Don’t Forget Chiropractic Care After an Auto Accident

Accidents often happen in a flash. In the moments after the collision, most people find themselves scanning their bodies to determine whether they’ve been injured. If everything seems to be in good working order, they’re good to go, right?

Unfortunately, our first impressions after an auto accident are clouded by the adrenaline rush. Your body produces adrenaline as part of a fight-or-flight response. One of the things that adrenaline does is increase our pain threshold, so something that would normally be excruciating now barely registers. This is an evolutionary survival mechanism, but it can also mask severe injuries. Adrenaline can take hours and even days to fully wear off—and in the meantime, you might not realize how badly you’ve been hurt. That’s why attorneys always caution you not to tell the other driver that you’re uninjured—you might find out differently in a few hours.

Car accidents can lead to whiplash and other painful back and neck injuries. Chiropractic care can provide the auto injury treatment you need in Naples, FL. Read on to learn more.

WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR BACK AND NECK DURING A CAR ACCIDENT

Your seatbelt performs an important function by keeping you strapped into the car instead of being jostled around or ejected. However, this can cause your neck to violently whip forward and back. This strains the muscles and connective tissue that support your back and neck. The force of the impact, seatbelt position, impact direction and headrest position can all make a difference in the severity of your injuries.

After the accident, this impact can develop into chronic fatigue, neck and shoulder pain, back pain, soreness, headaches, jaw pain and more. You may not notice these injuries at first thanks to the adrenaline rush, but when it wears off, you might find that you hurt far worse than you initially realized.

Make sure you seek medical and chiropractic care immediately after the accident. Your doctor will treat external symptoms and look for internal injuries, while your chiropractor will take an x-ray of your spine to spot potential whiplash symptoms.

HOW CHIROPRACTIC CARE CAN HELP

Chiropractic care includes a number of different modalities—not just the satisfying “popping” adjustments that can provide instant relief. Your chiropractor will evaluate your injuries through digital motion x-rays and make recommendations. This can include manual adjustments, massage therapy, physical therapy exercises and more to readjust your spine. To help you continue this alignment, we may also make lifestyle adjustments and teach you how to improve your alignment at home as well as in the office. The idea is to provide holistic therapies that address the root of the problem—your strained muscles, ligaments and tendons—so your body is able to heal properly.

If you’ve been in a car accident and require auto injury treatment in Naples, FL, the team at Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology can help. We will work with you to develop a treatment plan—get in touch with us today to schedule your initial appointment.