How Do Salt Lake Chiropractors Help After an Auto Accident?

Though damage to your car may be the first thing you think of after an auto accident, the damage to your body may be far worse, Salt Lake Chiropractor says.

People are often surprised to find themselves suffering from pain days, weeks or even months after having had a minor auto accident such as a small rear-end collision. Obviously, if you have had a more major accident, go directly to the hospital so you can be treated for bleeding, organ damage, broken bones or other trauma. However, after any life-threatening emergencies have been treated, it is a good idea to visit a chiropractor.

Chiropractors are skilled in addressing the misalignments in the musculoskeletal system that so often happen after being involved in an auto accident, particularly misaligned vertebrae. The injury suffered by the upper part of the spine in a crash can be particularly acute, resulting in postconcussion syndrome and mild traumatic brain injuries that may keep the patient from fully healing. An auto accident can irritate nerves and cause damage to your vertebrae, tendons and ligaments supporting the spine.

The most common condition that chiropractors treat after such an event is whiplash. Whiplash from a rear-end collision (representing fully a third of all auto accident types) can cause a great amount of long-term pain. Though the introduction of mandatory safety belts has helped save lives, it can contribute to whiplash. When hit from behind, the seat belt keeps your body from being flung forward, however, there is no such restraint on your head. What first happens is that your trunk, supported by the back of your seat, jolts forward, but your unsupported head snaps back. This can cause hyperextension, tearing the muscles and ligaments in the front of your neck. Then when your car stops moving your body is flung forward, restrained by your seat belt, but there is nothing to keep your head from snapping forward, injuring the muscles and ligaments in the back of your neck.

You may not feel much pain immediately following an accident (In fact, you might not feel any at all!). This is because your body’s natural pain-killing endorphins are released when the body is injured, masking possible problems. However, you may later experience neck pain or pain radiating into the shoulder and down the arm into the hand.

Some of the symptoms you may experience after an auto accident that can be helped by chiropractic treatment are headaches, dizziness, lower back pain, neck pain and TMJ (Temporal Mandibular Joint) pain. A study in the Journal of Orthopedic Medicine found that 93% of those suffering from the effects of chronic whiplash experienced improvement with chiropractic care. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to be effective in relieving pain after an auto accident and reducing the likelihood of it becoming a chronic problem.

Author Bio:

Dr. Matt Ramirez graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Human Biology in 2004 and received his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree in 2006. He is a Salt Lake Chiropractor who specializes in auto injury recovery and rehabilitation and has enhanced and improved thousands of lives as well as treated people of all ages over the years. He is also an expert in health and wellness, massage therapy, chiropractic care, and more...