After a car accident, it can be hard to know when to visit the chiropractor. Symptoms of injuries that require chiropractic care are harder to recognize than other injuries or maladies. However, that doesn’t make it any less important. These injuries can often lead to chronic pain or bigger medical issues. We suggest seeing an Axcess Accident Center chiropractor after any car accident. Here are the top seven injury symptoms to look for whether you have recently been in an accident or not.
Neck Pain
If you have any neck pain after a car accident, see one of our chiropractors. Most neck pain is an indication of an injury, muscle tension, or misalignment of your bones or joints. These things can sometimes be dulled by pain medicine but that is not a cure. Much like putting a bandaid on a bullet hole, pain medication is not a substitute for the relief that our integrative chiropractic care can provide.
Lower Back Pain
Lower back pain can cause your bones and vertebrae in your spine to become misaligned. This often leads to pressure on muscles, joints, and nerves associated with your spinal column. This is an important symptom to treat because neglecting your lower back pain can create chronic pain. It is also a common factor in many more serious problems like soft tissue injuries. Back pain is debilitating and can limit your ability to do everyday activities. Our chiropractors have the training required to rid you of this problem as long as you come in as soon as possible. The earlier you treat back pain, the less likely it is to turn into chronic pain.
Tension Headaches
There are multiple types of headaches that chiropractor treatments can address. Tension headaches are headaches that are the result of physical or emotional stress on the body. They are headaches that have pain in the back of your head or over your eyebrows. It is also common for tension headaches to feel like a pressure build-up on either or both sides of your head.
Usually, these headaches are mild, therefore most people feel like they can function despite them. This is not a good idea — especially after a car accident. Headaches after a car accident are a serious matter because they could be signs of whiplash or a concussion. They should be addressed right away.
Migraine Headache
Migraine headaches usually affect your face and head. Most people can feel a migraine coming on before it actually hits them. This aura is followed by debilitating pain in the head and face that is also often followed by nausea and vomiting. There is a likely chance of extreme light and sound sensitivity that comes with a migraine headache.
This type of headache, migraines, can vary in intensity but they usually last between 4 and 72 hours. All headaches after an accident can be a sign of whiplash or a concussion. Getting care from our chiropractors for migraines is vital in stopping them from recurring or avoiding chronic pain.
Shoulder Pain
Shoulder pain is hard to judge because even minor discomfort in your shoulder can be a sign of a deeper issue. Any persisting pain in your shoulder should be looked at by our chiropractors. As your shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body, it is really easy to injure it in a car crash. A misaligned shoulder can cause anywhere from mild discomfort to very extreme debilitating pain.
Sacroiliac Pain
Sacroiliac pain and radiating leg pain are commonly confused. This is because the sacroiliac joint is commonly known for lower back pain and radiating leg pain. It connects the hip bones to the sacrum — the triangular bone between the lumbar spine and the tailbone — and the body uses it to absorb shock in the lower body and pelvis. Since this joint is not known for its wide range of motion, excessive shock from a car crash or other accident can easily result in sacroiliac pain.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a common complaint amongst car accident patients but it can also be a result of accidents relating to anything from snowboarding to bicycling. It is characterized by a sudden jerk or extension of the neck, and it can be mildly to extremely painful.
You have to be particularly careful about whiplash because, left untreated, whiplash can turn into or be a sign of more serious injuries. It is not uncommon for people with whiplash to dismiss the signs but this is a dangerous practice. Whiplash can be a complex injury that leads to all sorts of pain including neck pain, headaches, back pain, and shoulder pain. Some symptoms appear immediately and others can manifest after a couple of days.
Just like all medicinal practices, chiropractic work alone is not a cure-all. However, our integrative approach at Axcess Accident Center gives us a wide range of opportunities to help you with all of these symptoms. If you’re experiencing any of these maladies, book a free consultation now.
Many of these symptoms lead to long term chronic pain or worse if they are left untreated. Regardless, it is important to consult our chiropractors on the best treatment for your pain as quickly as possible after your accident. This ensures that you get the best care for you and it is also the best way to avoid chronic symptoms. At Axcess Accident Center, we want to help you avoid lasting pain and get you the best care so you can get back to doing the things you love.
Don’t wait to get started on your recovery. Contact us today through our website or by calling (801) 701-8222.
