Last Updated on March 17, 2024 by Umer Malik
Minor car accident injuries can lead to long-term problems if left untreated. Seeing a chiropractor immediately after your crash will help you avoid these problems and recover faster.
Auto accidents often cause micro-tears in muscles and ligaments that don’t appear on X-rays. These can lead to inflammation and pain. Chiropractic treatment reduces inflammation, improves mobility, and promotes healing.
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Reduced Inflammation
Car accidents can cause many injuries, some of which are obvious and others that don’t appear until hours, sometimes days, after a crash. A chiropractor can check for invisible injuries like whiplash and create a treatment plan that reduces pain and stiffness. This can decrease the need for painkillers that have dangerous side effects.
The force of a car accident often causes lots of micro-tears in ligaments and muscles that won’t show up on an X-ray. The body’s natural response to these tears is to send extra blood and antibodies to the area, which can lead to inflammation. Chiropractic manipulations can help the body release an anti-inflammatory chemical that reduces pain and improves blood flow, allowing damaged tissues to heal.
This also helps to improve sleep quality, which can be disrupted by car accident injuries and often leads to stress. Getting enough rest improves your immune system, mood, and cognitive function, speeding up healing.
Increased Mobility
You might experience stiffness in your back and neck, so it is recommended to see a chiropractor after a car accident. While some inflammation is natural and reflects your body’s attempt to repair the damage, too much can limit the movement of tissues and increase pain. A chiropractor can manipulate your spine to reduce inflammatory reactions and promote healthy tissue regeneration.
Spinal manipulation can also help improve mobility in your back. The force of the crash might have strained your muscles or caused fractures and disk injuries. These can make it difficult to move or even feel comfortable. A chiropractor can relieve these issues with spinal manipulation and massage techniques.
Painkillers can mask your symptoms, but they don’t address the root causes of the pain and may cause unpleasant side effects. Chiropractic treatment addresses the underlying issues to help you heal faster and avoid long-term problems. Seeing a chiropractor early can also help you build your compensation claim. This is because your chiropractor can create a detailed report of your injuries and how they have impacted your life.
Reduced Pain
A car accident can cause muscle, ligament, and nerve pain. Many people rely on prescription painkillers to reduce the discomfort, but these drugs have harmful side effects and only mask the problem rather than heal it. Seeing a chiropractor instead allows you to reduce the pain without needing medication, and it can help you recover much faster.
Chiropractic treatment can also help you get better quality sleep. This is important because the body repairs itself and regenerates cells during sleep. The healing process can be slowed without enough sleep, and you may suffer from long-term pain or injury.
Chiropractic treatments can help you avoid scar tissue build-up that limits the movement of muscles and tendons. If left untreated, this scar tissue can lead to stiffness and pain. A chiropractor can help break down the scar tissue and improve blood flow to the injured area, which helps it heal faster. They may use traction techniques that stretch the spine and decompress the discs, reducing the pain.
Reduced Chances of Long-Term Problems
While some car accident injuries, such as bruising and broken bones, are easy to spot, there are also unseen injuries that can cause problems later. This includes back pain, neck stiffness, and tingling in the arms or hands. These can take hours, days, or even weeks to manifest. But if they are not treated, they can lead to chronic pain conditions. Chiropractors know how to identify these hidden injuries and can treat them effectively post-accident.
Unlike over-the-counter painkillers, chiropractic treatment can deal with the root causes of your pain and discomfort. For example, chiropractic manipulations help your body release an anti-inflammatory chemical that reduces internal swelling and pain and promotes healing. This helps your body recover faster and prevents you from becoming dependent on medication. It can also make you more flexible and improve your range of motion, decreasing the likelihood of developing future injuries. This is why it is essential to seek evaluation and treatment immediately after your crash.
