How Chiropractic Care Helps with Whiplash after a Car Accident
If you've recently been involved in a fender bender or other minor car accident, you might be able to walk away with just a few bumps and bruises and think everything is okay.
However, just because you feel fine at the scene of the accident doesn't mean you haven't been injured.
Many car accident injuries don't show up right away and could show up days or weeks later.
Like any traumatic event, a motor vehicle accident can spike your adrenaline levels to prepare your body for action in high-tense situations.
The rush of adrenaline can also create a numbing effect on pain and discomfort during the accident.
But once the threat is gone and your adrenaline levels return to normal, you will begin to feel the discomfort, soreness, and pain caused by the accident.
Fortunately, chiropractic care can help you recover from many types of injuries after car accidents.
Consulting a Nashville whiplash chiropractor is always in your best interest after being involved in a car accident.
Whiplash is one of the most common auto accident injuries.
Chiropractic care is an excellent option when it comes to healing from whiplash after a car accident.
In the article below, we will discuss a few ways a chiropractor can help after a car accident.
What's Whiplash?
Whiplash occurs when your head and neck are suddenly and without warning thrust forward and backward, similar to the cracking of a whip.
This motion is very common during car accidents, especially rear-end collisions.
The motion occurs when you are impacted by another vehicle or object or if you have to slam on your brakes suddenly.
Another reason whiplash is a very common injury after a car accident is that your car crash doesn't have to be severe for you to suffer a whiplash injury.
Whiplash can occur at speeds as low as 5-10mph, so that means you can get a whiplash injury in just about any car accident.
And while car accidents are a major cause of whiplash, they aren't the only cause.
Many high-impact sports can lead to whiplash injuries that can be just as severe or worse than those sustained in auto accidents.
Common Symptoms of Whiplash
The most common symptom of whiplash is pain in the neck and shoulders.
The pain you experience will typically get worse with movement.
In addition to neck and shoulder pain, those with whiplash often experience:
Pain and stiffness in the neck
Limited range of motion in the neck
Headaches
Challenges in concentrating
Extreme fatigue
Vertigo or dizziness
Pain in the shoulders, arms, and upper back
Blurred vision
How Will a Chiropractor Help?
If whiplash isn't treated in time, it can lead to chronic pain and other conditions.
Chiropractors understand the soreness that comes with a whiplash injury, so they will approach them with caution.
Before they even begin full-blown treatments, they will likely work on stretching your neck muscles or having you ice the injury at home to reduce the swelling.
After that, they will likely move on to spinal manipulations to help move your spine back into proper alignment.
This can help eliminate the stress and pressure caused by any misalignments and allow your body to begin the healing process that will ultimately bring you relief.
Common chiropractic treatments for whiplash are:
Spinal manipulation: Also referred to as chiropractic adjustments, spinal manipulation looks to identify the neck joints that are misaligned and put them back into place. This is done by gently moving the affected joint in the direction it's constrained. Sometimes your chiropractor will apply swift but gentle thrusts in the desired direction, or they will use a slow mobilizing movement. If your whiplash injury aggravated a herniated or bulging disc, your chiropractor might use the flexion-distraction technique. This is a gentle, non-thrusting spinal manipulation to ease herniated discs.
Soft tissue therapies: Whiplash is a soft tissue injury, so your chiropractor may also use soft tissue therapies in your treatment plan. Soft tissue therapies aim to restore proper muscle function by applying pressure or stretching the muscles that have tension. A common soft tissue therapy to relieve muscle tension is therapeutic massage. A chiropractor may also include muscle energy therapy or different stretch-and-resist techniques.
Lifestyle Advice: In addition to treatments, your chiropractor can offer advice about things you can do at home to help your condition. This advice can address factors including work, home, or recreational activities that can worsen the symptoms caused by whiplash injuries. Chiropractors can also teach better “use of self” as well as stress reduction ways to help ease whiplash pain.
When dealing with automobile accident injuries like whiplash, chiropractors look at the whole person, not just the symptoms.
They view pain in the cervical spine as unique to each patient, so they don’t just focus on your neck pain.
They will also emphasize prevention as the key to sound long-term health.
In addition to the treatments we spoke about above, your chiropractor may also prescribe therapeutic exercises to help restore the normal range of motion in your neck and spine and reduce whiplash symptoms.
Contact Advanced Injury Care Clinic For Chiropractic Relief
If you were recently involved in a car accident and you are experiencing symptoms of whiplash, it is important that you see an accident chiropractor right away.
The chiropractors at Advanced Injury Care Clinic will perform a physical exam and a review of your medical history to determine the underlying cause of your pain.
Based on their findings, they will develop a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs.
They will also emphasize prevention and self-care to keep your body in peak condition.
This allows you to have not just short but long-term pain relief as well.