Neck Pain After a Car Accident? Four Ways Your Chiropractor Can Help

​After a car accident or other sudden impact injury, the symptoms of whiplash might appear immediately, or they may develop in the days or weeks following the trauma. Understanding the symptoms and chiropractic treatment options available will help you to recover quickly and completely.
 
Taking a “wait and see” approach to the early signs of whiplash might allow your neck and spine to remain out of alignment, causing more pain and damage to surrounding muscles and tissues. Delaying treatment may also put insurance compensation at risk. If you have the symptoms, it might be time to find a chiropractor with experience in accident recovery to evaluate your injuries and recommend a treatment plan.

What Is Whiplash?
 
Whiplash is more than a strained neck. In the most common scenario, a rear-impact car accident causes high-speed forced movement of the head forward and a resulting rebound backward.1 The force applied by the sudden whipping motion damages the tissues of the neck and shocks the nervous system. Severe whiplash might also cause head injury or damage to other joints and muscles.
 
What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?
 
While severe neck pain is typical of the injury, the symptoms of whiplash cover a wide range of physical and neurological effects, including:
 

• Recurring headaches
• Low back pain
• Decreased range of motion
• Nausea and dizziness
• Arm pain, heaviness, or pins-and-needles
• Referred pain elsewhere in the body
• Blurred vision or ringing in the ears
• Memory problems and difficulty concentrating
• Anxiety or PTSD

 
Chiropractic Treatment for Whiplash
 
Chiropractic therapy is one of the most effective ways to heal from an accident. Chiropractors have a wide range of techniques to bring the neck and spine back to proper function while reducing pain during the healing process.
 

• Neck Adjustments

Also called cervical manipulation, this pressure technique aligns the neck to improve mobility and restore range of motion.
 

• Full Spine Adjustments

Also called spinal manipulation, these adjustments will restore the proper spinal alignment and prevent the vertebrae and joints from returning to the accident-forced positioning.  While you may the feel the majority of the pain in your neck, your whole body was in the vehicle and we will treat your whole spine and any affected extremities such as shoulders, knees, and wrists. 
 

• Therapeutic Massage

Massage will reduce soreness and encourage damaged muscles to heal properly.
 

• Therapeutic Exercises

These at-home stretches and resistance techniques might be recommended between chiropractic care visits.

Returning to Wellness
 
Healing after an auto accident without a chiropractor's help can be a long and painful process. The results of untreated muscle and nerve damage might impact your quality of life for years to come.
 
If you are suffering from whiplash or other traumatic injury we encourage you to find a chiropractor with the expertise to effectively support the healing process. At McCann Family Chiropractic in Maryville, WA, our staff is trained in the best treatments to get you back to optimal health. Call us for an initial exam and get back on the road to wellness today!
 
Sources:

1. https://www.acatoday.org/Patients/Health-Wellness-Information/Neck-Pain-and-Chiropractic

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