Four Car Accident Injuries Handled By A Chiropractor
Getting into a car accident can be a traumatic experience that leaves a person physically and emotionally scarred. In most cases, when people get into a car accident, they are usually hospitalized if the injuries they incurred are life-threatening or too severe to allow them to resume their daily activities immediately.
However, due to the trauma inflicted on a person during the accident, it can sometimes be challenging to detect any injuries incurred right away. You see, when a person endures a horrific event such as a car accident, their nervous system can go numb, thus concealing any signs of an injury they incurred. However, after some time, when the trauma and shock subside, the car accident injuries incurred may start to show in the form of inflammation, soreness, whiplash, and sometimes hindrances in mobility.
When such signs of injury show, it is advisable to see a chiropractor immediately before the injuries worsen or become permanent. Thus, here are four car accident injuries that need the immediate attention of a chiropractor.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a neck injury resulting from the vigorous back and forth movement of the head. For instance, when a car collides with another vehicle, the force generated will make your head rapidly move forward due to inertia.
When your head gets thrust forward, the delicate muscles in your neck and upper back can get torn. Additionally, you could encounter a herniation or dislocation in the upper spine. In most cases, such injuries will not present themselves immediately after the accident due to shock. However, you might start to experience neck pains, soreness, or difficulty when turning your head after some time.
When you encounter any of the above signs of whiplash after an accident, it is advisable to see a chiropractor immediately. Alternatively, your neck pains and soreness could result from inflammation in the neck area, thus hindering your ability to turn your head and causing pain or soreness. However, a chiropractor can help alleviate the inflammation and reduce the pain or soreness, thus reinstating your full range of neck motions.
Knee Pain
During a car accident, it is common for the knees to strike the dashboard or the seats. Such an impact can result in several injuries such as dislocated kneecaps, dislocated hip bones, and sprained ligaments.
If you ignore such injuries for a long time, there is a chance they can permanently affect your ability to walk. You might heal in the long run, but you will have a limp for the rest of your life in most cases.
Thus, if you encounter any knee pain after a car accident, it is advisable to see a chiropractor as soon as possible because you never know how severe the injury is. A chiropractor will run several tests on you to determine how severe the damage is and provide the ideal treatment.
Limb Injuries
In a car accident, there are several types of limb injuries that a person can acquire. With the exclusion of fractures, some of the most common limb injuries chiropractors treat include painful ligaments and tendons, nerve damage, and bruised bones and muscles.
If you experience sharp pains in your limbs after an accident, chances are you have muscle or nerve damage. Thus, it is essential to see a chiropractor as soon as possible before the nerve or muscle damage becomes permanent. Remember, if you delay seeing a chiropractor and the nerve or muscle damage becomes permanent, there is a high likelihood you could lose mobility in the affected limb permanently.
Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal injury is perhaps the most severe car accident injury you can incur because it poses the risk of permanent paralysis that can leave you handicapped for life. A spinal cord injury can occur in the form of a disc misalignment or herniation, but in the worst-case scenario, it could be a broken backbone.
Common signs of a spinal cord injury include:
- Muscle weakness
- Involuntary muscle movements
- Paralysis in the limbs
- Loss of bowel and bladder control
If you encounter any of these symptoms after a car accident, you need to be taken to a chiropractor immediately. In most cases, depending on the type of spinal cord injury you have, a chiropractor may be able to resolve the issue and prevent you from becoming paralyzed permanently. Thus, how quickly you get to a chiropractor could determine whether or not you become disabled.
For more information, contact a chiropractor and ask about their car accident injury treatments.