If you’ve been injured in a car accident then you might find yourself trying to decide the best treatment that is right for you. Chiropractors can treat many types of accident injuries, from car accidents to slip and fall accidents to sports accidents. And while your primary doctor may be able to treat minor injuries from such an event, you really need to see a chiropractor to determine the full extent of the damage.
An accident injury often comes with a lot of pain, and chiropractic care offers a natural, non-invasive treatment approach to help treat your injury and reduce your pain so you can get back to the daily activities you enjoy. How long should you go to the chiropractor after an accident, though?
First, How Soon After a Car Accident Should I See a Chiropractor?
If you’ve been in a car accident in Texas, you know you need to see a doctor as soon as possible. However, you may not think about visiting a chiropractor. Chiropractors are medical experts who understand neuromuscular disorders and damage to the neuromuscular system. A car accident injury chiropractor focuses on the damage that can be done to someone who has been in an auto accident. While your primary doctor may be able to treat minor injuries from such an event, you really need to see a chiropractor to determine the full extent of the damage. How soon should you see a chiropractor after your accident, though?
After a Car Accident, Arrange Chiropractic Care ASAP
You want to set up an appointment with a Texas car accident doctor as soon as you can. There are a few reasons for this. First, from a health standpoint, you want to begin treating injuries as soon as you can. Otherwise, they may get worse. Some common car accident injuries, including whiplash, may not cause symptoms right away. Some injuries may be treatable earlier on, but the longer you go without addressing them, the more difficult it may be to fully heal. In some cases, you may even have to have surgery because your body didn’t heal correctly.
The second reason to see a chiropractor as soon as you can is financial. You need to have your injuries documented and linked to the accident, especially if you’re going to have to sue for damages. The longer you wait, the easier it is for the other party to claim your injuries were not the result of the accident. It’s also possible some minor injuries will have healed if you wait too long, so the accident won’t seem as bad as it actually was.
Note, too, that laws vary from state to state. In some locations, you need to have your injuries documented by a medical professional within as little as 14 days. If you don’t, you may not be eligible for certain insurance benefits or be able to win a court case. If you went to the ER following the accident, your injuries were documented there. However, your doctor may recommend you see a chiropractor for certain injuries. You may also want to see a chiropractor if you’re in pain after the accident.
Should I See a Chiropractor After a Car Accident?
Yes! There’s a lot a chiropractor can do for you, both after an auto accident and in general. Chiropractors are trained to realign your spine and back to reduce pain and help improve your mobility. Soft-tissue injuries in the back are often a major source of pain. They can make it difficult to sit, difficult to move around, and difficult to sleep. Chiropractors can help your body heal these injuries more quickly through realignments and adjustments. Chiropractic care also doesn’t often use medications. If you’d prefer not to take prescription drugs, chiropractic care may be especially appealing.
In some cases, you may need to see a chiropractor regularly. This is typically the case if you had an injury that was not treated correctly. You may need to be realigned regularly to reduce pain and keep your mobility. On the other hand, you may only need to see a chiropractor a few times to correct a fresh injury. It all depends on where the injury is and its full extent.
Chiropractic Treatment After a Car Accident: What to Expect
When it comes to seeing a chiropractor after a car accident in Texas, there are a number of factors that go into determining a treatment plan and timeline that is best for you to experience a full recovery.
A common misconception is that chiropractors will tell you that you need to see a chiropractor multiple times a week or else you won’t be truly healed. In truth, at ProCare clinics in Texas, our chiropractors treat each person individually and will develop a treatment plan unique to your specific injuries, medical history, and more.
Common factors that go into determining your treatment plan include:
- The type of injury and whether it was recent or in the past
- The location of your injury and what body parts it affects
- The severity of your injury and pain symptoms
- Your medical history and any previous injuries to the same area
Your chiropractor will use these factors to determine how long it may take you to fully recover from your injury. The type of injury plays a significant role in the length of time you may go to the chiropractor. For example, a broken leg will require a different type of treatment and healing time than a herniated disc in your neck would, and both of these injuries would affect a 65-year-old avid golfer differently than it would a 16-year-old soccer player.
As with any type of treatment, there is no magical fix that will heal your injury overnight. Instead, it’s about finding a treatment plan and accident doctor who you trust to help you experience pain relief and true healing. Your chiropractor will discuss a treatment plan and timeline that best works for your specific type of injury and all the other factors discussed earlier.
Throughout the treatment process, your chiropractor will be able to determine how effective the treatment is and how well your body is responding and healing. Each person will have their own treatment needs and goals that are specific to them, which will help guide the process so that it is tailor-made for you.
