Being in an auto accident can be scary. Even minor car accidents can result in damage to the vehicle as well as injuries to the occupants. One of the common symptoms after a car accident is back pain. Other common accident injuries are soft tissue injuries and whiplash injuries, which result in neck pain.
If someone was to seek medical attention for the pain, the doctor would more than likely prescribe a muscle relaxant or pain medication. Because these just cover up symptoms, it may be better to go to a chiropractor for back pain.
Chiropractic care focuses on treating the cause of the symptoms and working with the body’s natural healing abilities, so the patient gets better and does not have lingering or chronic issues. When looking for an experienced Chiropractor after a car accident, search no further than Chiropractic Approach. Our chiropractors have the education and training necessary to treat issues related to motor vehicle accidents.
Causes of Back Pain from a Car Accident
Back pain can stem from a variety of auto accident injuries. A common injury from car crashes is a muscle sprain or strain. This occurs from the force of the collision, and it can be even worse when accident victims anticipate the crash and contract muscles to prepare for impact. This causes more injury to the muscles and associated soft tissues.
There may also be an injury to the spine. Back pain could be from herniated discs, nerve pressure, or a combination. A fracture of a back vertebra can also cause pain. A car accident chiropractor can detect the injured areas and determine the best treatment plan for maximum healing.
How a Chiropractor for Back Pain can Help
Chiropractic is a healing profession that focuses on the spine and associated nerves, ligaments, joints, and muscles. The nerves that come out of the spinal column direct everything in your body. If a spinal bone is out of place, this places pressure on the accompanying nerves, which leads to a myriad of symptoms, including pain. A car accident chiropractor is able to find these misaligned areas and move, or adjust, them back into their correct positions. This relieves nerve pressure and helps balance out the muscles.
What to Expect at a Chiropractic Visit
Some injuries from car accidents do not show up as symptoms right away. Some back pain may take hours to appear. Even if a crash victim does not have pain or other symptoms immediately after a crash, it is a good idea to schedule a chiropractic appointment, because the best chiropractor will be able to find the injured areas even without accompanying symptoms.
Exam
During the initial visit, the chiropractor will conduct a thorough exam. This includes asking about the crash and any symptoms the patient is experiencing. The chiropractor will ask about the patient’s medical history, any current medical issues and supplements or medication the patient is taking.
The exam consists of a variety of things. The chiropractor will palpate the spine and muscles, measure ranges of motion of the spine, and conduct tests to detect neurological deficiencies. Many times, the chiropractor will also take X-rays, as this helps detect problems that the chiropractor cannot see via other exam protocols.
In subsequent visits, the exam is much shorter. The chiropractor asks about symptoms and if they have gotten better, worse, or are the same, and he or she will also check the spine to see what issues are going on that particular day.
Adjustment
When seeing a chiropractor for back pain, the main part of the treatment is the spinal adjustment. Based on what the exam shows, the chiropractor may adjust multiple areas of the spine or just one. This may occur with the hands or an instrument. Most patients say the adjustment feels good, and some notice an immediate improvement in pain following the adjustment.
Additional Therapies
A car accident chiropractor will often recommend additional therapies and treatments, as these generally help the patient feel and get better faster than from just a chiropractic adjustment. The chiropractor may apply ice or heat packs to help calm spastic muscles. He or she may also perform stimulation of the muscles or nerves
A chiropractor may introduce certain exercises to help balance and strengthen the back muscles, which, in turn, helps to stabilize the spine. The chiropractor may work with the patient on these exercises during the visits or send instructions home with the patient. If disc damage is contributing to the back pain, the chiropractor may also add in some traction therapy to relieve the pressure on the spinal discs.
Scheduling of Next Adjustment
After the initial exam, the chiropractor will recommend a chiropractic treatment plan for the most effective results. Total healing generally requires multiple visits, and the chiropractor will help the patient schedule them at the proper intervals.
Length of Time Needed to Heal from Back Pain
The best chiropractor understands that just one visit is not sufficient to completely treat a personal injury, whether accident-related or not. The damage inflicted to the nerves and soft tissues take multiple treatment sessions to heal.
Visits are typically more frequent right after the accident to help with symptom relief and to get a good jump start to the healing process. Once symptoms begin to subside, and the spine and muscles achieve more stabilization, the time between visits starts to increase.
The total time necessary to heal from accident-related back pain varies from one patient to another. The length of time between the crash and the first chiropractic visit makes a difference, as, for most people, the sooner the visit the quicker the healing. Past injuries that were never treated can lengthen the healing time, and the age, overall health and spinal health of the patient are also factors.
Make an Appointment Today
If you have been in a car accident and want to see a chiropractor for back pain, we at Chiropractic Approach may be able to help. If you have never been to a chiropractor before we can answer all of your questions. Schedule an appointment today with one of our chiropractors to see if chiropractic can help you heal from crash injuries.
