Many car accident victims are left dealing with chronic pain. This pain can have a severe impact on the victim’s quality of life. Often, the only alternatives a medical doctor will offer for chronic pain are prescription painkillers that have many dangerous side effects, including a high risk of addiction. But there is an alternative for many car accident sufferers. Chiropractic care can help alleviate pain and help with the healing of injuries, all without the use of medication.
Whiplash Injuries
One of the most common injuries a person can suffer in a crash is whiplash. This is partly due to the fact that whiplash can occur even in accidents that take place at low speeds. The most common type of crashes that result in whiplash are rear-end collisions (responsible for about half of all whiplash injuries), but it can occur in other types, as well. Approximately 300,000 victims suffer whiplash injury each year.
Whiplash occurs when the neck and head are violently jerked in back and forth motion beyond their normal limits, just like the cracking of a whip, upon impact of the vehicles in the crash. This jerking causes tears in the ligaments.
There are often no immediate symptoms of whiplash at the crash scene and many victims have no idea they are injured. Symptoms are often delayed, and it isn’t until the tears in the ligaments begin to swell that signs something is wrong began to appear. Some of these symptoms include:
- Arm pain
- Blurred vision
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Low back pain
- Neck pain
- Neck stiffness
- Reduced range of motion in the neck
- Shoulder pain
Whiplash is a soft-tissue injury and these types of injuries can take some time heal. Almost half of whiplash victims still have painful symptoms three months following the crash, while one-fourth are still suffering six months after the accident. Some victims have chronic, long-term or permanent pain. This is because there is often scarring left on the tissues as they heal. It is because of this potential scarring that it is critical to have the spine aligned before that scarring sets in, otherwise there is the risk of the loss of normal functioning and spinal degeneration.
Chiropractic treatment for whiplash can include spinal adjustments, rehabilitative exercises, and electric muscle stimulation. Benefits of chiropractic treatments include:
- Pain relief: Many car accident victims report a relief in their pain symptoms after just a few weeks of chiropractic treatments.
- Mobility restoration: The pain and stiffness from whiplash can hinder movement. Chiropractic adjustments can help restore that mobility and help obtain full range of motion before scarring on tissue begins.
- Long-term healing: When there is any kind of injury, the area of the injury is often left weaken, which makes re-injury a risk. A chiropractor can help strengthen the muscles and improve flexibility.
Resources:
Wikipedia, Chiropractic Care