Seeing a Chiropractor After a Car Accident: 5 Benefits
If you don’t know what to do after a car accident, it’s time to consider chiropractic care. Chiropractic care comes with many benefits, especially when it comes to treating an injury after a car wreck That’s because the treatment is always focused on how you can be healthier as a whole.
1. Treating the Underlying Issue
While back and neck pain or headaches might be what is causing you pain and discomfort, a car accident chiropractor will be dedicated to identifying and treating the underlying issue. By treating the root cause of your car accident injury symptoms, your chiropractor actually helps offer long-term relief of your symptoms.
One of the most common car accident injuries is whiplash, which affects the spine in your neck, referred to as the cervical spine. Your chiropractor will help you determine if you experienced whiplash or if it’s just a headache. Spinal injuries are common in car accidents because of how the force of impact shakes up your body. Many underlying issues of car accident injuries involve damage to the spine, as well as its supporting muscles and tissues, and nearby nerves.
2. Managing Pain More Effectively
Chiropractors use a natural, drug-free approach to effectively manage your pain symptoms after a car accident, while traditional accident doctors may prescribe medications that only temporarily mask pain symptoms and only work in the short-term.
Your car accident injury chiropractor will focus on managing your pain with long-term solutions in mind. In order to help relieve you of your pain symptoms, your chiropractor will treat the actual injury in the spine, muscles, or nerves. In addition to spinal injuries after a car accident, it is also likely that you have bruising and are experiencing sore muscles after being involved in such a shocking event.
3. Restoring Healthy Spinal Alignment
Your car accident injury chiropractor will assess how your spine has been affected by the force of impact. Spinal misalignments can occur because of a car accident, which can lead to many of your symptoms like pain and discomfort. Identifying misalignments in your spine can also help your chiropractor determine the location of the underlying issue or injury.
One type of spinal misalignment that can occur from a car accident and lead to pain is a herniated disc. When one of the discs that separate your spinal joints is jostled out of place from the force of the accident, it can put pressure on nearby nerves. This can lead to nerve pain and discomfort when your vertebrae are no longer separated effectively by the disc. A car accident injury chiropractor will look for misalignments like this and use gentle, therapeutic adjustments to restore your spine to its proper alignment.
4. Relieving Pressure on Muscles and Nerves
Chiropractors use adjustments to help restore your spine to its proper posture. Adjustments are one type of treatment option to help manage your car accident injury symptoms and also address the root cause. When your chiropractor adjusts your spine back into proper alignment, a herniated disc will no longer be putting pressure on a nearby nerve.
Spinal misalignments can also affect the muscles that support your spine. These muscles can be strained with the stress of the accident and can become stiff, tender, or even warm to the touch. Using chiropractic techniques like adjustments and therapeutic massage will help encourage the muscles that support your spine to strengthen and alleviate tension.
5. Helping Regain Lost Mobility
When you visit a car accident injury chiropractor, part of the treatment process will include helping you to regain any lost mobility due to your injury. Car accident injuries to the spine and muscles can impact your range of motion.
For example, a whiplash injury can cause pain and stiffness in your neck muscles, making it difficult to turn your head from side to side without extreme pain. Spinal adjustments, massage, stretches, and exercises with your chiropractor will help you regain any lost mobility due to your injury.
Preventative Chiropractic Care and Long-Term Wellness
Sometimes people confuse continued chiropractic care with maintenance or preventative care going forward. After you experience pain relief and heal from your initial accident injury, your chiropractor may recommend you continue regular or semi-regular visits for another period of time.
Continuing care after an injury is more about maintaining the healing and growth you’ve experienced, and also about preventing future injuries. Your chiropractor may also recommend stretches and exercises to help supplement your treatment and maintenance so you can continue to experience lasting relief.
Because chiropractic is non-invasive and drug-free, you can continue to see a chiropractor after your accident without worrying about any nasty side-effects or fear of dependency. Chiropractic care is all about improving your body’s functioning so you can experience a healthier you.
Need Chiropractic Treatment After a Car Accident? Our Team is Here to Help!
Car accident injuries can be tricky to diagnose and treat because the symptoms can take hours or even days to fully show up, so you might not realize how seriously you’ve been injured right away. Any time you’ve been in a car accident, the rule of thumb should be to schedule an appointment with a car accident injury chiropractor to get checked out, determine whether you are injured, and start on a treatment plan so you can fully heal.
If you’ve been in a car accident and are in need of chiropractic care, ProCare Medical Centers is here to assist you. Our chiropractors have years of experience in treating auto accident patients and will help you regain your mobility while eliminating your pain. Head here to find a clinic near you in Texas, or call us today to schedule a consultation. Same-day and walk-in appointments available!
