What an Auto Injury Chiropractor Looks For After Trauma

We know that addressing everything that must be dealt with while picking up the pieces of the lives of auto accident victims is difficult. However, if you are injured in a car collision, even if it is minor, you should see a chiropractor as soon as possible, not only for the outcome of your claim but also for your health.

After an auto accident, you may experience injuries that aren’t immediately obvious. You may have whiplash, post-traumatic headaches, neck pain, or lower back pain. Even if you feel fine after the auto accident, seeking prompt treatment from a chiropractor is essential to ensure your well-being.

Chiropractors are experts in treating soft tissue injuries and can find the source of your pain so that it can be addressed directly.  If you see a chiropractor right away rather than waiting until your symptoms are severe enough to see a doctor, your chiropractic specialist may be able to find a treatment that will speed up the recovery of injuries from an auto collision.

Below are some of the most common neck and back injuries that an injury chiropractic specialist will assess you for after a car accident, as well as their symptoms and treatment:

Whiplash

Whiplash encompasses a variety of injuries caused by the trauma endured when the head is jolted back and forth. When whiplash occurs, joints and discs can become damaged, irritating the spinal nerves and sometimes even the spinal cord itself.

To diagnose injuries such as whiplash and pain, your car wreck chiropractor will ask you to perform a series of mobility tasks to determine your range and degree of motion and assess any tenderness and pain, in addition to evaluating your reflexes and sensations. Sometimes, the vehicle collision injury chiropractors will order one or more imaging scans, including x-rays, CTs (computerized tomography), or MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging), to further assess the extent of injuries and pain.

Your auto wreck chiropractic specialist will work with you to create a comprehensive plan of action to address injuries, control pain, and restore your range of motion and daily activities.  While your doctor may prescribe pain medication to lessen the degree of pain resulting from injuries, regular exercise and physical therapy are the primary methods of treatment for whiplash. Other methods of treatment recommended by a chiropractor may include heat and cold treatment, lidocaine injections, collars, acupuncture, joint manipulation, or massage.

Herniated Disc

A herniated disc occurs when the jelly-like substance within the body disc bulges out. When this disruption presses against the nerve roots, it results in body pain, weakness, numbness, a burning sensation, or the feeling of an electrical shock.

Early treatment of a herniated disc can often be addressed with physical therapy by a chiropractic specialist for those have car accident injury. However, if the problem is left unaddressed by chiropractic care, treatment of a herniated disc may require invasive surgery. Early after herniation, there may be no discernable symptoms—or symptoms that don’t appear to be connected with the spine, such as tingling in the arms or legs. This is one of the reasons why it’s so important to be seen by a car accident chiropractor soon after experiencing trauma.

Scar Tissue

Scars on the outside of the body are obvious, but an auto accident leaves scars on the inside of the body as well as in areas where soft tissues were damaged. Like the scar tissue you can see, internal scar tissue is different in consistency and thickness, and changes over time. Even slight variations in the soft tissues between vertebrae can cause complications and pain.

An auto accident chiropractor understands the nature and tendencies of scar tissue after trauma and works to eliminate or minimize pain and further damage during and after the healing process. The goal is to help you regain a full range of motion and align the spine properly before the scarring sets in. Not doing so can lead to inhibited functionality and chronic long-term pain that is more difficult to address after the fact.

Depending on the severity of the problem, exercise, physical therapy, and chiropractic care may be suitable forms of treatment to restore you to a pain-free life. If the problem is too severe or has been left untreated for too long, NSAIDs or cortisone injections may be necessary to temporarily control pain, with surgery being the only option for permanent relief.

Why Should You Trust Our Chiropractors With Your Auto Injuries?

There’s a reason we’re trusted by so many people.

We’ve been helping people recover and return to normalcy after experiencing auto injuries for years. Our chiropractors are highly trained and skilled at providing the best treatment for spine and neck injuries caused by auto accidents or other accidents.

If you’re looking for injury treatment from a chiropractor in Saint Paul, MN who can help you recover from your car wreck injury, look no further than McCarron Lake Chiropractic. We will work with you to create a personalized treatment plan that works for your body so that you can return to good health and live the life you want to live free of pain and discomfort.

Dr. Laura Dronen, Dr. Pamela Comes, and Dr. Jason Smith are our auto accident chiropractic team who are passionate about and specialize in helping people who have sustained an injury as a result of sudden trauma. Contact our St. Paul office at 651-489-6550. We look forward to meeting you.