November Newsletter: It's always a good idea to visit your chiropractor after an auto accident

Woman has her spine adjusted

It's Always a Good Idea to Visit Your Chiropractor After an Auto Accident

Are you dealing with a few aches and pains after a motor vehicle accident? It's not unusual to develop a few aches and pains after an accident. Luckily, a visit to your chiropractor can ease your pain and reduce your recovery time.

How Accidents Affect Your Body

Strong forces exerted on your body cause injuries during car accidents. When your car suddenly decelerates from 60 mph to 0 after hitting another car or a tree, you may be thrown against the side of the car or hit your head against the dashboard. Although your seatbelt helps protect you from serious injury, it doesn't keep your body completely still during an impact. Unfortunately, injuries occur at any speed and aren't limited to high-speed crashes.

The abrupt change in movement during a crash strains muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons and may even alter the alignment of the vertebrae in your neck and spine.

A car accident triggers your fight-or-flight response and floods your body with adrenaline, a hormone that gives you extra energy to deal with dangerous situations. Thanks to the effects of adrenaline coursing through your body, you may not feel any pain at first. A few hours or days later, you might begin to notice a nagging pain and stiffness in your neck or back.

Using Chiropractic to Combat Pain

Chiropractic treatment eases pain and stiffness and improves range of motion, mobility, and flexibility. Treatments are designed to:

  • Relieve Pain. Chiropractic treatments increase your body's output of hormones that reduce pain. Spinal manipulation, massage, and other therapies help your body release endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin, and other natural painkillers. Treatments also help reduce painful muscle spasms common after accidents.
  • Improve Spinal Alignment. Your chiropractor uses spinal manipulation to realign your spine after an accident. The treatment involves quick thrusts that move the vertebrae back into their natural position. Spinal manipulation improves circulation, relieves pain, helps your body heal, and eases pressure on joints, nerves, muscles, and soft tissues.
  • Reduce Inflammation. Inflammation helps your body repair itself after an injury, but can also lead to increased pain and stiffness if it continues for too long. Chiropractic treatments may decrease the production of cytokines, proteins that play an important role in inflammation.
  • Break Up Scar Tissue. Scars not only form from cuts in your skin, but also on tissues deep inside your body. Scar tissue can make your joints or muscles feel tight, cause pain, and limit your ability to move your body easily. Treatments like massage and soft-tissue mobilization break up scar tissue before it can make you miserable.

Whiplash and Chiropractic

Whiplash, a painful injury that affects the neck, is a common motor vehicle accident injury. During the collision, your neck whips back and forth or from side to side. The motion may cause misalignments in your vertebrae and damage tissues, muscles, and ligaments. In some cases, whiplash can injure the rubbery discs that cushion your vertebrae.

Massage, spinal manipulation, soft tissue mobilization, ultrasound, and other therapies help injured tissues heal after whiplash and relieve pain, numbness, tingling and headaches, while improving range of motion.

Although chiropractic treatment is most beneficial immediately after an accident, the therapies your doctor uses could help reduce your symptoms even it's been months or years since your accident.

A case report published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine examined the benefits of chiropractic for a patient who had been injured in an accident three years prior. After treatment, she reported improvements in pain and quality of life and was finally able to stop taking opioids.

Have you been in a car accident? Make your appointment with the chiropractor today.

