Car accidents can have devastating consequences, including personal injury. While there are many treatments for car accident injuries, chiropractic care is growing in popularity. If you would like to learn more about how chiropractic care can help you, keep reading.
It May Provide Some Immediate Relief
Chiropractic care can provide some immediate pain relief after a car accident. One way is through modalities like heat, muscle stimulation, ultrasound, and massage therapy. Since the goal of these modalities is to help relax the muscles around the spine, it may provide some immediate relief. Traction is another modality, and it is used to better stretch each vertebral joint.
In other cases, chiropractic adjustments may help reduce your pain. During an adjustment, the chiropractor uses a bit of force to adjust the joint, giving it back range of motion. Ideally, you'll hear or feel a light pop as the joint adjusts. This sound is gas releasing, and it helps relieve pressure on the spine.
It Also Provides Long-Term Benefits
Chiropractic care is also great at providing long-term benefits. The leading long-term benefit is reduced pain. For example, if you experience whiplash after a rear-end collision, you may have pain, limited range of motion, headaches, and other symptoms. The sooner you start treating whiplash, the better your recovery period as you re-strengthen and re-lengthen the muscles.
If you wait, however, inflammation can worsen your pain. In addition, as the injury heals, scar tissue forms. If you start treatment immediately, there is less risk of scar tissue, but if you allow your body to heal on its own, you'll deal with more scar tissue, which can irritate muscles and joints, causing stiffness and pain.
Chiropractic Care Is a Great Complementary Medicine
Many patients choose chiropractic care in addition to other treatments because they work together well. Physical therapy, for example, is a common treatment after a car accident, especially if you have a limited range of motion and/or weakness. However, getting chiropractic treatment before your physical therapy is a great way to warm up before your therapy session.
In severe cases, you may need surgery to repair broken bones or repair damaged soft tissue. However, even after surgery, you'll probably have a limited range of motion and weakness. A chiropractor can help with range of motion and teach you exercises to strengthen your neck and back.
Your Insurance May Cover Some Costs
In many cases, you don't even need to pay for chiropractic care after a car accident. If you didn't cause the accident, the other driver's auto insurance should cover any medical bills, including chiropractic care. Make sure to work with your chiropractor to determine a car accident treatment plan to help choose a fair settlement.
If the auto insurance carrier won't cover the treatments, or the car accident was old, talk with your doctor about a referral. Many medical plans allow a certain number of chiropractic visits if your primary care physician recommends it. Depending on your insurance carrier, your doctor may have to refer you to a list of approved chiropractors, but some plans allow you to choose your own provider.
If you fear you can't get a referral from your doctor, talk with your medical insurance carrier. More and more plans are adding some chiropractic care as a covered treatment.
Don't wait to seek treatment after a car accident. Even if you don't think you have sustained a major injury, a minor ache can turn into a major problem in the future. If you would like to learn more, or if you want to schedule a chiropractic appointment, contact a provider in your area today.
Share10 March 2021
Do you remember the first day you woke up with back pain? If you are like most folks, you probably tried to write off the problem until you realized that the issue was impacting your mobility. Back pain is serious, but not everyone takes the issue seriously at first. Not only can a little back spasm make it hard to shower, walk, or even sit comfortably, but back pain can also be a symptom of a deeper problem. The goal of my blog is to educate the public about back pain, so that you know how to tell when you are really in trouble.
