Imagine you’re driving on a highway, and suddenly, a distracted driver bumps into your rear, causing your body to smash into the inflated airbag on your dashboard. You seemed dizzy initially but felt okay as you stepped out of your car to check for any damage in your vehicle. After a couple of days, a massive headache started to kick in. You wonder if it’s connected to your recent accident where you felt fine. When to See a Chiropractor After a Car Accident.

Scientifically speaking, it’s probably connected, and you were in a fight-or-flight mode, which is why you felt just a little pain. Fight-or-flight syndrome is our body’s natural defensive mechanism when facing any danger. During this stage, our body releases adrenaline to fight the threat, so we feel no pain during minor accidents or flee from it, where we palpitate most of the time.

Delaying medical attention after an accident is dangerous. The fight-or-flight reaction could be masking our injuries.

When is the right time to see a medical professional, including a chiropractor, after a car accident?

In this article, we’ll take you through the importance of immediate medical attention and the common signs and symptoms of why you need it.

Understanding The Impact Of Car Accidents On The Body

Unfortunately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 42,795 traffic fatalities in 2022. Imagine the number of injuries from car accidents, which is way higher.

Meanwhile, motorists who survived the vehicular accidents, despite evading tragic endings, still experienced different pain levels in various parts of their bodies.

Here are the five common car accident injuries, their symptoms, and repercussions if left untreated.

1. Whiplash

It’s also known as a neck sprain. It’s a type of neck injury caused by sudden and impactful back-and-forth movement. Whiplash injury is common in car accidents and sports, especially in American Football and Rugby.

Most patients who suffer from this neck injury recover in a few weeks following a medical rehabilitation program. However, some experience chronic and other long-term neck-related pain.

The signs and symptoms of whiplash typically occur within days after the injury. So, having a medical assessment right after the incident is essential.

If you feel these symptoms, consult a medical practitioner immediately:

• Stiffed neck
• Pain in shoulders, upper back, or arms
• Numbness in arms
• Headache starting from the skull
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Blurred vision
• Tinnitus
• Foggy brain

If left untreated, whiplash could intensify sudden and intense headaches, less mobility not just for the neck part but for the upper body as well, and, worst case scenario, degeneration of discs.

2. Soft Tissue Injuries

The term might not be daunting as it says “soft.” But there’s more than beneath this deceiving word: skins, muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

These body parts could be easily damaged or injured during an impact or collision as they’re “soft.” Sprains in all joints, bruising on limbs and upper body, also known as contusion, tendonitis, and busted rotator cuffs, all fall under soft tissue injuries.

The signs and symptoms of soft tissue injuries are the following:

• Joint pain
• Muscle pain
• Swelling
• Discoloration of skin
• Tightness in affected muscle

If you ever played any physical or contact sports in your younger years, you might have experienced the symptoms mentioned above.

That’s the danger, however. The symptoms are so common that people tend not to treat them. But there’s a big possibility that muscle and joint pain could worsen and could lead to immobility if left unattended.

3. Back Pain

Seatbelts do save lives in car accidents. However, it’s also one of the leading causes of back pain after a strong impact or collision.

Imagine your body rapidly moving forward, and the seatbelt suddenly stops the thrusting forward motion that could result in a lumbar or lower back region fracture.

Back pain symptoms are excruciating and, most of the time, intolerable. When you feel these signs, don’t hesitate to visit a healthcare professional:

• Muscle spasms
• Muscle weakness
• Inflammation
• Swelling
• Cramping

Not consulting a doctor could result in worsening pain in the lower back and numbness and tingling sensations. Bowel and bladder problems could also occur, which signifies the severity of the injury.

4. Spinal Misalignment

In layperson’s terms, a slipped disc, herniated disc, or injury that impacts the spinal disc. It’s where the spinal disc slips out of place and puts immense pressure on the surrounding nerves, causing pain and numbness.

Like back pain, the cause of spinal misalignment is an abrupt stoppage of the body while it’s moving forward. The only difference is the impact targets the mid-spine.

A person with a slipped disc finds it challenging to stand up after a prolonged sitting. Walking becomes a struggle, too, as the pain radiates to the hips and legs.

A slipped disc patient could experience other pain aside from the spine. They also feel:

• Lower back pain
• Neck pain
• Buttocks pain
• Problems in bending and straightening the back

Severe cases of slipped discs often make the patients unable to move, whether from sitting or lying down. In some cases, patients need crutches or wheelchairs to move.

5. Concussion

We often hear the word concussion in the NFL. Aaron Hernandez, Junior Seau, and Tua Tagovailoa are just some of the many NFL players who had concussions.

But what exactly is a concussion?

A concussion is a sudden brain movement during a collision, fall, or strike in the head.

When your brain moves, it stops functioning for a little while. From here, confusion occurs, and you do not know what you’re doing.

For example, in football, the head smashes with a solid object, such as the dashboard, during a car accident.

A person who has a concussion might experience the following symptoms:

• Headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Balance problem
• Groggy
• Delayed response to questions
• Tinnitus
• Muscle weakness

Most of the patients recover from concussions. But, if left untreated, the injury can cause other cerebral problems and even death.

Broncos TE Demaryius Thomas is just one of the NFL players who passed away due to an apparent concussion, which proves that it needs to be treated ASAP.

The Role Of Chiropractic Care In Car Accident Recovery

Most people think only surgeons and other medical doctors can help treat car accident-induced injuries. However, the truth is that even alternative medicine practitioners like physical therapists and chiropractors can help ease car accident symptoms.