Sources:

Johns Hopkins Medicine: The Science of Addiction

Journal of Chiropractic Medicine: Chiropractic Management of a Patient With Chronic Pain in a Federally Qualified Health Center: A Case Report, 6/2018

Mayo Clinic: Whiplash

Spine Universe: Whiplash: 5 Things You Should Know

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Testimonials

  • "Regular visits with Dr. Roeder have significantly reduced the frequency of migraines I have suffered and the amount of neck and shoulder pain I have lived with for years. Because of Dr. Roeder I am able to focus on my busy life again"
    S.L., San Diego
  • "This was my first encounter with a chiropractor and found the experience to be delightful, gratifying and well worth it! Instead of being given a bunch of pills and told to come back next week, the manipulation for my back and side injuries including carpal tunnel syndrome, responded very well to the treatments. Thank you, Dr. Roeder for a job well done"
    W.B., San Diego
  • "I came in originally for neck pain, but getting adjusted helped lower my blood pressure & my insulin levels too.Dr. Roeder is so thorough in her care-I never knew how much better I could feel.I no longer have to take blood pressure medicine now."
    A.W., San Diego
  • "Since meeting Dr. Roeder at a health seminar, she has changed my life, drastically-improving my health 100%. I had a wide range of symptoms, including chronic fatigue, constant and severe headaches, body aches, nausea, difficulty concentrating and I felt extremely tired and weak. She diagnosed me with having Fibromyalgia and Candida. She put me on an anti-inflammatory diet and started me on chiropractic treatment and instructed me on strength exercises. I have lost 40 lbs and feel fantastic! Whenever I eat something that sets off a symptom, I can identify the food source now. I know how to eat well and stay away from foods that cause inflammation. Had it not been for Dr. Roeder's expert care, I believe I would still be suffering from all those symptoms-- instead I feel fantastic!"
    M.O., Spring Valley
  • "My son was diagnosed at a very young age with Hyperkyphosis. The doctor told us that surgery would be his only option but we needed to wait until he got older.My husband and I were heartbroken to think about such a major surgery for our little boy.We wanted to help him anyway we could without doing surgery. We are so thrilled to say that after seeing Dr. Roeder my son's back has made a major improvement.That there is a stronger chance that he may not need surgery after all.My son is three now and he is a very active little boy and you can't even tell that he had ever had a bad back.He is able to do what all little boys do:run, jump and climb!Taking my son to Dr. Roeder was the best decision that me and my husband have made as parents.I am so happy that Dr. Roeder is part of our lives.In fact all of my extended family members are patients of her too!Thank you so much Dr. Roeder for all of your help.You have been such a positive part of our lives.You are part of our family."
    G.C., San Diego
  • "My daughter has been diagnosed with Von Willabrand's and Precocious Puberty at age 7. She had her first period at age 8, and it was for three days. The doctors said that her hormone levels were off and there wasn't any truly safe treatment. After talking to Dr. Roeder, she started chiropractic care to help her body cope better with this disorder and hopefully change her hormones. Now my daughter and I have been told by doctors at Children's Hospital that it looks like she won't be starting her period until two years from now-this will be the normal time when she should start! They told us to keep up the good work of whatever we have been doing because it seems to be working."
    J.H., San Diego
  • "I got treated for a neck and back injury that appeared to be chronic following a major car accident. I had been to chiropractors before but without much success.After seeing Dr. Roeder now though, my mobility and general feeling of well-being has greatly improved."
    C.H., San Diego
  • "Dr. Roeder was recommended by a friend and I am completely satisfied. I was having low back pain also some neck pain. My back feels better than it has in years. I feel Dr. Roeder is complete in recommending exercising and treatment!"
    M.L., San Diego
  • "I just wanted to say thank you for making me 'new' again. Also, for helping us through our tough times. You always have been nice to us and helpful when we were in your office-it was just like a second home! Every time I walked through the door I felt calm and relaxed. You always asked us how we were doing and how we have been. I thought that was very thoughtful and caring of you-especially considering that awful car accident we had been in. None of my doctors before had been as courteous as you. You have really made a bad experience into a great experience in a blink of an eye. I always loved that EVERYONE was always smiling! I wish that when I grow up I can be like you, always making people happy and feel better! Well, I think that you just made another patient happy because of your wonderful 'magic.' Oh and I know I already said this but I think I am speaking for everyone when I say: Thank you Dr. Roeder!"
    J.F., San Diego (pediatric patient)