Being in a car accident often results in injuries that cause lingering pain, stiffness, headaches, and reduced mobility. While emergency medical treatment is critical right after a collision, chiropractic care is highly recommended for resolving auto accident injuries fully.
Gentle chiropractic adjustments, massage, mobility exercises, and other treatments relieve pain, promote healing, and help restore normal function after crash injuries. This allows victims in the Greenwood Village, Centennial, and Littleton areas recover mobility and quality of life.
Whiplash Injuries Respond Well to Chiropractic Treatments
One of the most common injuries in rear-end collisions is whiplash. This neck injury occurs from the head jolting backward then forward suddenly, stretching neck tissues beyond their normal range. Chiropractors treat whiplash effectively through:
- Chiropractic adjustments – Highly specific spinal manipulations realign vertebrae and improve overall neck mobility. This also takes direct pressure off pinched nerves.
- Soft tissue therapies – Massage, trigger point therapy, and instrument-assisted tissue mobilization techniques relax injured neck muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
- Cold laser therapy – Laser light decreases inflammation and swelling in damaged neck tissues to accelerate healing.
- Interferential current – This electrical stimulation therapy also reduces painful inflammation.
- Neck traction - Gentle, sustained pulling decompresses irritated nerves and separates vertebrae.
With a combination of these hands-on approaches, most whiplash cases fully resolve within 6 to 12 weeks of chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic Adjustments Relieve Back Pain From Auto Collisions
Back injuries frequently result from the violent jolts and twisting forces involved in car accidents. Chiropractors address back pain stemming from:
- Bulging, herniated, or slipped discs
- Compression fractures of vertebrae
- Sprains of facet joints between vertebrae
- Lumbar sprains and strains
Back pain relief comes from:
- Chiropractic spinal manipulations to take pressure off compressed nerve roots
- Flexion-distraction technique to gently mobilize injured discs and facet joints
- Manual spinal traction to reduce herniations
- Electrical muscle stimulation to relax spasms, increase circulation, and ease soreness
- Massage and heat therapy to loosen strained back muscles
With customized chiropractic care, most post-accident back pain significantly improves within 1 to 2 months.
Chiropractic Treatment for Accident-Related Headaches
Headaches after collisions often result from neck injuries as well as concussions. Chiropractic helps resolve multiple types of accident headaches including:
- Cervicogenic headaches originating from injured neck structures
- Tension headaches from prolonged neck and shoulder muscle contractions
- Migraines exacerbated by neck/spine misalignments
- Post-concussion headaches
Chiropractic adjustments realign the upper neck and shoulders to reduce headaches triggered by local structure dysfunction. Soft tissue therapies like trigger point release relax tight headache-causing muscles.
Together with headache exercises, nutritional support, and stress reduction, chiropractic care helps diminish headache frequency and intensity in the weeks following auto accidents.
Why Chiropractic Is Crucial After Car Accidents
Seeing a chiropractor promptly after any auto collision provides important benefits beyond just pain relief:
- Finding and documenting injuries missed by ERs before symptoms worsen
- Relieving muscle spasms before they worsen into chronic pain and spasticity
- Restoring mobility early to avoid improper compensatory movements
- Preventing scar tissue formations through proper soft tissue care
- Maintaining proper neurological signaling between the spine and body
- Starting rehab exercises to strengthen injured areas sooner
- Reducing chances of developing chronic conditions like arthritis later
Thorough chiropractic care shortly after accidents equates to better long-term recovery outcomes.
When to Start Chiropractic Treatment After an Auto Injury
Ideally, accident victims should have a chiropractic evaluation within days or at most a few weeks after their collision. The longer treatment is postponed, the more difficult it becomes to resolve accumulated dysfunction and damage.
Seeing a chiropractor right away even before pain starts also documents initial health status. Having problems like spine health, range of motion, and neurological function documented early protects injury victims if legal proceedings arise later.
While starting care immediately after an accident is best, chronic issues can still improve with chiropractic at any point.
How Chiropractors Assess Injuries from Auto Accidents
Chiropractors conduct detailed evaluations using approaches that uncover the true extent of accident injuries. These include:
- Palpation – Chiropractors manually feel for areas of swelling, muscle spasms, and misalignment around the spine and extremities.
