Should You Book a Post-Car Accident Chiropractor Visit?

Motor vehicle accidents often lead to chronic neck and back pain. Interestingly, auto accident injuries aren’t always immediately painful – sometimes it can take weeks to notice any discomfort. Putting off medical attention, though, can result in ineffective treatment later on, so it’s important to seek medical care as soon as possible.

A post-car accident chiropractor visit can help you find pain relief after a car crash and jump-start the healing process for common injuries before they do permanent damage.

Common Car Accident Injuries Chiropractic Treatment Can Help

A chiropractic adjustment doesn’t help with broken bones, but it can treat many of the other injuries often sustained from an accident.

Whiplash

Whiplash is a common neck injury that can happen in a simple fender bender. It’s caused by the neck being forced forward and back, affecting your discs, tendons, and nerves – leading to chronic pain and reduced mobility.

Chiropractic care can help realign the joints and reduce inflammation. It can even be effective in relieving chronic neck pain later on. A study found that 93% of car accident victims with chronic pain from whiplash injuries saw improvement after spinal adjustments.

Back Injuries

While chiropractic care can treat many conditions, it’s best known for relieving back pain, which is common after a car accident. The impact of the crash itself can affect the spine’s alignment (which protects the spinal cord), and spinal manipulation can help ease this pain.

Herniated Discs and Sciatica

Herniated discs are serious injuries that can lead to long-term consequences if not addressed. Discs sit between the bones of your spine and have a soft, jelly-like material at their center. A herniated disc occurs when the tougher, outer layer is cracked and this soft material pushes out.

Herniated discs typically occur in the lower back but can also happen in your neck. You can have one without realizing it – which is why it’s important to get a spinal x-ray after a car accident to receive an accurate diagnosis.

A herniated disc is the usual cause of sciatica. However, car accidents can also cause it if the sciatic nerve becomes pinched during the collision. This disorder causes lower back pain that radiates down one or both legs.

Whether you have pain from a herniated disc or sciatica, spinal decompression and manipulation along with physical therapy can provide pain relief and increase mobility.

Headaches and Migraines

Car accidents can result in post-traumatic headaches that start either right after the accident or days later. If you already suffered from migraines before the car crash, you may notice an increase in their severity and frequency.

These issues can happen after direct damage to your head, but they can also occur because of damage to muscles or discs in your neck.

Both chiropractic treatment and acupuncture can lessen the pain and the frequency of tension headaches and migraines caused by neck or muscle injuries.

However, if you are experiencing a headache due to a car crash and your symptoms do not improve after a few visits, it’s best to seek more intensive medical treatment. While it is rare, post-traumatic headaches that continue to get worse can be the sign of a more serious condition known as subdural hematoma.

Ligament and Soft Tissue Injuries

It’s possible for car accidents to tear ligaments and tendons. Spinal manipulations release the pressure on damaged joints and reduce inflammation to speed up the healing process of damaged ligaments and soft tissue. This also helps restore your range of motion and reduce the amount of scar tissue the injury causes.

FAQs Car Accident Victims Have About Treatment Plans

When Should You Seek Chiropractic Treatment After an Auto Accident?

It’s important to seek medical treatment as soon as possible after an auto accident. While chiropractic treatments can be effective on chronic pain from old accidents, a delay in treatment does impact effectiveness. It’s best to see a chiropractor within the first 72 hours.

How Long Does Treatment Take?

Treatments vary from person to person, depending on the extent of injuries. One study showed that around 14 treatments were enough for most patients, but those suffering from headaches and lower back pain needed more time.

Do Insurance Companies Cover My Chiropractic Treatment?

Most settlements and insurance plans cover chiropractic treatment, especially if it is considered a necessary part of healing.

Is Spinal Manipulation Safe?

Chiropractic care is a non-invasive treatment with low overall risk. Typical side effects include soreness and fatigue. Less than 5% of patients report dizziness and nausea.

Chiropractic care is generally safer than other medical treatments. By comparison, roughly 15% of surgeries result in complications, and it’s estimated that 3% to 19% of patients become addicted to prescription pain medications.

Chiropractic care offers a lower-risk, medication-free form of pain management that can safely restore your quality of life after a car accident.

What Happens at a Chiropractic Appointment?

The chiropractor first asks about your medical history and the injuries you sustained during the car accident.

Then, they often take an x-ray to see if you have a herniated disc or any other issues. Next, they test your range of motion.

Afterward, they’ll develop a treatment plan with you and perform your first adjustment.

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care After a Car Accident

An auto accident can severely impact your overall wellness and limit the way you move. While you may not feel it immediately, you could have whiplash, a herniated disc, or other injuries.

While a chiropractor can’t help with complications like broken bones, they can positively impact injuries associated with the spine and nervous system. Even with chronic conditions that arise long after a car accident, chiropractic treatment can provide safe, medication-free pain relief. However, booking an immediate post-car accident chiropractor visit speeds up the healing process and keeps the damage from becoming permanent.

Call us today at Meridian HealthCare to start healing.