You need chiropractic care for an auto accident injury

Why chiropractic care for an auto accident injury

After being involved in a car accident, most Charlotte, NC residents do the right thing – they go to a local emergency room to be checked for broken bones or life threatening injuries. Unfortunately, however, people often leave the ER unaware that they had indeed suffered an auto accident injury; traditional medical examinations, including x-rays, rarely reveal the kinds of spinal misalignments that result in soft tissue injuries and nerve sensitivity. Having been cleared for life-threatening injuries, patients should also be checked to see if they need chiropractic care for an auto accident injury.

Chiropractic care for an auto accident injury

Chiropractic care for an auto accident injury begins with a more comprehensive physical examination, observing posture, range of motion, and physical condition, and noting any movement that causes pain. Your doctor of chiropractic will check your spine, note its curvature and alignment, and feel for muscle spasms. Your neck, an area especially susceptible to auto accident injury, and your shoulder area will also be checked. In a neurological exam, your Charlotte chiropractor will test your reflexes, muscle strength, other nerve changes, and location and spread of pain.

Whiplash a common auto accident injury

The sudden forced movement of the head or neck, to the side, backward, or forward, and the resulting rebound in the opposite direction is known as whiplash. The whipping action commonly causes injuries to the surrounding and supporting tissues of the neck and head. Muscles tighten and contract, creating muscle fatigue that leads to pain and stiffness. With a more severe whiplash, injuries to the tiny joints linking spinal vertebrae, discs, ligaments, muscles, and nerve roots are typically reported. Car accidents are the most common cause of whiplash.

Have you been injured?

Have you been in an accident? Immediately following the accident, your body began to modify the way in which it moves in an attempt to continue its normal function while simultaneously protecting injured tissue. However, in order to heal properly, the body must have complete function and unrestricted movement. If your accident caused a spinal misalignment, or a minor whiplash, your spine and affected tissue need help to heal properly. Incomplete healing leaves you susceptible to recurring pain and restricted movement.

Chiropractic care is conservative care

Doctors of chiropractic are conservative care doctors; their scope of practice does not include the use of drugs or surgery. With concentrated studies in physiology that most medical doctors do not undergo, chiropractors deal with the direct relationship between fully functioning musculoskeletal and central nervous systems and overall health. If your chiropractor diagnoses a condition outside of this conservative scope, such as a neck fracture or an indication of an organic disease, rest assured you will be referred to an appropriate medical specialist. Your Charlotte chiropractor may also ask for permission to inform your medical doctor about your chiropractic treatments, to ensure your care is properly coordinated.

Chiropractic neck adjustment

The neck adjustment, also called cervical manipulation, is a mainstay of chiropractic care. An adjustment is a precise procedure applied gently to the joints of the neck, usually by hand. A neck adjustment is painless, and it improves the mobility of your spine, helping to restore normal range of motion.  It can also improve movement in adjoining muscles. Patients typically notice an improved ability to turn and tilt their head, and a reduction of pain, soreness, and stiffness following a chiropractic neck adjustment.

In addition to cervical adjustment, your personal chiropractic treatment plan may also include massage or rehabilitative exercises, mobilization, or something else.

Chiropractic care for an auto accident injury can help get you back up and running. Have you been in an accident? Contact the experienced doctors at ChiroCarolina® in Charlotte, NC, for an examination to see if you could benefit from chiropractic care for an auto accident injury.