Did you know that motor vehicle accidents increased by 7% during 2020, despite recording fewer drivers on the road?
Accidents on the road can happen within seconds, and you need a team of experts to help you manage your car accident injuries. Neglecting early intervention could cause medical complications and lead to chronic pain.
If you or a loved one has been in a car accident, read on to learn how to decide on your next steps. We will go over the most common car accident injuries and why a chiropractor should be one of the first providers you call.
We know exactly what to look for in a chiropractor when a car accident happens.
Car accident injuries can alter your life. Severe car accident injuries can even result in spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other orthopedic traumas.
The most common injuries may seem minor at first. However, it is crucial to always follow up with a qualified health care practitioner to avoid long-term complications. Here are a few car accident injury examples:
Soft tissue injuries are some of the most common diagnoses in medical and chiropractic offices. It is likely you may have whiplash or mid-to-low back muscle strains that make it difficult to sleep, sit, or participate in your normal daily activities.
Your first step is to seek proper medical care onsite. Paramedics will be able to rule out more serious injuries such as:
Then, if you’ve had a minor auto accident, you should seek out a chiropractor. Chiropractors are the most qualified practitioners to evaluate any minor injuries and give you a treatment plan moving forward.
The road to recovery might take weeks to months, and a qualified chiropractor can help with the process and reduce pain.
Chiropractic treatments for car accident injuries might involve:
As you progress, your rehabilitation and chiropractic team can use more specific treatments to help you return to normal life as quickly and safely as possible.
Chiropractors are skilled, licensed, and experienced health care providers. They focus on providing alternative, holistic, and evidence-based treatments.
Chiropractors use various physical therapy modalities, manual therapy, and education to promote overall health and wellness. These skilled healthcare providers reduce pain while improving function.
The best part is that you can avoid costly drugs and painful procedures and surgeries. How does a chiropractor help with these injuries?
Modalities can reduce pain, improve comfort and blood flow, and stimulate faster tissue healing. Joint and spinal mobilizations and manipulations are velocity-dependent manual therapy techniques that restore function and reduce muscle guarding and painful spasms.
Research shows that joint manipulations are effective in reducing pain response and inflammation. This meta-analysis also found the following benefits with spinal and joint manual therapy:
These techniques are safe when performed by a qualified professional Chiropractor.
Your first session will likely go over:
This information gives your chiropractor a general idea of what treatments are safest for your recovery. For example, if you had a neck fusion, it is unlikely that you will begin aggressive treatments targeting those joints.
Instead, gentle range of motion exercises and pain management are key. During this session, you should express any concerns or questions about your care. Remember, car accident injuries are complex and can require weeks of treatment.
You should also speak with the clinic and your insurance provider about insurance coverage. Nearly 60% of adults who visited a chiropractor had insurance coverage. Car accident injuries may qualify for even more coverage.
While chiropractic adjustments sound intimidating, many patients find immediate pain relief.
Typically, these sessions are coupled with other soft tissue treatments or relaxation therapies.
Current research shows that spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) helps non-specific and chronic neck and back pain. Experts suggest using SMT with other interventions like exercise.
While physical therapy has often been at the forefront of non-invasive rehabilitation, your chiropractor is also trained and skilled at exercise intervention. Current research suggests spinal manipulative therapy should be a front line treatment for spinal pain conditions as well.
As an added benefit, your chiropractor will provide education on lifestyle changes and nutrition. An overall wellness approach ensures long-term recovery and health.
Unlike physical therapists, chiropractors work closely with holistic remedies. They often use acupuncture and dry needling to help with various neurological or muscle disorders like:
Acupuncture is also closely intertwined with emotional and mental health. Many physical benefits often correlate with improved mental health and reduced stress or tension.
How can you find relief after car accident injuries? Not seeking assistance could lead to chronic pain and higher future medical bills.
Instead, let the experts at Boulder Back Pain Clinic help you out. Our highly skilled chiropractors have vast experience working with car accident injuries.
We offer various alternative and natural remedies and treatments. They are specifically designed for whole-body wellness, pain reduction, and improved function.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment!
No one expects to get into a car accident, but almost everyone that has the adversity to get into one will suffer from some kind of negative physical effect as a result. Whether it is a fender bender or being far more serious, your body will absorb the force of impact. Chiropractic treatment for car accidents at our chiropractic office in Boulder is unique to each individual to get the maximum benefit possible.
Neck, shoulder, and back injuries are a few of the most common issues chiropractors see after being in a car accident. Whiplash occurs when your cervical spine is abruptly “whipped” backward and then forward, knocking it out of alignment. This injury often happens as the result of a rear-end collision that catches the recipient by surprise. Along with the whipping effect comes muscle stiffness and pain in the days and weeks after the accident. Sometimes, when a driver or passenger sees the impact coming, they will tense up their muscles in anticipation. This can be just as harmful and cause them to end up with strained back muscles, neck muscles, or shoulder muscles.
While your chiropractic treatment for car accidents in Boulder will be customized to match your specific injuries, some of the more common treatment methods include:
All chiropractic treatment plans for car accidents will include a thorough consultation to determine the main issues and the best course of action to find a solution. Since each body is different, and every car accident is different, the treatment must be custom-made to fit the individual to achieve lasting results.
Specific treatment protocols vary, but the overriding concept of addressing the cause first remains the same. Typically, when someone is experiencing pain as the result of a car accident, the idea is to mask the pain with pain medication. While this may provide immediate pain relief, the problem that is causing the pain is probably still there.
Our Boulder chiropractor will investigate and find the underlying cause of the pain. Contact our team today with any questions that you have. We look forward to hearing from you.
