After a car crash you might be uncertain as to where you can seek treatment. It’s important to minimize recovery time from a crash by seeking chiropractic care immediately following the injury. Treatment can improve healing time, prevent further injury and decrease pain. You may even feel ok after a personal injury, but it may take a few days for you to notice escalation of pain, limited movement, or tissue damage.
1. Chiropractic Reduces Inflammation
During an auto collision, ligaments and muscles of the spine can be stretched or experience micro-tears. X-rays or MRI scans usually aren’t sophisticated enough to diagnose these kinds of injuries, but this tissue damage causes the area to become inflamed. Many times, an auto accident injury patient won’t feel much discomfort immediately after the crash, but they wake up the next morning to a stiff and painful neck. This is caused by the body’s inflammation response to these micro-lesions.
Research by Roy et al, found that chiropractic adjustments promote the body’s release of the anti-inflammatory Interleukin, an important substance created by your body that’s used to help heal acute injuries.
2. Chiropractic Treatment Restores Motion
Another problem with inflammation is that the tissues become immobile, which can slow healing to the area. Ligaments of the spine don’t get many nutrients or blood supply normally, and this becomes even more difficult when inflamed and injured.
During a chiropractic adjustment, the joints of your spine are mobilized, which helps increase blood flow and healing nutrients to the area. Rosenfeld, et al, studied time factor for receiving treatment. “Interventions were either made within 96 hours or delayed 14 days from the collision. The effects of the two interventions and the time factor on pain intensity, cervical range of motion, and sick leave were analyzed at 6 months and 3 years. Cervical range of motion at 3 years was also compared with that in matched, unexposed individuals. The results showed Pain intensity and sick leave were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced if patients received active intervention compared with standard intervention. At 3 years, only patients receiving early active intervention had a total cervical range of motion like that of matched unexposed individuals.”
3. Chiropractic Reduces Scar Tissue
Your body heals ligament, tendon, and muscle injuries by creating scar tissue. Scar tissue in an injured area is made up of the same kind of cells as the original tissue, but it’s laid down rapidly and randomly as a temporary “patch” on top of the damaged area.
If you get scar tissue in a large muscle, it can be uncomfortable for a while until you stretch it out, but it most likely won’t cause any long-term problems. Scar tissue in the ligaments of your neck or back, however, can be much more debilitating, since we can’t stretch it out ourselves. Your chiropractor focuses the adjustments on these specific vertebral joints that are fixated, effectively stretching them and breaking up the scar tissue in the joint.If you have been a victim of a car crash, call our office today to seek treatment that will enhance your recovery, decrease pain, restore mobility and get you back to doing what you enjoy. Dr. Ward Wagner has over 25 years of experience and holds advanced training from the American Chiropractic Board of Roentgenologists, Certified Examiner with the American Board of Independent Medical Examiners, Certified Impairment Rating Specialist, and Certified Spinal Decompressionist.