Car accidents are somewhat a common occurrence all around the world. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, about 13 car accidents occur in the US every minute. In California alone, 200,000 automobile accidents occur every year, resulting in injuries of varying severities; 3000 of these accidents result in fatalities. Statistically, you have a 1 in 366 chance of being in an accident for every 1000 miles you spend on the road.
This is why it is important to know what you should do if you find yourself in such an unfortunate situation. If you find yourself injured in a car accident, your first step should be to seek medical attention. A doctor can assess your condition and give you the treatment you need. Occasionally, the survivor of a car accident walks away with only a few cuts and bruises, thinking they do not need medical help. However, sometimes, the injuries sustained are invisible to the eye and can start causing you pain and discomfort hours or days after the accident.
They can lead to lifelong medical conditions and chronic pain if left unattended. Sometimes, survivors complain of pain and discomfort even with prompt medical aid. Whiplash injuries are the most common invisible injury survivors of car accidents suffer. If your doctor diagnoses you with a whiplash injury, it is advised to seek chiropractic care at a facility like Yuba City car accident chiropractor within the initial 72 hours.
Here’s why.
Non-Invasive and Drug-Free Treatment
Using medicines to treat pain only provides temporary relief and does nothing to address the underlying cause of the pain. Moreover, if taken for a long time, medicines can adversely affect your health and cause digestive issues and kidney or liver damage.
On the other hand, chiropractic care addresses the root cause of the pain without the side effects of medicines and risks of surgeries. It is the most non-invasive of techniques and is best suited to people who want to find relief without resorting to medications.
Relieves Pain
Survivors of accidents often complain of pain in their necks. This type of localized pain can be addressed through chiropractic care, as demonstrated by research. Some patients complain of more widespread pain after being in a car accident, especially in cases where the original injury was not treated on time.
Chiropractic care is said to boost pain-reducing hormones in the body, which helps alleviate the pain patients experience. This method of pain relief is just as effective as pain medications but without all the side effects. Click here if you want to book a online consultation.
Diminishes Scar Tissue
After an injury, scar tissue is created by the body when it heals muscles and tendons. It is laid down quickly and haphazardly over the injured tissue to patch it up. When scar tissue forms in a large muscle, it can lead to discomfort that shows up in physical markings as you stretch that muscle.
However, scar tissue in the ligaments of your neck and back can lead to a lot of pain as those areas cannot be stretched. Chiropractic adjustments can help break down the scar tissue in these areas by effectively stretching the muscles, slowly bringing an end to the discomfort.
Reduces Inflammation
Auto accidents can lead to micro-tears in your muscles and ligaments. X-ray images and MRI scans are unable to see these injuries, so they usually go undetected. In time, the damage to the tissues can cause the area to become inflamed, leading to stiffness and pain. A 2010 study demonstrated that chiropractic adjustments could lead the body to release IL-6 (anti-inflammatory Interleukin 6), which helps fight inflammation and its symptoms.
Restores Motion and Lessens Stress
Inflammation can cause the tissue to become immobile, slowing the healing of the affected area. The supply of blood and nutrients to the area is also negatively affected. Chiropractic adjustments mobilize your joints, increasing the blood flow to the area and speeding up the physical healing process. A car crash is a traumatic event that can also lead to stress as the body’s fight or flight response is triggered.
Over time, this stress can be exacerbated by pain and discomfort, further slowing your recovery. However, patients who receive chiropractic care have been observed to have reduced activity in the parts of the brain responsible for processing pain and stress. They have much lower levels of cortisol, indicating lower levels of stress. This helps them heal much more quickly and avoid the risk of developing chronic pain.
Conclusion
Cars are becoming increasingly modern and comfortable every day, but car accidents remain a considerable risk to everyone. Injuries suffered in a car accident should be promptly treated by doctors or pain management professionals, and tests should be conducted to identify invisible injuries sustained. After medical care, it is advisable to see a chiropractor, especially if you are suffering from whiplash injuries. Chiropractic care is a non-invasive treatment that does not require you to take medicines.
It helps alleviate local and generalized pain in the body. Scar tissue in the muscle can be treated by a chiropractor, alleviating the discomfort that comes with it. Chiropractic adjustments can reduce inflammation in your muscles caused by micro-tears and restore their motion. Most importantly, it can decrease the cortisol level, the stress hormone, in your blood, helping you recover from your ordeal much more quickly.
