After a car accident, it’s likely that your emotions and adrenaline are high, which can make it easy to overlook the symptoms of a car accident injury. This results in people leaving the scene of the accident thinking they are not injured and they end up not seeking any medical attention. However, not going to see a doctor for a checkup after a car accident can have some consequences.
Obvious injuries like broken bones, cuts and scrapes are easy to spot and to treat. However, other subtle injuries, like whiplash are not that easy to spot until the affected area starts to hurt. This is when it is recommended to seek a chiropractor.
After an automobile accident, you should seek chiropractic treatment right away. If you suffered injuries like broken bones and head trauma, then you should go to the hospital for immediate medical attention.
When Should I Seek Chiropractic Treatment?
You should visit a chiropractor as soon as possible after a car accident. Any pain after a car accident, from neck pain and shoulder pain to wrist pain and back pain is a good indication that you suffered an injury. Other symptoms to watch out for after the accident are stiffness, blurred visions and headaches which are signs of a more serious injury after a car crash.
What Other Symptoms to Look For
The most common injury reported from car accidents is whiplash – due to the body’s natural response to being jerked backwards and forwards in a sudden movement. Whiplash occurs when the body is whipped back and forth beyond the normal limits, which can cause tears in the surrounding ligaments of the affected area. Whiplash gives away to other symptoms such as:
- Neck pain
- Dizziness
- Neck stiffness
- Blurred vision
- Headaches
- Lower back pain
- Shoulder pain
- Arm pain
If you think you are suffering from whiplash based on the symptoms listed above, seek treatment immediately so that the pain does not worsen.
How Chiropractic Care Helps
The job of chiropractors is to assist victims of injuries, especially car accident injuries. They help the victims heal faster and prevent any further pain from developing. A chiropractor will work with you to target the source of your pain and through techniques such as spinal adjustments and manipulation, will try to help alleviate the pain.
Three main things that a chiropractor will help with are:
- Relieving pain: they will help the soft-tissue injuries heal at a faster rate than they would on their own.
- Promoting long-term health and healing: this treatment will help enhance flexibility, strength and long-term healing.
- Restoring mobility: this treats any stiffness and soreness in the injury that decreases mobility. Chiropractic treatments will help increase mobility in the affected areas of the body.
It is important to seek immediate medical attention following a car accident because ignoring the pain and/or symptoms can lead to potential long-term damage – which can render preventative treatments ineffective if caught too late.
