Do you need to seek out Chiropractic Care following an automobile accident?
The answer is a resounding “yes!” Why is it so important? Why can’t you just rest and take the medications that were prescribed by your medical doctor after your auto accident? Is the insurance company going to give you a hard time about it?
The reason why chiropractic care is so important after a car accident has little to do with you being in pain (although it’s good for that too). Whiplash injuries can wreak havoc on your spine and its associated nerves. You may not be in a lot of pain immediately following the accident, but research indicates that most people will experience a bulk of their symptoms after a few days.
Once you start to feel symptoms, this is a good indicator that that a soft-tissue injury has occurred. You are likely experiencing a sprain/strain kind of injury. Sprain and strain injuries don’t sound horrible, but they are really describing tears of various tissues in your body which occur following an accident. The severity of the tear will indicate the type of treatment you should probably consider first. The chiropractor can help make the determination.
Eventually, your body will heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue is more sensitive than the previously uninjured tissue that you had within you before. Once scar tissue sets up (this takes about 3 weeks following the trauma), it will become increasingly difficult to get you back to your pre-accident state. Receiving some chiropractic adjustments to your spine will help assure that your spine is in its best position as that scar tissue begins to form.
Another problem with scar tissue is that it is permanent and it leads to arthritis and degeneration. Do you want that?
The sooner your problem is identified and treated, the more likely you can return to pain-free living.
I went to the emergency room & received medication; so why can’t I just leave it that?
So why can’t you just rest and take the medications?
Let me answer that question with a question. Do you think medications will change the position of the bones in your spine? Do you think medication will make the long term damage of scar tissue less?
Medication will sometimes make the pain go away but it will never correct the resulting damage and scar tissue.
Your E/R visit might have ruled-out fractures or conditions which are considered a medical emergency following trauma, but it does not take care of the spinal imbalances and soft-tissue injuries that need treatment to heal properly.
In addition to the chiropractic adjustment, you can discover pro-active things that you can do at home to help your body heal as fast and well as possible.
Finally, certain auto accidents do result in disc involvement of the neck and back. Disc bulges or herniation must be identified and dealt with early on so that you don’t experience long term, chronic pain later on.
It’s always a good idea to have a chiropractic care following an auto accident. If they are honest, they will tell you the truth.