5 Benefits of Chiropractic Treatment After a Car Accident
Chiropractic treatment is often recommended after a car accident because it helps to bring the spine back into proper alignment and function after whiplash or other accident-related injuries. If you have recently been involved in a car accident and experience discomfort because of your injuries, receiving care from a chiropractor could be beneficial to you. Here are five benefits you could potentially receive by visiting a chiropractor after a car accident.
Benefits of post-accident chiropractic treatments
1. Reduce inflammation
Inflammation is a common consequence of physical injury. While some amount of inflammation is normal and indicates your body’s attempts to heal itself, too much can be harmful to your tissues and can cause discomfort. When a chiropractor manipulates your spine to realign the spine, your body may respond by cutting back on its inflammatory cytokine production, which can lower the inflammatory response in your body and reduce pain. Typically, initially our physicians use the IQ Impulse adjusting device to stimulate the spine without moving or “popping” the joint. The IQ Impulse allows the ligaments and tissues to stabilize and heal while providing the spine with the movement stimulation it needs.
Inflammatory back pain presents in different ways than mechanical back pain. Symptoms of excessive inflammation in the spine include stiffness and pain that increases after periods of inactivity. If your back pain is due to inflammation, you will most likely feel the most pain when you first wake in the morning.
Massage therapy is used in our clinic to help reduce inflammation, restore function and increase the brain-body connection.
2. Minimize pain
When you receive chiropractic adjustments after a car accident, you can minimize pain throughout your body. During spinal manipulations conducted by a chiropractor, your body naturally releases pain-relieving hormones as well as a reflexive response called the “reflex analgesic effect”. The reflex analgesic effect takes place because the joint receptors (mechanoreceptors) are low threshold (stimulate with less stimulation) whereas pain receptors (nociceptors) are high threshold (stimulate with more stimulation). When the specific spinal manipulation is performed, the mechanoreceptors are stimulated but the nociceptors are not. This leads to a reflexive response of pain reduction, increased range of motion, improved brain-body connection and increased blood flow. A study conducted by The University of Spain showed that levels of oxytocin, neurotensin and cortisol in the blood stream increased in test subjects after spinal manipulation.
3. Restore range of motion
When you are injured in a car accident, your neck or back can lose flexibility. Loss of flexibility can be due to misalignment of the joints in the spine, development of scar tissue and/or inflammation. A chiropractic adjustment can restore range of motion by stimulating your spine, restoring the brain-body connection and returning the joints to proper alignment.
4. Reduce scar tissue
It is normal for scar tissue to develop after a car accident injury. When muscles or tendons are damaged, the body attempts to heal them by forming scar tissue from collagen. Unfortunately, scar tissue can cause long-term pain and stiffness. In many cases, the tissue will heal on its own and eventually function like normal tissue. However, if it is causing you discomfort, a chiropractor can use specific techniques to break the scar tissue up so the area can heal faster. At Bend Spinal Care, we have massage therapists on staff that have extensive knowledge and experience working on spinal injuries.
5. Experience non-invasive treatment
Most people want to avoid surgery after a car accident if possible. However, if you wait too long to treat your injuries, surgery could end up being your only option. Chiropractic treatments are non-invasive and align the spine without surgical intervention. If you visit a chiropractor for treatment soon after your injury, you may reduce your chances of requiring surgery in the future.
Conclusion
Chiropractors use a variety of tools and techniques to realign individual vertebrae and restore joint health after a car accident. Benefits of spinal manipulation and other services offered by doctors of chiropractic include decreased inflammation and pain, restored range of motion and reduced scar tissue.