Monday
7:30 AM - 5:45 PMTuesday
7:30 AM - 5:45 PMWednesday
7:30 AM - 5:45 PMThursday
7:30 AM - 5:45 PMFriday
7:30 AM - 5:45 PMSaturday
7:30 AM - 5:45 PMSunday
closedEver wondered how fast an auto accident can turn one's life upside down? Auto accidents are significantly more prevalent than you might think. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 42,514 deaths from motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2022. Those crashes result in various injuries, from mild to severe.
Unfortunately, even the most minor common car accident injuries can develop into chronic pain and long-term health problems. If ignored, these injuries can become complications affecting your life, mobility, and well-being.
Let’s take a look at the five most common injuries and how chiropractic care for car accidents can help manage and heal them.
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries from a car accident, often resulting from a rear-end collision. It happens when the neck is very quickly thrust forward and then back, much like a whip being cracked. The rapid motion can cause injury to the spine, muscles, and ligaments in the neck.
These are some of the symptoms of whiplash.
These symptoms will negatively affect your daily activities. You may find it hard to drive, work, or even sleep.
Chiropractors treat whiplash with specific techniques, including spinal adjustments and soft tissue therapy. Spinal adjustments will realign the spine, thus lessening tension and pressure on the neck muscles.
Massage, stretching, and soft tissue therapy relax tense muscles and support healing. These chiropractic techniques for whiplash will significantly reduce pain, increase range of motion, and accelerate recovery.
The immense force of a car accident can damage your back and spine. After experiencing a car accident, the spine is likely to misalign when the body is bumped forward and backward, ultimately causing many types of injuries.
Common back and spine injuries from a car accident include the following:
They may lead to chronic pain, reduced mobility, and difficulty performing daily activities.
Chiropractors can effectively treat back injuries using spinal adjustments and decompression therapy techniques. Spinal adjustments relieve nerve pressure by readjusting the spine properly, reducing pain and inflammation.
Decompression therapy for back injuries reverses the herniated disks that may be the root of your pain. It is done by gently stretching the spine to allow blood flow and healing into the ruptured area.
Headaches are one of the most common car accident injuries. Often, they are a symptom of traumatic brain injuries that happen as a result of the crash. It's also possible for headaches, particularly migraines, to occur due to emotional stress from the shock and trauma of being in an accident.
Symptoms of migraine include the following:
Chiropractors can treat headaches by utilizing spinal adjustments and trigger point therapy. Spinal adjustments reduce nerve tension, which is considered one of the main causes of headaches.
Trigger point therapy targets knots in muscles that develop most commonly in the neck and upper back. This could reduce the frequency and severity of headaches. This holistic approach allows you to experience long-term relief and resume daily activities, free from the burden of chronic pain.
The force of a car accident can be so tremendous it causes serious trauma to the chest, which could result in rib fractures that range from small cracks to multiple fragments. Such injuries are caused by the pressure from the collision, which causes the ribs to break.
As a result, you may feel the following symptoms:
Chiropractors treat injuries to the rib cage with gentle adjustments, laser therapy, soft tissue therapy, trigger point therapy, stretching exercises, and hot/cold therapy. Chiropractic care provides a safe and effective avenue for recovery from rib injuries without being dependent on conventional medication.
In a car accident, the knee is commonly injured due to friction when it hits the dashboard, door, and other vehicle parts. Straight impact can lead to minor bruising, sprains, and fractures, while tremendous flexion or twisting of the knee joint during a crash can result in more complicated injuries.
Chiropractic care presents a holistic approach to treating knee injuries sustained in car accidents. It aims to restore function, reduce pain, and support the body's natural healing. Chiropractors use joint mobilization and gentle techniques to realign joints and increase knee mobility for proper healing.
We also recommend exercises to strengthen the muscles around the joint, improving its stability and flexibility and helping the patient recover long-term from pain. The combination of adjustments and exercises relieves the pain, enhances the knee's function, and makes it easier and more comfortable for the patient to carry out and get involved with daily activities.
Each car accident injury discussed above can be mild or severe. Regardless of your injuries’ severity, it’s important to get treatment as soon as possible. The good thing is that chiropractic care can provide a noninvasive and effective approach to managing and recovering from these common car accident injuries.
Dr. Holly Geersen of Total Wellness Center can provide personalized chiropractic care that complements conventional treatments. Her expertise in auto accident rehabilitation helps optimize therapeutic outcomes for patients recovering from car accident injuries.
Schedule an appointment today to start your journey to recovery here at Total Wellness Center. Getting a trusted primary care provider for your whole family. Call (303)-627-7995 to schedule a visit to our clinic. You find a lot more than just five reasons to keep coming back!