Chiropractic Helps after a Car Accident
What do you do after a car accident when the aches and pains don’t seem to go away on their own? What type of treatment is available for car accident injuries that will help you heal faster? These are common questions people ask when they have been in a car accident. The good news is that you can get chiropractic care after an accident to help speed up your recovery process. Dealing with the aftereffects of a car accident doesn’t have to wreak havoc on your whole life. When you partner with a car accident doctor and chiropractor for treatment, you can get the most out of your recovery and get back on your feet sooner. Chiropractors can specialize in treating a wide variety of car accident injuries including whiplash, back pain, disc herniation, and more. Here’s what you need to know about how chiropractic helps you heal faster after a car accident.
What Is Chiropractic?
Chiropractic care is a type of treatment for a wide range of health conditions and injuries that takes a non-invasive and all-natural approach to healing and recovery. Many people associate the idea of a chiropractor with cracking your back or neck. While chiropractors do have a type of treatment known as chiropractic adjustments, they do more than simply crack your back. In fact, the sound you hear from cracking your back doesn’t always happen with a chiropractic adjustment. Even if there is no audible cracking or popping sound, the practice of adjusting your spine or joints is still effective. Chiropractors take a hands-on approach to addressing misalignments in your spine and joints that may be hindering your healthy functioning. After a wreck, you may have a car accident injury that impacts your spine, joints, muscles, nerves, or other soft tissues. Chiropractors have the knowledge and expertise to address a wide range of musculoskeletal and neurological injuries and conditions with a non-harmful approach to your treatment and care.
10 Benefits of Chiropractic after a Car Accident
Now that you understand a bit more about what to expect from a chiropractor, here are ten benefits of chiropractic after a car accident.
Reduce Pain
Going to a chiropractor after a car accident can help reduce your pain and discomfort. It is quite common for people to experience soreness, stiffness, and other symptoms after a car accident. A chiropractor will use a hands-on approach to assess your body for injuries and identify the best course of treatment. They may use therapeutic massage and soft tissue mobilization to help reduce your pain by promoting your body’s natural healing process and helping you heal faster.
Improve Immune System Function
Chiropractic care can also help improve your immune system function and keep your body healthy and prepared for any germs that try to invade. A healthy immune system helps you better manage or ward off the common cold, the flu, and other illnesses. The last thing you want to worry about after a car accident is getting sick in addition to recovering from a car accident injury.
Increase Circulation
Treatment with a chiropractor can help increase circulation to the injured area as well as the rest of your body. Chiropractic adjustments promote better circulation throughout the body by resolving misalignments that may disrupt healthy blood flow. An injured area requires oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to help jumpstart the body’s natural healing process, and chiropractic care can help make this happen so you can start to recover faster.
Improve Breathing
Chiropractic care also helps improve your breathing, which helps you take in more oxygen that helps your body heal and recover. Whether your car accident injury makes it uncomfortable for you to sit or lie down a certain way, a chiropractor will work with your spine, joints, and muscles to promote better breathing so you can take the deep breaths necessary for getting oxygen to your brain and throughout the body.
Promote Relaxation
You might be surprised to learn that chiropractic care can even help you relax. A car accident can be such a stressful and overwhelming experience, and going to the chiropractor may promote relaxation. By realigning your spine and joints, your body is able to function better and allow you to get the rest you need for a speedy recovery.
Increase Flexibility
A car accident injury can leave you feeling stiff, sore, and maybe even having trouble with certain movements or activities. You can work with a car accident chiropractor as you recover from your injuries to improve your strength and increase your flexibility. The hands-on approach with chiropractic allows you a chance to gently reintroduce movements and stretch your muscles as you heal.
Shorten Recovery Time
Chiropractic care helps shorten your recovery time by promoting the body’s natural abilities to heal from a car accident injury. Through the various techniques your chiropractor offers, you will experience better blood flow, less pain, and better healing capacity. By eliminating pain and soreness naturally, you will be able to get back to activities faster and experience less pain after exercise.
Improve Posture
Chiropractors are known for their work on the back and neck for a reason. Chiropractors are experts in the spine and how it impacts the functioning throughout your body. A healthy posture brings so many health benefits to your body, including improved circulation and helping you stay in shape. Common car accident injuries can also impact your posture and the muscles that support your back and neck, so working with a chiropractor will help improve your posture while helping you heal.
Support Overall Health
Chiropractic care takes a holistic approach to treatment and care, which means they look at the entire picture of your health. This includes things like eating healthy and nutritious foods, getting lots of water, and getting the exercise you need to stay in shape. Your car accident chiropractor can walk you through a treatment that addresses your specific needs for care and recovery. This may include a healthy exercise routine or a healthy nutritional plan. While you don’t want to overdo it after a car accident injury, a chiropractor can help you heal faster with safe and natural solutions.