- Range of motion tests – Testing how far you can move in different directions identifies restricted mobility signaling injuries.
- Orthopedic testing – Specific tests pinpoint ligament, tendon, and muscle tears plus nerve damage.
- Posture analysis – Standing, sitting, and walking postural changes like tilting or favoring reveal locations of injuries.
- Injury documentation – Descriptions, diagrams, photos, and videos precisely capture accident-related damage.
- Advanced imaging – MRI, x-ray, CT scans, and ultrasound diagnose soft tissue injuries and fractures.
Based on these comprehensive diagnostics, chiropractors design customized, integrated treatment plans.
Chiropractic Care Speeds Accident Injury Healing
The hands-on techniques chiropractors use promote faster healing by:
- Increasing circulation to bring oxygenated blood and nutrients to damaged areas.
- Improving nerve signaling between the injury sites and the brain.
- Reducing inflammatory chemicals that delay tissue repair.
- Gently stretching injured muscles and joints to enhance flexibility.
- Restoring optimal biomechanical movements so you move properly during daily activities.
- Relaxing muscle guarding and spasms that hinder blood flow.
This facilitates the body's natural restorative processes so injuries mend quicker.
Chiropractic Treatments are Drug-Free and Non-Invasive
A major perk of chiropractic care is providing pain relief and improved function without medications, shots, or surgery. Chiropractic techniques are all non-invasive, including:
- Gentle hand-guided joint manipulations
- Massage and muscular releases
- Flexion distraction and traction
- Acupuncture
- Electrical stimulation
- Therapeutic exercises
This is especially helpful for the many patients wanting to avoid pain medication risks like addiction.
How Chiropractors Help Manage Pain After Accidents
Though chiropractic focuses on correcting underlying dysfunction, providers also offer natural pain management support:
- Chiropractic adjustments release endorphins, the body's natural pain-relieving chemicals.
- Soft tissue methods reduce local areas of inflammation causing pain.
- Stretches and exercises improve mobility and decrease stiffness.
- Cold laser therapy disrupts pain signals on a cellular level.
- Lifestyle advice includes managing pain through diet, sleep, and stress reduction.
- Referrals are made to specialty pain clinics if additional care is needed.
Chiropractors help auto injury victims restore quality of life by keeping pain to a minimum while healing progresses.
Questions to Ask When Selecting a Post-Accident Chiropractor
Not all chiropractors have advanced expertise specifically treating auto injuries. It's worth asking:
- How long have you been in practice treating accident victims? Look for 10+ years experience.
- What continuing education do you have in whiplash, concussion, and soft tissue injuries? Advanced designations indicate extensive training.
- What diagnostic equipment do you use to assess auto injuries? You want a full suite of assessment tools.
- Do you use customized treatment protocols? Adjustments shouldn't be one-size-fits-all.
- How do you coordinate care with other providers like medical doctors and physical therapists? Collaboration is key.
- Can you provide referrals to past auto injury patients? Speaking with them offers helpful insights.
Take time to find an experienced, reputable chiropractor you trust to guide your post-accident recovery.
Why Chiropractic Care is a Smart Choice After an Auto Collision
Don't wait to seek chiropractic treatment after being in a traffic crash. The specialized skills of chiropractors complement medical care to resolve the source of your pain and get you feeling like yourself again:
- Hands-on chiropractic adjustments bring your body back into proper alignment.
- Physical therapy-like treatments relax injured muscles and reduce inflammation.
- You're able to move freely and comfortably again.
- Your energy, sleep, and mood improve.
- You get back to work, family, and the activities you enjoy.
- Your health is protected years down the road by addressing issues now.
Chiropractic care truly facilitates healing on all levels after auto collision injuries.
Let Greenwood Village Chiropractor Get You Back on the Road to Recovery
Dr. Leach at Greenwood Village Chiropractor understands the unique dynamics of auto collision injuries, having treated hundreds of accident victims over his 25+ year career. He offers cutting-edge diagnostic technology combined with customized hands-on treatments to resolve your post-accident pain and dysfunction.
If you live or work in Greenwood Village, Centennial, or Littleton and were injured in a car crash, call Dr. Leach today. He will carefully assess your condition and create a treatment plan tailored to your needs. Get expert care resulting in your optimal health and wellness recovery.