An auto accident can occur in an instant, while the long-term effects of an auto accident injury can last a lifetime. Fortunately, you can overcome many kinds of injuries by pursuing the right kind of auto accident treatment strategy, including chiropractic evaluation and adjustment as needed. Here are three critical factors in helping you secure the right kind of care for your individual needs and condition.
1. Getting Your Spine Checked ASAP
Pilots like to say that any landing they can walk away from is a good one, but don't try to apply that philosophy to a recent auto accident. Even if you feel perfectly well following a minor fender-bender, you could be harboring a spinal injury that hasn't yet made itself evident.
Low-impact collisions can convey enough force to the body to dislodge spinal components and push vertebrae out of alignment. Meanwhile, the shock of the accident can cause your body to produce massive amounts of adrenaline and other stress hormones. These substances can delay the onset of symptoms for days or weeks. As a result, you could go about your daily life without seeking treatment, doing more and more damage to your body in the process.
No matter how you feel or how well you seem to function following an auto accident, make a point of scheduling a spinal evaluation from a skilled chiropractor as soon as you can. The earlier a problem is found, the more easily it can be corrected before things get worse.
2. Correcting Any Musculoskeletal Alignment Errors
As noted above, a bump or jolt from an auto collision can force your spinal structures out of their normal positions. In some obvious (and agonizing) cases, the normal curve of the neck can be straightened out or even reversed. Herniated discs often accompany vertebral injuries. You might also sustain dislocations in your extremities or rib cage.
A musculoskeletal misalignment can cause more than just immediate, acute pain in the affected joint. If a misaligned joint structure or herniated disc pinches nerve tissue, you can develop tingling, pain, muscle weakness, or loss of feeling in your arms or legs. Your muscles may react to musculoskeletal imbalances by tightening up in painful spasms.
Chiropractic adjustments often fix these alignment errors, potentially sparing you the need for corrective surgery. Once the joints have resumed their normal positions, any muscle strain or neurological symptoms caused by your misalignment should resolve themselves.
3. Rehabilitating Damaged Tissues
It's all too common to experience torn muscles, strained tendons, or sprained ligaments in an auto accident. Don't dismiss these types of damage as lessor injuries, however. While soft tissues have the ability to heal themselves, they can sometimes do so incorrectly. For instance, excess scar tissue can gather at the injury site, trapping tissues and making movement painful.
Make sure to put soft tissue rehabilitation toward the top of your auto accident treatment agenda. Your primary care physician or chiropractor may prescribe massage therapy or physical therapy exercises to help your tissues heal properly. These techniques can boost blood flow to the injured tissues while also keeping them mobile and preventing scar tissue accumulation.
Whatever kind of auto accident back treatment, neck treatment, joint adjustment, or soft tissue rehabilitation you may need, always seek it out as soon as the dust has settled on the accident site. Once you're feeling good again and moving around as usual, you'll be glad you took the proactive approach!
For more information, reach out to companies like Aurora Chiropractic Clinic.
Share20 February 2020
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