Have You Been Hurt as a Result of a Car Accident?
Chiropractic Care for Car Accidents
A car accident is a terrible experience. Just being in an accident causes trauma to a person’s body, mind, and emotions, even if the accident seems minor. Walking away from a car accident is a huge relief. But that doesn’t mean the person’s body didn’t suffer.
Anything that knocks the body around, like a car accident, can cause the spine to constrict or move out of alignment. Trauma can also cause inflammation and muscle tightness that stresses the spine. Even if you walk away from an accident and feel fine, just a little “beat up,” it is important to check with a doctor to be sure of no underlying issues. A chiropractor is well suited to check for signs of stress on your body after a car accident.
Be Checked for Signs of Whiplash
Whiplash is a common condition from a car accident. This happens when the body is jerked suddenly back and forth, putting stress on the spine in opposite directions, almost at once. Symptoms of whiplash are often immediately apparent, or can set in over a 24-hour period. This can include soreness or stiffness in the neck, upper back, shoulders, and arms. Whiplash can also cause headaches and limited range of motion. These are all issues commonly treated by chiropractors.
Sometimes, a person who suffers whiplash doesn’t feel it. That’s why, after a car accident, even a minor one, it is important to be checked for signs of whiplash.
If left unattended, whiplash can be the start of small, subtle problems that can grow into bigger problems later on – months, sometimes years later. The impact of a car accident can affect the body in many ways, even when the accident victim feels fine. A chiropractor can check for whiplash and any other effects of the car accident – not only on the back and neck, but also on the hips, legs, shoulders, and arms.
A car accident not only can cause whiplash. The impact can also cause the head, arms, feet, and shoulders to be knocked around. People instinctively brace themselves in a collision. This could mean pressure on feet, hands, elbows, wrists, and knees. Muscles also become tight, putting strain on the joints and tendons. Muscles support the body’s structure and function; when they are strained, this affects the body’s alignment.
Ways Chiropractic Care Can Restore Balance
When the trauma of a car accident knocks the body off balance, chiropractic care can help ease the body back into alignment. Chiropractic techniques will help readjust the spine, arms, and legs. By restoring proper alignment, chiropractic care allows the body to heal naturally. When the bones, joints, muscles, and nerves are in their proper place, pressure and constrictions are lifted, and healing can begin.
Depending on the extent of injuries and the body’s response, chiropractic care can include manipulation techniques, along with ice and heat, soft tissue healing, and gentle exercises to restore range of motion. Your chiropractor can assess the total impact of the car accident on your spine, joints, muscles, and soft tissues. The chiropractor will design a treatment plan to alleviate pain, minimize stress, and help you become mobile again.