Benefits of Chiropractic When Seeking Relief After an Accident
Chiropractic treatment can help treat the underlying cause of neck and back pain, stiffness, soreness and limited range of motion after a car accident. Learn about the benefits of chiropractic care and how Mobile Wellness Care can help after accidents like these.
How Chiropractic Relieves Pain After an Accident
Here are the reasons why it’s best to schedule an appointment with your chiropractor after an accident.
Accidents May Result in Unknown Injuries
Most people think that if they have an injury, they’ll feel pain and discomfort. This is only true to an extent.
Damage to your body, spine, muscles, and joints will usually hurt, but in some circumstances pain may be very mild and brief or completely absent. Some damage may be minor enough that you don’t feel any pain. Smaller injuries only manifest over an extended period of time before resulting in aggravation and pain. You can prevent this from happening through chiropractic care.
When going to a chiropractor after an accident, they will ask for your medical history, perform a physical exam, and ask questions about the accident. Afterward, they will diagnose any issues and discuss the course of treatment. Such treatments may include chiropractic adjustments, therapeutic modalities and various massage techniques to relieve any pain and promote tissue healing over time.
Treatment Options To Help Relieve Pain After an Accident
Surgery is always the last resort with chiropractic care, but when necessary, a chiropractor can refer you to a specialty surgeon.
Manual Therapy
With chiropractic care, there will be no invasive medical procedures or surgical tools required for treatment. Instead, chiropractors will rely on manual therapy, which refers to therapy performed with the hands.
For example, if you need an adjustment to realign a joint properly, a chiropractor will use the precision force of their hands or specialized instruments. There will be no cutting skin or drawing blood.
After car accidents, many victims are afraid of seeking medical treatment because of surgery or prescription medication that may be addicting and have side effects. You shouldn’t be worried about seeing a chiropractor. With chiropractic care, you can feel better and as if you just went to the spa, not a doctor!
Understandably, some people are still hesitant over chiropractic care, thinking of worst-case scenarios and more damage occurring. While a legitimate concern, you shouldn’t worry as long as you work with a reputable and experienced chiropractor.
Chiropractors are medical professionals with the relevant education and training. Becoming a chiropractor takes education, training, passing tests, and studying to obtain a state license. Those who hold the title of Doctor of Chiropractic can be trusted and provide the relief you need after an accident safely.
No Medications
As mentioned above, chiropractic care uses manual therapy, which is 100% all-natural. If chiropractors can’t see their patients immediately, they may suggest over-the-counter pain relievers. After sufficient treatment however, such medications won’t be required.
While pain medications offer relief, the effects are only short-term, only masking the main problem. Chiropractors aim to remove the pain, but doing so by focusing on the source of the problem.
Relieving Pain After A Car Accident
Support Whiplash Recovery and Reduce Inflammation
Whiplash victims may require ongoing care to treat and relieve any pain or discomfort. While the tissues injured by whiplash will heal naturally over time, it is important to receive appropriate care to maintain proper joint alignment and function, as well as minimizing scar tissue formation. If not, adhesions and joint dysfunction can lead to restrictied range of motion, chronic pain and degenerative changes in the spine that lead to arthritis.
Patients who don’t wear neck braces or limit their activities might experience complications. Because of that, vertebrae alignments or neck adjustments are made using the hands or specialized instruments. As a result, car accident victims will feel much better and experience long-term improvement in their symptoms.
Customized Chiropractic Treatment
Customized chiropractic treatment plans will usually involve gentle and targeted manipulation so you can regain comfort and motion in any affected areas.
Besides supporting whiplash recovery, chiropractic care can reduce inflammation, a typical result of physical injuries. Inflammation is our bodies’ usual attempt to heal, and while small amounts of it are reasonable, too much leads to pain, discomfort, and tissue damage.
To help reduce that, a chiropractor can perform spinal manipulation to realign your spine, which can cause the body to reduce inflammatory cytokine production, thus lowering the inflammatory response to reduce pain.
Chiropractors Help Reduce Long-Term Pain and Scar Tissue
Many people suffer from back pain, neck pain, and other chronic conditions after a car accident. Chiropractic care can help get to the leading cause of the problem. Therapy sessions will manipulate your body, helping you naturally restore your range of motion.
Furthermore, your chiropractor may prescribe exercises to help provide strength and stability to your spine to help prevent the pain from coming back.
Adding to that, when your body experiences trauma, like car accidents, your muscles and ligaments become stretched and torn. If the body repairs such damage on its own, it can develop patches of internal scar tissue, which limit your movement. Chiropractic care can help reduce the scar tissue, maintaining appropriate range of movement.
Chiropractic Care Can Help Restore Range of Motion
When your spine’s joints are misaligned during a car accident, you can lose some of your range of motion in the neck or back. As mentioned, inflammation and scar tissue can also limit your range of motion.
Chiropractic adjustments help mobilize the spine and reduce inflammation and scar tissue. As a result, you have less pain and a better range of motion afterward.
What To Do Next
If you just got into a car accident or another form of trauma, check with your doctor before booking chiropractic services. Once you’re given the go signal, contact us to learn about our chiropractic services.
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