When you’re involved in a car accident, whether it’s a major collision or a minor fender bender, it’s possible to sustain injuries that may not be apparent immediately following the incident. Since collision-induced injuries don’t always cause pain right away, you might feel totally fine following the accident, only to later develop serious pain or mobility impairments in your neck, back, or appendages.
At Bomberg Chiropractic, auto accident care is one of our specialties because we understand how impactful accident-related joint and soft-tissue trauma can be over the long term. In this blog, we’re breaking down several important reasons you should seriously consider visiting a chiropractor after a car accident.
Chiropractic Care Can Provide Immediate Pain Relief
If you’re dealing with stiffness or pain following an auto accident, prompt chiropractic care can help alleviate your discomfort. Even a minor accident can put considerable stress on your joints and may also strain your soft tissues, which may cause pain immediately or within hours of the incident.
By adjusting the spine and treating its supporting soft tissues, a chiropractor can provide soothing relief for many kinds of accident-related issues, including:
● Headaches
● Neck pain
● Low back pain
● Reduced range of motion in the neck, back, shoulders, knees, etc.
● Nerve pain, both isolated and radiating
Although adrenaline can prevent discomfort from coming on full force right after a collision, when that adrenaline subsides, pain may become very apparent. For many people, the morning after a car accident is when discomfort really starts to become noticeable. Seeing a chiropractor for treatment as soon as possible after the incident can help ensure you’re able to continue with your normal daily routine.
A Chiropractor Can Identify Injuries You May Not Be Aware Of
One of the most common car accident-induced injuries is whiplash, but unfortunately, symptoms of this particular injury often take days or even weeks to appear.
Although you might feel fine immediately after an accident, the sudden force of even a minor collision can easily strain the muscles in your neck and back. Without prompt treatment, those muscles can stiffen up, causing considerable pain and mobility impairment in the days and weeks after the collision.
That’s where chiropractic care can be incredibly beneficial. Chiropractors are experts at treating many types of soft-tissue injuries, including whiplash and other strains and sprains. Getting a comprehensive chiropractic exam immediately after a collision will allow your provider to identify subtle signs of an injury even if it isn’t yet painful.
Detecting those minor issues as early as possible and beginning the treatment process promptly will help prevent collision-related injuries from progressing.
Getting an Immediate Evaluation Is Crucial for Insurance Purposes
If you’re ever involved in a collision caused by another driver’s negligence, you might end up needing to take legal action against the other party. If you sustain a serious injury, you may require long-term treatment, which the at-fault driver’s insurance company will need to compensate you for.
But in order to get the compensation you’re entitled to, you must prove your injuries were indeed caused by the collision, and you must do so within a specific timeframe. The only way to get that proof is to work with a medical provider — like a chiropractor — who can diagnose your injuries, determine their source, and recommend an effective course of treatment.
Seeing a chiropractor after a car accident for a full exam is one of the best ways to document any potential injuries that may have resulted from the collision. An x-ray and a physical exam will allow your chiropractor to determine areas of concern and note those concerns in your medical records.
Chiropractic Care Can Preserve or Improve Your Range of Motion
Auto accidents can easily cause microtears in your soft tissues, which may not be readily apparent immediately after a car crash. But in the days following the incident, those microtears can become seriously inflamed and painful and may cause considerable stiffness that results in minor to moderate mobility impairments.
Seeing a chiropractor for treatment right after an accident can help you address soft tissue problems that can negatively impact your range of motion over the long term.
For Your Personal Peace of Mind
Getting a thorough physical exam after an auto accident is the only way to know for sure whether you may have sustained an injury that could get worse over time. While some people walk away from a major collision with nary a scratch, others suffer seriously impactful injuries caused by minor collisions.
Even if you don’t plan to file a personal injury claim, seeing a chiropractor for an exam and an adjustment after a car accident can give you peace of mind. Understanding the extent of any injuries you may have sustained can help you and your provider create a plan for treating those issues and preventing further complications over the long term.
Get Expert Chiropractic Care at Bomberg Chiropractic in New Hope, MN
Whether you were recently involved in a collision or need treatment for collision-related injuries you sustained in the past, our team at Bomberg Chiropractic can get you on the road to recovery. To get started or learn more about how we can help, please don’t hesitate to call our New Hope office at 763-450-1755 or schedule an appointment online.