Prevent Future Injury
Going to the chiropractor can also help you prevent future injuries. Learn how to improve your strength, flexibility, and mobility in ways that improve your healthy functioning and performance. Because your chiropractor works from a holistic approach, they will help you prevent future injuries by improving your posture, muscles, and other soft tissues. When your spine is functioning at its best, your brain can effectively communicate with the rest of your body and help you function at your best.
How Chiropractic Can Help with 3 Common Car Accident Injuries
Unfortunately, car accidents happen every day, and millions of people end up dealing with car accident injuries each year. Chiropractic can help you heal and recover from a wide range of car accident injuries that can impact you from head to toe. Here are three examples of common car accident injuries and how a chiropractor can help:
Whiplash
Whiplash is the most common of all car accident injuries. When you get into a wreck, your seatbelt helps hold your upper body in place but cannot prevent your head and neck from jostling around. The sudden force of impact can cause your head and neck to snap forward and backward violently, causing a whiplash injury. Whiplash occurs when the muscles and soft tissues in your neck stretch and strain outside of their typical movement, which can lead to stiffness, soreness, and even torn muscles. Whiplash can also impact your spine, leading to secondary injuries like a herniated disc. Too much pressure on your spine can cause other symptoms like pain, tingling, and numbness that extend from your neck and into your shoulder and arm.
Chiropractic for Whiplash
Chiropractic care for a whiplash injury will involve gently restoring proper alignment to the spine in your neck and back. Many times, a whiplash injury will cause misalignments in the spine that can make your symptoms worse. Chiropractic adjustments help by safely and gently realigning your spine so it can function better. Your chiropractor may also use massage therapy, soft tissue mobilization, and stretches to help improve the range of motion in your neck after a whiplash injury.
Back Pain
Back pain is another common complaint after a car accident. Back pain can occur for a number of reasons, including muscle strains, spinal damage, and more. If you experience back pain after a car accident, this is typically a sign that something more serious is going on inside. The sudden impact of a car accident puts a lot of pressure and stress on your back and spine, even if you have your seat belt on and follow all the safety protocols. The pressure on your back can cause muscles to stretch and strain out of their typical range of motion. Too much stress on your spine can lead to issues with spinal discs or even compression fractures.
Chiropractic for Back Pain
Your chiropractor will locate the source of your back pain and address the root cause so you can experience lasting healing. Because back pain is typically a signal of something else going on, your chiropractor will want to address both your immediate symptoms and the underlying cause. Chiropractic adjustments will help address misalignments in the spine that were likely caused by the force of impact from the car accident. In addition to spinal adjustments, your chiropractor may walk you through stretches and exercises to help strengthen the muscles in your back that support your spine. Gentle exercises can also help you prevent stiffness and encourage healing.
Limb Injuries
Injuries to your arms and legs can also occur from a car accident. You might be surprised to learn that chiropractors can help with injuries like a broken ankle or dislocated shoulder. However, the vertebrae that make up your spine are actually joints, so chiropractors have extensive experience with joints. Common limb injuries from a car accident include a dislocated shoulder, arm or wrist fracture, leg or foot fracture, and knee dislocation. When a car accident happens, your limbs may flail around and collide with parts of the car, causing damage. Fractures and dislocations are unfortunate but common types of car accident injuries.
Chiropractic for Limb Injuries
Chiropractors use a very similar approach to limb injuries as they do for neck and back injuries. In order for your joints to function properly, they must be in the correct position. A dislocated joint means that one or more parts of the joint are out of place, and a chiropractor can help resolve the dislocation and provide continued treatment and care. Your car accident chiropractor can also work with you on regaining strength and mobility after a fracture, or broken bone.
Visit One of Our Car Accident Chiropractors
At Bend Spinal Care, our team of car accident doctors includes chiropractors who specialize in treating a wide variety of injuries and health conditions. Here’s what you can expect from our car accident chiropractors at Bend Spinal Care:
Diagnosing Your Car Accident Injuries
Our chiropractors have access to state-of-the-art diagnostic tools like X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs. That means you can get the scans you need and start your treatment all in one convenient location.
Individualized Treatment Plan
We offer individualized treatment plans, which means you will work with our team of car accident doctors through support for your specific symptoms and injuries. We never use a one-size-fits-all approach and instead offer personalized treatment and care for all car accident victims.
Support Through Recovery & Rehabilitation
At Bend Spinal Care, we support you through the recovery and rehabilitation process. Our chiropractors and therapists want to help you heal faster after a car accident. To recover faster, call our office today to set up a free consultation 541-318-8627.