The fact you are reading this information after being involved in a car accident is a very good thing. It means you probably didn’t suffer a significant injury that forced you into the hospital. Of course, it’s very likely you are dealing with some kind of pain in your back, neck, and or joints and soft tissues.

To initially seek medical treatment for a car accident-related pain issue is probably not necessary. It’s actually something you might want to avoid if possible because doctors tend to prefer more invasive types of treatments. That would include prescription pain medication, epidural shots, and surgery when warranted.

If you are dealing with pain, it might be a good idea to start the healing process by visiting a chiropractor. Let them secure the images and offer possible treatment options. Assuming they would think chiropractic care might be the right pain/injury treatment option, you could immediately begin the treatment process.

1. Identifying Hidden Injuries

There is a school of thought that believes everyone who has been in a car accident should seek chiropractic care as a preventative measure. The reality is very few people walk away from a significant car accident with nary a scratch. The problem is some injuries are not immediately obvious.

For your peace of mind, you should let a chiropractor check you out. In the process, they can make a few adjustments as a preventative measure. If by chance they discover an injury that hasn’t yet caused pain or other health issues, it would afford you the chance to deal with a small injury issue before it turns into a big injury issue.

2. Pain Reduction

Of course, the number one (1) reason people seek help from chiropractors is to deal with pain issues. After an accident, there are two primary pain issues that could occur. The first one would be back or neck pain related to a spinal injury. The second would be muscle pain caused by torn or strained muscles and other soft tissues around the joints.

As a pain reduction ploy, chiropractors have at their disposal a full range of spine adjustment and massage techniques. Such treatment could take a few weeks to significantly reduce pain, but this is a really good non-invasive treatment option for pain reduction.

3. Avoiding Invasive Options Like Pain Medication and Surgery

If chiropractic care delivers the results you want, that’s a very good thing. That means you can avoid more invasive treatment options such as prescription pain medication, steroid epidural shots, and surgery.

You want to avoid these invasive options if possible because they each come with risk. Pain medication should only be viewed as a short-term option because of the addictive nature of opioid pain medications.

Steroid epidural shots also come with risks. First, there is no assurance that said shots will do anything to relieve pain even in the short term. Second, standard medical practices dictate that patients should not receive more than three (3) steroid epidural shots a year. Since they generally offer no more than six (6) to eight (8) weeks of pain relief at a time, that leaves a lot of time uncovered.

4. Restore range of Motion

Back, neck, and joint injuries would most likely restrict your ability to move about. It’s not fun trying to live your life when you aren’t able to stretch, bend, lift, and exercise. The good news is chiropractors have in their treatment arsenal certain kinds of adjustment and massage techniques that can be used to heal injuries that limit one’s range of motion.

5. Improve the Body’s Immune Response

If you have a lot of bumps, bruises, and scratches after a car accident, there would be a lot of healing that needs to get done. Healing is a process that is largely controlled by the immune system. That includes providing blood resources to fight off infections from bacteria. Here is how chiropractors can improve one’s immune response.

The body’s immune response is tied to the healthy flow of red and white blood cells throughout the body. Chiropractors can help improve this blood flow by removing the muscle tension and spine misalignments that interfere with free blood flow. They can remove these barriers with spinal adjustment and muscle massages.

6. Diminished the Long-Term Effects of an Injury

The faster your body starts the healing process, the less likely it would be that your pain and or injuries will turn into long-term problems. You don’t want long-term problems because they often require more aggressive and invasive treatment options.

7. Gathering Support for an Insurance Claim

At some point after the accident, someone is going to need to file an insurance claim. Whether the accident was your fault or not, you will need help gathering information about your injury and or pain issues. Chiropractors keep very detailed records about injuries and the treatment options they use to address those injuries. These records are of great value when making an insurance claim.

We hope you have found this information to be useful as you contemplate what to do about your car accident injuries or pain issues.

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