How Chiropractic Care Can Help Your Recovery from Auto Accidents

Recovering from auto accidents can be a painful and long process, even when the crash was relatively minor. Maybe you walked away without a scratch, but that doesn’t mean that you weren’t injured.

Auto accident injuries aren’t always as dramatic as they look on TV or in the news. Sometimes those injuries don’t make themselves known until hours, days or even weeks after your accident, which is why most lawyers advise you not to refuse medical treatment even if you feel fine. Car accidents can leave you with invisible injuries and chronic pain—so the sooner you get to a chiropractor in Naples, FL, the better.

HOW SEATBELTS SAVE YOUR LIFE BUT HURT YOUR SPINE

Seatbelts are now required in all 50 states because they have been proven to save lives. However, slamming into a seatbelt at even low speeds can cause serious damage to your spine, causing back and neck pain and other complications.

You’ve probably heard of the term “whiplash,” which is the injury that occurs when your spine stays in one place, but your neck and head are violently whipped back and forth or from side to side. This can cause injury to the neck, but may also affect other parts of the spine. Your discs, muscles and ligaments (the connective tissue that holds joints and cartilage together) can be torn, displaced or otherwise injured.

If left untreated, whiplash can have complications such as chronic fatigue, restricted movement of the neck, head, shoulders and spine, nerve damage and pinched nerves, insomnia and more.

CHIROPRACTIC TREATMENT FOR CAR ACCIDENTS IN NAPLES, FL

Spinal manipulation is one of the most common treatments for whiplash, but often your chiropractor will start by reducing inflammation. This can be done through heat treatment, ice packs and ultrasound, as well as gentle stretching.

When it’s time to move to spinal manipulation, you might undergo gentle thrusting techniques, which are designed to move restricted joints into place (subluxations). This technique accounts for the “popping” sound you’re probably familiar with, but it’s not the only spinal manipulation method chiropractors use. For example, you could undergo flexion distraction, where the doctor will apply a slow, firm pulsing motion to the affected discs, or instrument-assisted distraction, which uses tools to help gently reposition the spine.

Massage, trigger-point therapy, stretching, electric stimulation and soft tissue therapy are also used to treat whiplash, depending on what parts of your spine are injured and how. This typically depends on how hard your car was hit, from which direction and if you have any underlying conditions that exacerbate your whiplash injuries. Many chiropractors will use more than one modality to address your issues.

If you need auto injury treatment in Naples, FL, seeing a qualified chiropractor is a must. Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology can help you get ahead of your injuries and restore your back and neck to their previous condition, allowing you to live a pain-free life. Reach out to us today to learn more or schedule an initial consultation.