If you have recently been in a car accident, you are already aware of the pain, discomfort and potential injuries that can occur. Ranging from whiplash and neck injuries, to chronic back injury pain, a collision with another car can be hard to get through. While you should see a doctor shortly after the accident to look for any internal injuries, there isn’t much they can do aside from prescribing you pain medication. One of the best ways to overcome the pain following any car accident injuries, is by seeing a chiropractor.

Car Accident Injuries

There are many different injuries you can get following a car accident, depending on the type of collision you were in. If you were moving and got hit from the side, the injuries are much different than if you were parked and someone hit you from behind. But generally, these are the most common injuries experienced that chiropractic care can help with.

Neck Injuries – If you were hit from behind or you hit someone in front of you going at a fast pace, your head jolts forward, then back in a snapping motion. This causes severe discomfort and pain in your neck, as well as other injuries. The most common neck injuries are neck strain and whiplash, both of which are improved with regular trips to your chiropractor. More serious neck injuries include disc and cervical injuries.

Head Injuries – Head injuries include concussions, brain injuries, open and closed head injuries. They vary from mild to severe, and many of them are helped with chiropractic care. If you are experiencing chronic migraines or headaches following an accident, ask a chiropractor about the ways they can help you; it may even be from a neck injury.

Back Injuries – Possibly the most common pain resulting from an auto accident is a back injury. These also vary widely based on the type of accident and if you had any problems with your back before the accident. Potential back injuries include thoracic spine injury, fractures, disc injury, lumbar radiculopathy, sprain, strain and lumbar spine injury.

Chiropractic Care for Car Accident Injuries

One thing to keep in mind is that the extent of your injuries may not be known right away. Things like headaches, whiplash and back pain take some time to come into effect. This is partly due to shock and partly because your body hasn’t yet adjusted to the sudden movements. It can take the body some time before experiencing pain. For this reason, you need to see a doctor after your accident, even if you feel fine.

 Types of Chiropractic Care

After making an appointment with a chiropractor for your injuries, they will first ask about the accident and the type of pain you’re experiencing, including the severity and frequency. This helps them determine what type of treatments are going to be best for you. There are several different types of chiropractic treatments, including the following:

Manipulation – This is a very common type of treatment to get for injuries like neck and back injuries. Manipulation does just what it says; manipulates your muscles and tendons, in hopes of re-aligning your body to reduce pain and discomfort. This is also called an adjustment.

Manipulation Under Anesthesia – Most adjustments are done in the office without the need of numbing the area. However if you have a severe injury, you may need to get your adjustment under anesthesia. This keeps you comforted and helps if the injury is causing high amounts of pain, which makes manipulation uncomfortable.

Manual – Manual treatment is a type of massage therapy. It isn’t like traditional massage and works more on massaging your different muscles. This is typically used in combination with other treatments.

Continued Care – Chiropractors also help patients with continued care, such as in between visits. This includes showing you how to properly stretch out your muscles and recommended exercises. You shouldn’t perform rigorous exercise unless both your chiropractor and physician approve of it. Some back injuries require a period of rest before you get back into working out.

Car accident injuries are not uncommon and not all of them severe. However, if you are experiencing any type of discomfort of chronic pain, a chiropractor can help you start to feel relief.

Whiplash injuries are a common injury, but one that can cause severe and sudden pain and discomfort. Whiplash occurs when your neck goes through an acceleration and then deceleration force suddenly. It most commonly occurs after an automotive collision, but impact sports can also cause the injury. Because your head is moving backward and forward at a rapid pace, it causes your ligaments and muscles to go through an unusual range of motion. Whiplash ranges from mild to severe, with multiple treatment options.

Causes of Whiplash Injuries

Whiplash is caused by any rapid movement (usually from behind) that causes the head and neck to snap forward and backward in a swift movement. It is common in a vehicle accident when you aren’t moving or going very slow and someone from behind hits you and is driving fast. Your neck goes into hyperextension which can then cause whiplash. Cameras have found that whiplash is mainly from the rear impact of the lower bones in the neck, called the lower cervical vertebrae, to go into hyperextension.

Symptoms of Whiplash Injuries

Whiplash Injuries rarely shows signs the first few hours, but usually in the first 24 hours. This includes a headache, usually as the base of the skull, stiffness of the neck and generalized neck pain, dizziness, fatigue, and blurry vision. Moderate to severe whiplash cause ringing in the ears, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, irritability and problems sleeping. If you have weakness, tingling or numbness in your arms, pain going to the shoulders and arms or you can’t move your head without pain, seek medical attention.

Conditions Associated with Whiplash

Before discussing chiropractic care for whiplash, you should first understand the different types of medical conditions and injuries.

Neck Pain – The most common injury sustained from whiplash trauma is neck pain. The majority of people getting whiplash will have some sort of neck pain. The neck pain may between the shoulder blades, in the head and radiating across the shoulders as well. Facet joint pain seems to be the common cause of neck pain.

Headaches – Headaches are also extremely common, and caused from a combination of the neck pain and brain injury that is caused by the whiplash. All of the other injuries tend to cause pain which can then be referred to the head.

Dizziness – Many people who get whiplash injuries also experience a good amount of dizziness. Like the other medical conditions, the dizziness is caused by the cervical spine’s facet joints becoming injures, along with the brain stem being injured as well.

Lower Back Pain – You may also experience lower back pain from the impact. Approximately half of whiplash injury patients experience lower back pain as a result of rear impact accidents that cause their body to move forward, then snap back.

Chiropractic Care for Whiplash

There are multiple treatment options available for whiplash, with chiropractic care being at the top of the list. The reason so many people turn to chiropractic care is because it is an alternative form of treatment that manipulates the spine and neck to improve the condition as minimally invasive as possible.

Chiropractic care for whiplash injuries uses manipulation of the spine to improve the position of the vertebrae in the spine and restore the movement in this part of the body. For many patients, it is the best way they received recovery, often used in conjunction with physical therapy or massage therapy. Soft tissue rehabilitation may also be needed as this helps improve the ligaments, tendons, muscles, spinal discs and organs that can be affected by a whiplash injury.

Length of Recovery from whiplash

Whiplash injuries tend to heal completely in about 6-9 months. While this seems like a long time, it depends on the severity of pain experienced. You may start feeling relief from your pain within a few days or even weeks, but a full 6 months is needed for complete recovery. This is why chiropractic care is often required for continued treatments. Someone who has severe whiplash injuries will need care for a year or longer.

If you have recently been in an accident and were diagnosed with whiplash, follow your doctor’s orders, but also consider trying alternative treatments like chiropractic care. You can combine this type of treatment with others, such as medications prescribed for the pain, acupuncture, massage therapy and physical therapy. Chiropractic care helps realign your body and manipulate your spine to speed up the recovery time. If after 6 months there is no change, visit your doctor to discuss further options.