When you’ve been injured in a car accident, your doctor may also recommend continued treatment and care with a chiropractor. Chiropractors are most commonly associated with treating back problems, but they actually use chiropractic techniques to treat the whole body! Plus, when it comes to car accident injuries, it is very likely that your back was somehow affected by the accident considering how the spine supports your whole body. Whether you injured your back, neck, shoulder, or knee, a car accident chiropractor can complement your treatment plan and help you heal and recover.
Benefits of Chiropractic Care
Atlanta chiropractors study and focus on the spine and how it affects the rest of the body. The body’s nervous system is actually housed inside the spine and sends messages from the brain through your nerves and all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes. When your spine and nervous system are functioning at their best, you will feel healthy and strong. However, in the event of a car accident or other type of injury, any damage or shock to your spine can cause misalignments and affect your nervous system’s ability to do its job properly.
Chiropractors use the term “misalignment” to refer to vertebrae and discs in your spine that may be out of their proper alignment. When a vertebra is even slightly out of place it can put pressure on nearby nerves. Spongy discs separate each of your vertebrae and when one of these discs is out of place it can also put pressure on a nearby nerve or cause the vertebrae to rub against one another and cause pain. Gentle adjustment techniques are used in chiropractic care to help realign the spine to its proper positioning and help relieve pressure on the nervous system so it can function.
Types of Car Accident Injuries
Unfortunately, there are so many types of car accidents and also many types of injuries as a result. The most common injuries tend to affect your head, neck, and upper body, though your legs and feet are not fully protected against injury either.
Whiplash is the most common car accident injury because the head and neck are not restrained like your upper body is by a seat belt and airbags. The force of impact in a car accident can cause your head to jerk forward and then snap backward, which can impact the vertebrae in your neck as well as the supporting muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues.
Depending on the place of impact and whether the airbags go off, your back and spine can also experience injury in a car accident in a number of ways. The force of the accident can cause your body to twist and strain against the seat belt, hurting your back muscles and spine. Even though whiplash occurs in the neck, it can also affect your back and upper body as well. Whiplash can also cause a herniated disc, which is when the disc separating two vertebrae is forced out of place and no longer provides the cushion or support.
Chiropractic Care for Neck and Back Injuries
After a car accident, your neck may be sore and stiff, especially when you try to turn your head side to side in its normal range of motion. This happens with a whiplash injury because your neck muscles were strained unexpectedly out of their normal range and may stretch or tear. When your muscles are injured and can’t support your neck like normal, it can also lead to instability in the vertebrae in your neck.
A car accident chiropractor will assess your neck and back, identify any places where your spine is misaligned, and gently adjust the vertebrae into their proper position. Your chiropractor will also treat the supporting muscles through a variety of techniques, including massage, to help restore blood flow to the area and help those muscles heal. Part of treating your whiplash or neck injury involves strengthening those muscles and helping restore flexibility and range of motion.
Chiropractic Care for Other Car Accident Injuries
Whether you have an injured rotator cuff or chronic pain, a car accident chiropractor can help. Through gentle adjustments of the spine and chiropractic treatments of supporting muscles and other soft tissues, your chiropractor will help identify areas in your body where the lines of communication have been interrupted and help restore proper functioning. Often times when your nerves are affected by an injury then your pain receptors are too. Identifying and treating misalignments in the spine can help your brain send clear messages to your body.
Multi-Specialty Approach to Treatment
Your treatment after a car accident should be unique to your injury and experience, with a team of doctors who will focus on your healing and recovery. AICA Orthopedics has a team of car accident chiropractors, orthopedic specialists, neurologists, and physical therapists who work together to provide you with the comprehensive care you deserve after a car accident. Call us today!
