries Don’t Show Up Right Away?

Most car accidents are traumatic events. After all, a lot of force is involved when a vehicle hits (or is hit by) something.

Even seemingly minor accidents can lead to significant harm, but injuries sometimes don’t appear immediately.

The most common car accident injuries that show up later are soft tissue injuries, concussions, and back injuries.

It’s crucial to monitor and treat potential injuries for the sake of your health and ability to receive financial compensation for your injuries.

Soft Tissue Injuries After a Car Accident

A soft tissue injury refers to damage done to body parts other than bone. For example, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are “soft tissue.”

Car accidents, even low-speed ones, generate a lot of force. As a result, drivers and passengers often come to a sudden stop along with the vehicle; or they may get thrown around the passenger area.

In addition, the force places a lot of stress on joints and other vulnerable body areas.

Whiplash After a Car Accident

Perhaps the most common type of soft-tissue injury is “whiplash.” Referenced an injury sustained to the neck muscles when the head is suddenly and forcefully thrown forward and then back.

Soft tissue injuries typically result in pain, swelling, and reduced mobility, but these symptoms may not appear immediately.

Back Injuries and Back Pain After a Car Accident

The human spine is a complex system of bones, muscles, nerves, and other soft tissues. So even a minor collision can easily result in a back injury, whether damage to the bone (vertebrae), muscles, tendons, discs, ligaments, or nerves in the neck (cervical vertebrae), upper back (thoracic), or lower back (lumbar).

Besides pain, there are other signs of a back injury, such as:

• reduced mobility
• muscle spasms
• trouble walking, standing, or sitting,
• headaches
• body stiffness
• headaches

Other common symptoms of back injuries include numbness and tingling.

Consider seeing a chiropractor if you’re experiencing pain from a car accident.

Contact us at The South Florida Chiropractors today for an appointment, and we’ll help you get back in the game. Call: 877-881-4878 (HURT)