Whiplash
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries to occur after a car accident, especially when involved in a rear-impact collision At impact, your head will bend backward and then “whip” forward seriously damaging the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints in the neck, upper and lower back, and lead to a lot of problems. Signs of whiplash can include:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Loss of range of motion in the neck
- Headaches
- Tingling and numbness in the arms
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Ringing in the ears
- Sleep disturbances
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Depression
Chiropractic treatment for whiplash will help to decrease inflammation, correct spinal structure, strengthen damaged soft tissue, and speed up recovery by optimizing the nervous system. This will also help protect you from future injuries.
Low Back Pain
Back pain after a car accident can be the result of whiplash, sprains and strains, spinal disc damage, and joint injuries. The force of the impact can cause hypermobility or tear the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the lower back. This can lead to muscle tension, spasms, and leaves the spine unstabilized.
The impact can also damage or displace one or more of your spinal discs. Your discs sit between each vertebra and act as a shock absorber with a rigid fibrous exterior and a gelatinous center. If the exterior tears and the inner, jelly-like nucleus leaks into the spinal canal it can irritate the nerves causing intense pain and disruption to the nervous system.
If your spine is affected the only thing that is going to help fix it is chiropractic, you can’t medicate away a musculoskeletal issue. If these problems aren’t fixed it can lead to degeneration which has no cure.
Shoulder Pain
Your shoulder is the most mobile joint in your body. They are required for a variety of functions and it is that unique range of motion and mobility that makes them delicate and susceptible to injury. Shoulder pain after a car accident could be a symptom of a rotator cuff tear, shoulder impingement, or a fracture.
There are actually three joints that make up the shoulder – glenohumeral, AC, and SC. Joint restriction and misalignment can occur at any of these joints, and chiropractors are trained to adjust these joints to provide pain relief and restore motion and function. It is common for people with shoulder pain to also experience neck or upper back pain, so we take a global approach to any shoulder issue and make sure that the areas around your shoulder are functioning well, too.
Knee Pain
The knee is made up of several different bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. All of these must function properly in order for the knee to work. Common knee injuries after a car accident are a torn meniscus, knee fracture, torn ACL, or an MCL tear. Bones can break, joints can hyper-extend, ligaments can tear, and muscles can be torn and bruised. Ignoring a knee injury can have repercussions on other parts of the body. Many people with chronic knee injuries develop lower back pain as their body compensates to take pressure off of the injured knee.
Chiropractors are able to gently manipulate the knee joint to allow improved range of motion and decrease pain. It is also possible that the knee is not functioning properly because the muscles that support and move the knee aren’t working properly. The nerves that control these muscles originate in the lumbar spine, and if there is subluxation present that is affecting how the nerves are working, then this too needs to be addressed.
Concussion
A concussion is a brain injury that is caused by a blow to the head or a violent shaking of the head and body. It can occur with or without loss of consciousness and it can lead to temporary cognitive symptoms like:
- Headache
- Confusion
- Lack of coordination
- Memory loss
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Ringing in the ears
- Sleepiness
- Excessive fatigue
There is no specific cure for a concussion, other than resting and restricting activities to allow the brain to recover, but when there is a concussion there are almost always issues found in the cervical spine. Chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue work are two of the best treatment options for a concussion as they can work to correct damage to the cervical spine.
Neck Pain
Neck pain is the most common complaint after a car accident. Even in low-speed collisions the neck and cervical spine can be injured. In order to limit the risk of chronic neck pain or other long-term issues, it’s crucial to see a chiropractor quickly after a car accident.
Many times, neck pain is due to a condition called subluxation. Subluxation occurs when a bone or section of the spine shifts out of its normal position. This causes pressure and irritation to nerves and affects how well your spine is able to move. If subluxations are not corrected, over time they can cause degeneration to the joints and lead to arthritis. Specific adjustments to the spine will remove pressure from the nerves and allow the joints to move easier. Correcting subluxations will also restore function to the nerves which will speed healing and allow the body to work at its best. If the root cause of your problem is coming from a subluxation in the cervical spine, you will continue to have symptoms until it is addressed. That is why chiropractic is so crucial to eliminating neck pain.
