Is a Chiropractic Adjustment Right for You After a Car Accident?
Even minor car accidents can cause a lot of damage to vehicles as well as drivers and passengers. Not all internal injuries show symptoms right away, though, which is why experts recommend everyone involved in a car wreck seek medical care as soon as possible. For life-threatening inuries, that means taking an ambulance to the emergency room, but things can be a little less clear for accident victims who are in pain but have not suffered catastrophic physical harm.
Accident victims who haven’t suffered serious injuries still tend to experience pain and soreness as a result of the impact. Unfortunately, many of them don’t realize that slight pains can turn into chronic problems if left untreated. That’s why it’s always a good idea to seek the help of a chiropractor following a crash.
Why a Chiropractor?
Accident victims may wonder why this article recommends visiting a chiropractor instead of a primary care physician or an urgent care clinic. While scheduling a visit with a PCP is never a bad idea, these generalists may not always catch musculoskeletal problems. To complicate matters further, most general practitioners do little more than prescribe painkillers and anti-inflammatories before sending patients home to heal.
Chiropractors are different. These medical experts specialize in treating acute injuries and chronic disorders affecting the musculoskeletal system. Instead of covering up symptoms with pain medications, chiropractors uncover their root causes and come up with personalized treatment plans for accident victims that will help the body heal.
Anyone who has been in a car accident and is ready to see a chiropractor in the Pacific Northwest can get help now at accidentcarechiropractic.com. People who still need more convincing can learn about chiropractic adjustments, how they work, and their safety profiles for accident victims below.
What Is a Chiropractic Adjustment?
A chiropractic adjustment is a non-invasive form of therapy used to alleviate pain and inflammation following spinal injuries. Also referred to as chiropractic manipulation or spinal adjustment, this advanced process can also be used to treat chronic pain conditions. In both cases, chiropractic adjustments can help patients reduce or even eliminate their reliance on prescription painkillers while simultaneously promoting faster healing times.
The Benefits of Spinal Adjustments for Car Accident Victims
The fact that some accident victims are able to get up and walk away from the scene of a crash doesn’t mean they have incurred no internal injuries. Even in the absence of serious damage, most victims report symptoms such as muscle soreness, inflammation, issues with their range of motion, and stiffness. Chiropractic adjustments can help in a few ways.
1. Reducing Inflammation
It’s common for accident victims to have micro-tears in their muscles and ligaments that can’t be seen on standard x-rays. Chiropractic manipulation is designed to bring the patient’s spine back into alignment, which, in turn, induces the release of natural anti-inflammatories within the body. Reducing inflammation can help to alleviate the discomfort associated with micro-tears.
2. Restoring Range of Motion
Patients with neck or back injuries almost always report restricted mobility, even if their injuries are minor. Reducing muscle inflammation can help. Chiropractic adjustments can be seen as a way not just to promote natural healing but also to restore a patient’s range of motion.
3. Reducing Pain
The spinal column acts as a conduit for the body’s peripheral nervous system. If any of its vertebrae get knocked out of place even a little as a result of the trauma incurred during a car accident, it can pinch the nerves in the spine, causing patients pain that can radiate out to other areas of the body. A chiropractic adjustment can help by bringing the spine back into alignment and removing the pressure from pinched nerves.
Even in the absence of pinched nerves, chiropractic manipulation can help to alleviate pain. The process induces the release of natural pain-relieving hormones, which can leave patients feeling much better even immediately after a spinal adjustment.
Are Chiropractic Adjustments Really Safe?
Some people are afraid to head to the chiropractor for spinal manipulation because they assume it can’t be safe for accident victims. Don’t be put off by the name. Spinal adjustments are safe for car accident victims suffering from back pain, neck pain, headaches, nerve problems, or musculoskeletal damage.
In fact, chiropractic therapies are some of the safest and most effective treatments available. Unlike pharmaceutical interventions, they are not addictive. Chiropractic adjustments are also a far safer option than surgery for addressing certain types of car accident injuries.
Chiropractors Offer More Than Spinal Adjustments
One of the best parts of visiting a chiropractor for treatments after a car accident is that the types of help these experts can perform extend well beyond spinal adjustments. Every patient has a slightly different set of needs, so after the diagnostic phase, a chiropractic team will develop a personalized care plan that involves a combination of targeted therapies. Other treatment modalities used by chiropractors can include:
- Hot and cold therapy
- Advanced massage therapy
- Targeted exercises and stretches
- Temporary immobilization of the neck to address severe cervical trauma
- Nutritional interventions designed to reduce pain and inflammation
Keep in mind that the best time to seek care from a chiropractor is as soon as possible after the accident. Chiropractic care can help to prevent minor injuries from causing long-term pain and mobility issues. Visiting a chiropractor for chronic pain resulting from past car accidents can also be helpful, but it typically requires ongoing care.
Reach Out Now
Anyone who has been in a car accident should seek chiropractic care immediately. Chiropractors are trained to diagnose a full range of musculoskeletal conditions and other issues that can come up as a result of trauma induced by car accidents. All of the therapies offered by these medical experts are non-invasive, safe, and effective.
Even if EMTs on the scene have cleared an accident victim to go home, that’s no good reason to avoid seeking care. Many types of car accident injuries don’t show symptoms for days but still respond best if addressed immediately. Reach out to a local chiropractor to schedule an evaluation now.
