According to the American auto insurance industry, the average American will be involved in three to four auto accidents in their lifetime. If you drive during rush hour or at night, your chances go up.

In today’s culture of technical advancement and constant cell phone usage, distracted driving is unfortunately the norm. Whether it’s talking, texting, checking social media, or even just using Google maps — people in cars are easily and often distracted by their phones.

Nine people in the U.S. are killed every single day by a distracted driver, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

With these odds, chances are those of you reading this right now have already been involved in an auto accident at some point in your life. I don’t need to tell you of the physical toll and repercussions of being in a car crash.

Many folks erroneously believe being involved in a mild “fender bender” shouldn’t cause a debilitating injury. What they may not realize is that even low speed collisions can result in whiplash, headaches, neck and back injury and chronic pain.

Treating chronic pain

Oftentimes victims of auto accidents assume their aches and pains will go away. When they don’t… they don’t know where to turn. Doctors often prescribe muscle relaxers and pain meds. Also these may help, they can just be a temporary pain cover-up without a long-term solution.

Visiting a chiropractor for professional chiropractic care is always one of the first things you should do. These healthcare professionals specialize in treating many of the most common automobile accident-related injuries.

This can include neck and back injuries, shoulder injuries, whiplash injuries, headache, and soft tissue pain and injury. Many times, individuals who have been injured in a car accident have so much muscle pain and stiffness that they simply cannot function normally. This discomfort, on top of other injuries, can be a serious issue.

The first step on the road to recovery is to make an appointment with your chiropractor. They will most likely want to take x-rays to rule out any serious injuries in the neck or spine. You may not notice the signs or symptoms of this type of injury, so it is important that you consider x-rays.

whiplash and xrays

Whiplash

You may also be suffering from headaches, pain or general discomfort as a result of a whiplash-related injury. Some individuals experience indicators of whiplash injuries right away. These include blurred vision, headaches, shoulder pain, dizziness, reduced range-of-motion and arm pain.

Whiplash can also result in minor back injuries, muscle injuries, ligament problems and disc damage. Other individuals may not experience any serious injuries right away and may think they are just “stiff” or “sore” after the accident, when serious injuries could be forming.

If left untreated, these issues can go on to cause other additional serious health problems. In fact, you may not think you have been injured after a car accident, and then start to experience discomfort or headaches several months after the fact. This is why you should always be evaluated by a chiropractor, even if you think there may not be a serious injury.

Best chance for quick recovery

When you treat an auto-accident related injury right away, you have the best chance at a quick and full recovery. Chiropractors can help relieve pain and provide exercises to help injuries heal. They can also give you nutritional advice that can also help with the healing process.

Many people avoid going to a chiropractor because of financial concerns. Rest assured that at our clinic, if you are not at fault, treatment will cost you nothing out of pocket. It also will not affect your insurance rates.

No one wants to be involved in an auto accident. However, when you are it can give you great peace of mind to know that you can receive the care you need to fully recover and get back to living your life.

Have you or a loved one been in an accident? Give us a call at 435-673-1443 or stop by Dixie Chiropractic to see how we can help.