Even though you may feel fine following a car accident, you could have sustained injuries such as whiplash that may not surface for hours or even days after the crash.

Chiropractors specialize in addressing the pain and discomfort that often stems from a car accident. Even relatively minor, low-speed collisions can create long-term damage if left untreated.

Here are some reasons why visiting a chiropractor after a car accident is a good idea.

Insurance Usually Covers Your Visit

Following an accident, it’s a good idea to get checked out by a chiropractor even if you do not feel any pain.  Even if your medical insurance doesn’t cover the visit, automotive insurance probably will.

Although it is impossible to know whether your insurance company will or will not cover chiropractic visits without speaking with them, the benefits of chiropractic care are often much less expensive for insurance companies than years of prescription medication and possible surgery.

Chiropractors specialize in realigning bones that may have moved or slightly misplaced due to injury to muscles and ligaments attaching to them during your accident. Chiropractic care can help injuries to ligaments and muscles heal as best possible, leaving you with the best chance of a full recovery.

Safety

Chiropractic care is a 100% natural and noninvasive medical treatment. Professional chiropractors go through years of training and must abide by state licensing requirements to practice legally.

As long as your chiropractor is a licensed professional, there is little risk when visiting your chiropractor after an accident. Even children can benefit from a chiropractic exam following an accident.

No Medications or Potential Side Effects

The word chiropractic means “done by the hand.” It is a manual therapeutic treatment that does not rely on medication for effectiveness. Although painkillers (OTC or prescription) can provide temporary relief of symptoms caused by whiplash or other accident related injuries, chiropractic care addresses the cause instead of simply covering up the pain.

Many medications can also have adverse side effects ranging from an upset stomach to much more serious conditions. Chiropractic care eliminates the possibility of these side effects to you or members of your family who experience pain or discomfort after an accident.

Traditional Medicine May Miss an Injury

Following your accident, you may experience pain immediately. However, even if you feel fine, you may have been injured by the impact.

There could be underlying soft tissue damage that may manifest itself as a painful ailment down the road. Current x-ray technology cannot detect soft tissue injuries. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can be used, but this is expensive and often not practical if a patient is not complaining of pain.

A chiropractor can often uncover soft tissue injuries that may go unnoticed by medical doctors because of the specialized training in finding these spinal injuries and misalignments.

Less Invasive

You won’t have to worry about surgery when you visit the chiropractor. Instead of using scalpels, chiropractic professionals use the precision force of their hands to properly align joints following an automobile accident.  No patient should ever undergo surgery for a back or neck complaint without first consulting with a qualified chiropractor

Unlike conventional doctor visits which can be uncomfortable (especially if you are in pain), a visit to your chiropractor is usually an enjoyable experience and the benefits can be felt immediately.

The benefits of chiropractic care extend far beyond post-accident treatment. Studies have proven that regular chiropractic care can improve overall health and bodily function. However, if you are involved in an auto accident, a visit to your local chiropractor should be at the top of you to-do list!

Dr. Joshua McDowell

Fayetteville Accident & Injury Center

It’s always a good idea to follow up with your primary care doctor after an accident. If there is any possibility you have fractured a bone, are hemorrhaging (internally or externally), or if you hit your head, you should go to the hospital right away for further testing.

With that out of the way, your next appointment should be to your chiropractor. Chiropractic care is very beneficial after an accident and can address many post-accident symptoms in a noninvasive and safe manner.

Chiropractors can reduce pain. Automobile accidents can easily create subluxation; even from a low-speed collision. Whiplash and chronic back pain can be very uncomfortable – resulting in lost time from work and difficulty performing simple tasks.

A chiropractic evaluation and successive treatments help to realign the spinal column and most patients feel the results immediately. Unlike traditional medicine, which can take months to be effective, a visit to your chiropractor often leaves you feeling much better after a single treatment.

In addition to pain issues, car accidents can severely reduce a person’s mobility due to soreness and muscle tension. A post-accident chiropractic visit is an excellent way to restore mobility without the need for pain medications that simply mask the symptoms of soreness and injury.

Chiropractic adjustments also help to prevent further damage. Your body will be in less than optimal condition following a car crash and it is very easy to sustain further injuries. Even relatively simple tasks can put additional strain on subluxated vertebrae and lead to more serious conditions such as sciatica.

Receiving regular chiropractic adjustments alleviates symptoms and helps to prevent further injury or painful complications from occurring as a result of a car accident.

Visiting your chiropractor after a car accident should be viewed as complementary care. A chiropractor is unable to fix broken bones, internal bleeding, or head injuries that may have occurred as a result of an accident.

However, by working with your physician, a chiropractor is able to address many of the issues experienced in the days and weeks following an accident.

If you have never visited a chiropractor before, you should consider scheduling an appointment at your earliest convenience. Even if you currently are not suffering from back or joint pain, a wellness visit to your chiropractor is a simple way for the doctor to evaluate your body in its “regular” state. This makes identifying problems after an accident much easier and more accurate.

Timely chiropractic care ensures that your body will heal quickly and correctly; regardless of the severity of your accident.

Car accidents and associated injuries occur with alarming frequency every day in the United States. Back injuries are one of the most common complaints by people who have been involved in an automobile accident.

Although there are hundreds of possible injuries that can result in back pain, some of the most common injuries and potential symptoms include:

Disc Injuries

A herniated disc (sometimes called a slipped or ruptured disc) is a common back injury that can be attributed to car accidents and other traumatic events.

Discs act as cushions that protect the spinal vertebrae from each other. These discs also help to give the spine resiliency and flexibility. In a car accident, these discs can break or become deformed; destroying the cushioning abilities of the disc.

This can put pressure on nerves which results in pain, numbness, and weakness in various parts of the body influenced by the compressed nerve(s).

When a disc injury occurs in the lower back, a condition known as sciatica can occur. Characterized by shooting pain and numbness (typically in the leg), the pain associated with this condition can be debilitating.

Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord serves as the primary link between the brain and all other parts of the body. During an automobile accident, the impact can damage the fragile nerves within the spinal cord. This damage can result in chronic pain or even paralysis.

Often, spinal cord injuries are categorized as either complete (total numbness and paralysis) or incomplete (some sensation and movement remain). Spinal injuries that affect the upper part of the spine often affect the entire body while injuries of the lower back typically only affect the lower extremities.

Compression Fractures

Compression fractures are especially common in older adults involved in car accidents. Tiny cracks in the spinal column can lead to collapse and deformity of the vertebrae; permanently altering the shape and structure of the spine.

Symptoms may include breathing difficulties, pain, and poor posture. As many as 2/3 of compression fractures are not properly diagnosed as they often appear similar to symptoms typically associated with aging or arthritis.

While these injuries can be very serious, there are a variety of other back injuries that can significantly impair someone’s ability to perform even simple tasks. These injuries involve the ligaments and muscles surrounding the spine and are commonly referred to as “soft tissue injuries.”  Even in low speed collisions, soft tissue is at risk for injury.

The symptoms of these injuries may not appear right away but can result in chronic, sometimes debilitating, back pain if left untreated.

Chiropractic care is an excellent way to address the symptoms commonly associated with back injuries from car accidents.  Most people will benefit from chiropractic care to alleviate the chronic pain many patients experience after a serious back injury and the appropriate referral to other specialists should be made if necessary.