A medical study shows chiropractic care improves patients’ motion range after whiplash.

What Is Chiropractic Treatment?

Before we move on, let’s discuss what’s chiropractic treatment and chiropractors. Chiropractic treatment is an alternative medicine that focuses on spinal manipulation or spinal cord realignment.

It’s a type of medication fit for patients who opt not to go with prescribed medicines; instead, they choose the natural way of rehabilitating their injured bodies. A chiropractor treats conditions affecting the nervous and musculoskeletal systems, such as muscles, joints, and bones.

How Can A Chiropractor Help Treat Car Accident Patients?

Since typical car accident injuries involve pain in the muscles, bones, and joints, while chiropractors focus on these areas, they are the best option to treat or attend to car injury patients.

Chiropractors, being spinal manipulators, adjust the spinal cord with rapid movements to relieve pain. The result of high-intensity and high-speed movements of the spine is the release of anti-inflammatories that reduce pain and swelling throughout the body.

Reducing body pain and swelling is the ultimate goal of chiropractic treatment, where car accident patients can move more easily and quickly and finally return to their usual way of living.

What Are The Benefits Of Chiropractic Care?

Sometimes, medical doctors suggest continuing your rehabilitation with a chiropractor or a physical therapist after the accident. But most of the time, physicians recommend chiropractic treatment because common car accident injuries only involve the neck and the back.

Though alternative medication in nature, chiropractic treatment gives you several benefits, such as:

1. Medication-free rehabilitation

Chiropractors are not licensed to prescribe medication. Their primary approach is natural healing using manual techniques, including spinal realignment.

It’s a fact that painkillers like Ibrupufen damage the kidneys if taken for an extended period.

So, with a chiropractic approach and without any prescribed medication, you’ll be able to care for your kidneys and live a healthier and longer life.

2. Uncover other relevant injuries

We’ve discussed that a fight-or-flight adrenaline rush could mask injuries even for a long time.

Chiropractors are well-trained to spot any lingering pain based on the symptoms described by the patients.

3. Quick pain relief

Not only are chiropractors experts in uncovering hidden injuries, but they’re also experts in addressing them. Chiropractic treatment provides instant relief to patients.

You might have watched chiropractic popping sessions on YouTube, where after the crackling joint sounds, patients feel relieved in an instant. Almost all patients admit that their flexibility and mobility increased after several chiropractic sessions.

4. Cost-effective

There’s no doubt that chiropractic treatment is cheaper than surgery or medical clinic consultation. The savings could be tripled or even more.

The average medical clinic visit is between $60 and $300, depending on the physician’s credentials, whereas a regular chiropractic consultation ranges from $30 to $60.

When To See A Chiropractor?

The general rule says to seek a healthcare professional when a car accident happens. The kind of healthcare practitioner depends on the type of injury.

If there’s an open wound, a surgeon is what you need. If there are severely broken bones, you’ll probably need orthopedic assistance.

But, if the pain is only felt in the body, upper and lower back, limbs, and neck, a chiropractor will be sufficient. Even if you don’t feel pain now, it’s essential to consult a chiropractor to uncover hidden injuries, address them as soon as possible, and avoid complications.

We’ve tackled a few times that some injuries may not be immediately apparent, so seeking a healthcare professional for proper assessment is recommended.

Aside from seeking a chiropractor after the car accident, consulting with a personal injury lawyer is best to preserve your rights and get compensation for any property and physical damages.

Let a skilled injury lawyer handle your auto accident claim, guide you through the legal process, and assist you in seeking a fair settlement.

How Do You Choose The Right Chiropractor?

Now that you know what a chiropractor does and how he will help you treat your car accident injuries, it’s time to find the right chiropractic clinic.

There are three easy ways to find a reliable chiropractor:

1. Via Google

Open your Google browser and type “chiropractor near me” in the search bar. Or, type chiropractor in “your exact location” (for example, a chiropractor in Los Angeles, California) and click enter.

The good thing about a Google search is it’ll show you all possible chiropractic clinics within your area with their complete details, such as address, phone number, and even ratings and feedback from actual patients.

Not only will you see the clinics’ contact information, but you can also call them when browsing your mobile phone.

2. Zocdoc

Its website allows you to search chiropractors and other medical professionals and book medical appointments online or in person. You can visit their website https://www.zocdoc.com/chiropractors/us-family-health-plan-414m, enter your location in the search box, and click enter.

You could also input your insurance company and type of policy to view the chiropractors who accept insurance.

3. Through Yelp

Like Google Search, Yelp also displays the available chiropractors near your area. You must put “chiropractors” and “your location” in the search box before clicking the search icon button (for example, Chiropractor Los Angeles, CA, USA).

You would like Yelp’s filter features, which allow you to choose your preferred options, such as offering military discounts, having free wifi, accepting credit cards, and many more.

It’s also important to check the reviews of actual patients of chiropractors to ensure reliability and their expertise. Because at the end of the day, you only want fast relief for your injuries to live your everyday life with your family and loved ones.

Conclusion

Chiropractic treatment is a natural remedy for patients not keen on taking prescribed medicines to alleviate their injuries. Immediately seeking a healthcare professional after a car accident is necessary, whether there’s an apparent injury or none. When to See a Chiropractor After a Car Accident.

A chiropractor is the best to consult if the injury is mere body pain. Otherwise, medical doctors are the viable options. Two significant benefits of consulting with a chiropractor are uncovering the hidden injuries and addressing them instantly.

Regardless of the severity of the injury, it’s always a best practice to consult with a healthcare practitioner to prevent complications sooner or later.