If you have been in a car accident then you know just how stressful the experience can be and how you can be both physically and emotionally impacted. Many people who have been in a car accident tend to be so focused on the stress and confusion of the moment that their physical needs go unnoticed. You might even initially think you feel fine after getting in a car accident. However, any time you have been in a car accident where your car was damaged, that means your body likely sustained some damage as well. An Atlanta chiropractor can provide you with gentle chiropractic treatment for a variety of car accident injuries, the most common of which is whiplash.
It is important to seek medical treatment after a car accident, no matter how minor you think the injuries may be. Especially in the case of whiplash, you may not notice any symptoms right away. At first, adrenaline is pumping through your body as a natural reaction to the stress of such a traumatic event and it may mess with your ability to initially process any pain and discomfort you may be feeling. Additionally, signs and symptoms of whiplash can vary, making it difficult to self-diagnose or realize just how serious it may be. An Atlanta chiropractor can assess how your head, neck, and spine may have been affected by the car accident and identify the best treatment methods going forward.
Chiropractic Care for Whiplash
Chiropractic treatment offers therapeutic and non-invasive care for those who suffer from whiplash. Your Atlanta chiropractor will perform a physical examination of the neck and back to identify any spinal misalignments as well as how the supporting muscles may have been strained. They will then perform gentle adjustments to the affected areas to help realign the spine and restore proper functioning to your musculoskeletal system and nervous system.
Chiropractic techniques and treatments can vary depending on your specific whiplash injuries. Depending on the severity of the whiplash and the location of the injuries, your Atlanta chiropractor will discuss what types of therapeutic chiropractic treatment will be best for you. Because whiplash can often cause symptoms of pain and discomfort in the neck and spine, chiropractors provide a gentle approach to offering pain relief and reducing any misalignments that may contribute to the pain you are experiencing.
Whiplash Treatment and Recovery
Whiplash is an injury that can affect entire sections of the musculoskeletal system, meaning bones, muscles, and other soft tissues can be affected. It is not uncommon to experience pain, discomfort, stiffness, soreness, and even stabbing neck pain, pain in your back muscles, or even in a very specific part of your spine.
When you experience a whiplash injury due to a car accident, your upper body is generally jolted forward and backward so severely that the muscles are strained out of their normal range of motion. The sudden impact of two cars can also jostle the spine out of alignment, sometimes affecting individual discs separating and supporting vertebrae. This is what is referred to as a herniated disc and can cause a significant amount of pain and discomfort. A chiropractor can assess for both muscle damage and slipped discs, and provide gentle therapeutic adjustments to ease the pain and encourage the spine back into its proper position.
Your Atlanta chiropractor may also recommend at-home therapies to supplement your chiropractic care, especially in the days and weeks after the car accident. Your body’s reaction to the whiplash injury may include swelling in the affected muscles, which can be soothed at home with alternating ice and heat therapies in between chiropractic adjustments. Additionally, your chiropractor may recommend specific stretches and exercises to help encourage an improved range of motion in your neck and back to supplement your chiropractic care.
Continued chiropractic care is a great way to create healthy habits for the spine and its supporting muscles. Every time you visit your Atlanta chiropractor they will identify any spinal misalignments and offer gentle adjustments and therapeutic treatments that will continue to encourage your spine into more proper positioning. A healthy spinal alignment allows the nervous system to properly communicate through nerves to the rest of the body. Encouraging your muscles to support a more proper posture can also help strengthen and flex these soft tissues so they can better support your neck and spine in the future.
If you have been injured in a car accident and are experiencing neck pain and discomfort due to whiplash, don’t hesitate to schedule an adjustment with an Atlanta chiropractor today!