Treating Back Pain After A Car Accident
Why Seek Chiropractic Treatment After A Car Accident? Even if you have no back pain or broken bones or other visible bodily damage, make sure to call your chiropractor, a professional who specializes in relieving tissue injuries to muscles, ligaments, and discs.
The Human Body Is Not Impact-Resistant At Any Speed
After an auto accident, the amount of damage to your car bears no relationship to the amount of damage to your body. You might walk away feeling great, but experience the effects of trauma weeks later. Unlike your car which may have impact-resistant bumpers that can prevent damage at five miles per hour, your body is not so lucky. A minor fender bender can knock your cervical spine out of alignment and cause back pain, neck pain, whiplash, headaches, as well as other symptoms, such as blurred vision, dizziness, forgetfulness, and sleep disturbances. An accident can also contribute to long-term spinal degeneration.
Left untreated, injuries you do not even know you have can heal with scar tissue that can lead to long-term problems. The best way to diagnose and treat the damage after a car accident is to visit a chiropractor. The chiropractor will examine you for misalignments in your vertebrae. Following up as soon as possible after an accident will not only help prevent the further damage that misalignments of the spine can cause, but also assure that the treatments are covered by insurance. Post-accident treatments are usually covered by the med pay portion of your or the other driver’s auto insurance.
What Your Chiropractor Will Look For After An Accident
What will a chiropractor do when you come in after an accident? Typical procedures include:
- He will ask for details of the crash, such as how the car was hit and the speed of impact to determine how the accident might have impacted your body. At this point, you will tell him if you feel pain and if there are particular positions that bring on the pain.
- At that point, he might use techniques such as MyoVision, which provide a surface scan of spinal muscles of the neck and back to measure muscle tension there. The scan, which shows if muscles around the spine are out of balance, helps the chiropractor plan his treatment and also serves as a record of your injuries to send to insurance companies, if needed. The doctor may perform additional scans as your treatment progresses.
- Depending on what he finds, your chiropractor may suggest a course of weekly treatments to readjust your spine. In many cases, these treatments only last for a few weeks, so you do not have to worry that visiting the doctor will commit you to months or years of adjustments. Since a major part of chiropractic philosophy is to get the patient involved in their own healing, he may suggest movements to avoid, things to do such as using ice, staying hydrated, and getting more rest, and exercises to strengthen muscles and make your back, neck, and other affected areas more flexible.
Be Sure to Seek Chiropractic Treatment After An Accident
If you have been involved in a car accident, do not risk long-term injury to your back and neck by ignoring hidden damage. Make an appointment with Raintree Medical and Chiropractic Center for an evaluation and possible treatment after an accident by calling us today at 816-623-3020 or requesting an appointment online.