Just a Few Reasons You Should See a Chiropractor After a Car Crash
If you are ever in a car crash, one of the things the police who respond, your insurance company, and your lawyer will tell you is to seek medical attention. Even if you feel fine, and do not think you were injured, it is something you should do anyway. You can go to an emergency room, a quick care, or your primary care physician, but you should also visit a chiropractor. Here are just a few reasons to do this after experiencing a motor vehicle accident injury.
Whiplash
Whiplash is an injury to your neck and back caused by a quick, hard jerking movement such as the one that happens in a car when you stop suddenly. In addition to neck and back pain, you may experience dizziness, vomiting, headaches, and tingling in your extremities. It is not always obvious and may not be caught on an initial examination. You may not realize you have been injured like this for a few days. The manipulations and massaging done by a chiropractor are very effective at alleviating the pain and other symptoms of whiplash.
Joint Issues
If any of your joints have been affected by the crash, you will probably need to undergo physical therapy during the healing process. The soft tissues in joints, like cartilage and ligaments, can tear or stretch, making them weak and unable to hold the bones and muscles in place properly. The therapy is to help you regain the use of the joint and improve its strength. However, this therapy can be painful, especially in the beginning. The therapist will push your limbs and joints to their limits. Think of how you feel after you start any exercise program and then triple the discomfort.
Seeing a chiropractor will help alleviate the pain while keeping your joints in place. In addition, you may not need to take any pain killers, or will need fewer of them, and reduce the risk of becoming dependent on them. It will speed up your recovery time without adding to the discomfort by increasing blood flow to the area.
It doesn't matter if the crash was a fender-bender or a head-on collision at high speeds, you need to have medical professionals see and tend to you. In addition to caring for you, having the proper medical documentation is important to receiving compensation from the insurance company, whether you hire a lawyer or not. You may need to see a number of different specialists on your road to recovery. A chiropractor should be on that list.