Chiropractic Care after a Car Accident

When you’ve been involved in a car accident, the aftermath can be chaotic. And here in the Nashville Area it can happen pretty quickly. Even the most minor accident can seem confusing and frightening.  You worry about your car, making the calls to the insurance company, and exchanging information with the other driver before you even stop to think about your own health. With all of the excitement, it’s easy to miss small warning signs that you may be injured.  Some injuries may not be apparent at the moment of your accident, but will show up later that day or the next.  You may not think that a little soreness in your back or neck is that important, but missed injuries can result in chronic conditions that may take months or even years to heal, involve drugs or surgeries, and cost you a fortune to treat.  That’s why it is so important that the next call you make should be to your chiropractor to schedule an evaluation.

I Feel Fine after my car accident; Why do I Need to see a Chiropractor?

1. Injuries May not be Obvious 

Unless you have obvious signs such as broken bones, bleeding and bruising, some injuries are not easy to spot following your accident.

Whiplash is a potentially serious injury with symptoms that may take hours or even days after the initial accident to show.  These symptoms can include headaches, dizziness, soreness, and pain in the upper back and neck.  The best way to treat whiplash is if it is caught early by your chiropractor; waiting until you feel pain may already be too late.

Ignoring potential injuries can lead to long-term pain and disability.  It is important to schedule an appointment with a chiropractor immediately following your accident so you can be evaluated for possible injury and get started on a treatment plan before the injuries progress.

2. Keeps your Range of Motion Intact 

When you suffer a neck or back injury, inflammation will occur and cause you even more problems.  Essential healing blood and nutrients cannot make it to the injured tissues because of the inflammation, and the healing slows even more.

Chiropractic adjustments restore range of motion by releasing your body’s natural anti-inflammatories, and by mobilizing your spine.  This will restore your range of motion and allow your body to begin to heal naturally much faster.

3.  Stops Chronic Pain

Even what seems to be a minor injury from a car accident can lead to a painful and debilitating long-term condition if left untreated.  The symptoms of whiplash, for instance, can continue for years and become a chronic condition, leading to physical disability and pain as well as emotional anguish.

Your chiropractor will be able to diagnose and treat your injury before it can lead to a bigger problem, and will help keep chronic and painful conditions from developing.

4. Avoid Surgeries

Injuries that occur in car accidents can lead to costly and risky surgery if not caught and treated early.  A chiropractor is the best alternative to potentially life-changing surgeries and chronic pain.

A chiropractor uses non-invasive, gentle adjustments to realign the spine and joints, reducing pain and allowing your body to heal naturally.

5. Scar Tissue Reduction

After a car accident, even the most minor injuries can lead to the development of scar tissue on the muscles.  This causes extreme discomfort and stiffness.

Chiropractors can specifically target the damaged areas, breaking up scar tissue.  This allows you to feel better and heal faster than if you just let the injuries heal on their own.

6. Drug Free Pain Relief

Commonly prescribed opioids that are given after a car accident are not only addictive, they are ineffective at treating the cause of the pain.  Drugs will only mask the pain from the injury and do not heal the actual damage.

These medications can be extremely addictive.  Most people will not even be aware that they are addicted until they try to stop taking the medication and find that they can’t, or that they experience withdrawal symptoms when they try.

By addressing the injury at its source and healing it rather than just masking the pain, chiropractic therapy is the best alternative to risky medications that do not help the problem.

7. Inflammation can Complicate your Injury

Even X-Rays cannot catch some injuries, such as micro-tears in ligaments and muscles.  These unnoticeable injuries are why some people may go to bed the night of a car crash feeling all right, but wake up in unbearable pain.

A Chiropractor will use spinal manipulations that will not only realign the spinal cord, but will encourage your body to release an anti-inflammatory substance known as cytokines.  This helps your body fight inflammation and pain naturally, and allows it to heal faster.

8. Reduces Body Pain

When you have had a car accident, you may experience pain in your entire body.  Chiropractic adjustments release natural pain-reducing hormones, like oxytocin, that will ease the pain not only in your back, but throughout your entire body as well.   If you already were experiencing pain before the accident, you will find that this pain is magnified afterwards.  Your chiropractor can help you feel better quickly, using your body’s own natural pain killers.

8. Keeps your Range of Motion Intact 

When you suffer a neck or back injury, inflammation will occur and cause you even more problems.  Essential healing blood and nutrients cannot make it to the injured tissues because of the inflammation, and the healing slows even more.

Chiropractic adjustments restore range of motion by releasing your body’s natural anti-inflammatories, and by mobilizing your spine.  This will restore your range of motion and allow your body to begin to heal naturally much faster.

How will Seeing a Chiropractor Affect my Insurance Claim?

After a car accident, you will have a limited amount of time to file an injury claim.  You will need to seek medical attention immediately after the accident, or insurance companies may deny the claim.

If your accident was caused by the other driver’s negligence, their insurance company is responsible to pay for your medical treatment.  Additionally, you may be entitled to more compensation above your medical bills.

A chiropractic office will not only treat the injuries you sustained from the accident, it will also provide you with documentation required by insurance companies to ensure that your medical bills are covered.  Seeing your chiropractor immediately is the best way to protect both your health and your finances after an accident.

After your accident, you will have a list of things that you need to do.  You will be calling the insurance companies, making arrangements to have your car repaired, taking pictures of the accident, and exchanging insurance information with the other driver.  In all the excitement that follows even the most minor of accidents, don’t forget to make the most important call you can make the sake of your own health; schedule your appointment with a chiropractor as soon as you can.