Car accidents are an unfortunate yet all-too-common problem nationwide. What’s worse is that even the most minor mishaps can lead to injuries that might not be immediately apparent but, if left unchecked, could lead to lasting issues.
Knowing when to seek chiropractic care after a car accident is crucial to keeping yourself safe. Let’s talk about common car accident injury signs to look out for and how post-accident chiropractic care can help you recover.
The traumatic effects of a car accident on your body are sometimes underlying and not always seen.
Take soft tissue injuries, for example. They typically manifest as sprains stemming from damage to your muscles and tendons. However, they might not show any physical signs or cause considerable pain, especially with the effects of shock and adrenaline, taking hours or longer to appear.
Such cases make it essential to monitor your health closely following an accident. A practical way to do so is via a personalized chiropractic care program, which involves a hands-on examination of your musculoskeletal system to diagnose and treat injuries before they develop into chronic conditions.
The good news is that chiropractic treatment for car accidents is noninvasive and drug-free. It focuses on restoring your body’s natural alignment and function so you can return to your daily routine without pain or worry.
If you’ve recently been in a car accident, observe your body for these indications that it’s time to visit a chiropractic clinic.
It’s common to feel pain in your neck and back following a car accident. They typically occur due to whiplash or spinal misalignment, which both happen after a severe jerk to your head. Post-accident chiropractic care helps alleviate this pain by realigning your spine and relieving pressure on your nerves that otherwise causes neck stiffness.
Likewise, sudden stops in a car crash often cause concussion or neck strain, which manifests as headache or dizziness. Luckily, chiropractic adjustments and therapies address some of these symptoms’ underlying causes, enabling you to start recovering more comfortably.
If you feel numbness or tingling, especially in your arms or legs, there might be nerve compression or damage due to spinal misalignment. Sometimes, these nerve symptoms can be due to disc injuries sustained from the car accident. Here is where chiropractic treatment works best. It helps reduce these symptoms by correcting your spine’s alignment to relieve nerve pressure.
The trauma from whiplash could also cause muscle tension and joint inflammation, stiffening your neck or limbs and making it difficult, if not impossible, to move. Thankfully, consistent adjustments and soft tissue therapies through chiropractic care can help reduce stiffness and restore mobility.
Many conditions resulting from a car accident surface hours or days later. This delay is what makes chiropractic care crucial. It enables professionals to identify and treat delayed symptoms promptly, keeping them from worsening. This is also why, in the state of Florida, insurance gives you 14 days after an accident to seek medical intervention.
Beyond managing delayed symptoms, there are some equally important reasons to seek chiropractic care after a car accident.
Like most traumatic events, chronic and long-term problems are among the most devastating effects of a car accident. Imagine debilitating pain that lasts even as you grow old because of a single event!
Thankfully, studies have shown time and time again that chiropractic care helps prevent and manage chronic pain, both physically and psychologically. It achieves this by dealing with your condition, be it a sprain, spinal misalignment, or dislocation, at its root cause.
Worried about the side effects of medication? Don’t want to undergo surgery to recover? Don’t worry—chiropractic care is a noninvasive and drug-free treatment.
What sets chiropractic methods apart from most treatments is they recognize your body’s innate ability to heal itself and only help speed up the process through adjustments and realignments. Care ranges from adjustments to soft tissue treatment. As the pain subsides, additional exercises and other therapies will be applied to keep you strong and prevent chronic pain.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to chiropractic treatments. Every injury and body is unique, so chiropractors develop personalized treatment plans tailored to your condition, symptoms, and recovery goals.
This plan typically includes spinal adjustments to correct misalignments and therapeutic exercises to rehabilitate and strengthen the body for recovery. Some chiropractic experts also provide lifestyle recommendations to maximize the benefits of the treatment.
Your first chiropractic visit involves thoroughly evaluating your body to determine its condition following the accident. It starts with a physical examination, with a professional checking your neck, limbs, torso, and spine for signs of swelling or misalignment. You could also go through diagnostic imaging to determine the exact extent of your injuries.
Based on their findings, your chiropractor will develop a personalized treatment plan and discuss it with you. They’ll also explain the structure of your treatment sessions, including their duration and the techniques they’ll use, to give you a better idea of what to expect.
Also, expect regular follow-up sessions after the first session to monitor your progress and adjust your treatment plan as necessary, ensuring your optimal recovery.
A car accident is a traumatizing event for your body, with even the most minor incidents causing debilitating pain, headaches, and loss of mobility, among other symptoms. However, you don’t have to endure them much longer. Promptly seek chiropractic care after a car accident to allow yourself the recovery you deserve.
Get back on your feet after a car accident with Stumpff Chiropractic. Our chiropractic, decompression, and rehabilitation services will help you manage and overcome the debilitating symptoms of post-accident injuries so that you can recover in no time.