Accidents and Injuries

Head and neck injuries are health issues commonly caused by automobile accidents. Due to the force of the impact, a moderate fender bender can sometimes even jerk a victim enough to make them hit their head inside the vehicle. The brain can be very susceptible to suffering damage after an auto accident, leading to neurological issues with lasting effects.

Nerve damage is a prevalent consequence after a car crash, and it can cause debilitating symptoms, such as pain, headaches, and mental health issues, among others, ultimately making it difficult for anyone to go about their everyday activities. When it comes to nerve damage, the most common types of automobile accident injuries include:

• Whiplash, an intense jerking motion of the head and neck which can cause the nerves to stretch or be pinched;
• Blunt-force trauma, hitting your head, arms, or legs on a hard surface inside or outside the vehicle, compressing the nerves; and
• Lacerations, deep cuts into the skin sustained during an automobile accident that can sever the nerves in the affected region.

Several signs and symptoms can help indicate when nerves are damaged. These include pain; partial or full paralysis of limbs and appendages like fingers and/or toes; muscular fatigue; twitching or uncontrolled movements of muscles; a prickling sensation; tingling or numbness on the skin or in limbs; or increased sensitivity to cold and hot temperatures on the surface. Below, we will discuss the effects of nerve damage after an auto accident.

An automobile accident can be a difficult situation for anyone to experience, regardless if the damage was not severe. Each individual undergoes different emotional and physical reactions after suffering from a car crash. From mental trauma and emotional disorientation, sometimes automobile accidents can cause trauma from physical injuries, although the symptoms might not always occur instantly.

The first couple of weeks after a whiplash type injury, an individual should seek medical attention for further diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible for other possible injuries. Headaches, as well as neck, shoulder, and back pain and stiffness can present themselves several days after an accident. 

People are injured in car crashes every year in the US, and even the minor collisions result in long-term symptoms and disability. Research shows that a significant number of people have pain from a crash even 10-15 years later.
Chiropractic is one of the best ways to treat and heal from these types of injuries, as it works by restoring the normal function of your spine, allowing the tissues to heal becoming pain-free.

If You've Suffered An Auto Injury Chiropractic can help:

1. Reduces Inflammation

During an accident, ligaments & muscles in your spine can become stretched creating micro-tears. X-rays or MRI scans usually aren’t sophisticated enough to diagnose these kinds of injuries, but this tissue damage causes the area to become inflamed. Many times, an auto injury patient won’t feel much discomfort immediately after the crash, but they wake up the next morning to a stiff and painful neck. This is caused by the body’s inflammation response to these micro-lesions.
A study found chiropractic treatment helps the body release anti-inflammatory Interleukin 6 (IL-6). This is an important substance created by your body that is used to help heal injuries.

2. Restores Motion

Inflammation is when the tissues become immobile, which slows the healing process. Ligaments of the spine don’t get many nutrients or blood supply normally, and this becomes even more difficult when inflamed and injured.
A chiropractic adjustment allows the joints of your spine to mobilize and increase blood flow and healing nutrients to the area.

3. Reduces Scar Tissue

Your body heals injuries by creating scar tissue. Scar tissue in an injured area is made up of the same kind of cells as the original tissue, but it’s laid down rapidly and randomly as a temporary “patch” on top of the damaged area.
Scar tissue on a large muscle, can be uncomfortable unless you stretch it out. However, it shouldn't cause any long-term problems. Scar tissue in the ligaments of your neck or back, however, can be much more debilitating, since we can’t stretch it out ourselves. Your chiropractor focuses the adjustments on these specific vertebral joints that are fixated, effectively stretching them and breaking up the scar tissue in the joint.

4. Relieve Localized Pain

In 20 years, studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments are safe and effective in reducing pain. In fact, a 2013 study found that 94% of patients experienced neck pain relief with manipulation!

5. Reduces Pain in Your Whole Body

Auto injury patients develop widespread pain after a crash, especially if the original injury wasn’t treated promptly. A 2014 study reported that people who received a chiropractic adjustment had increased levels of pain-reducing hormones in their bloodstream.

6. Relieves Stress

A auto accident can be very stressful. When your body is exposed to trauma, it goes into a flight or fight response, which can result in anxiety, depression, and stress. A 2011 study used PET scans to look at the brains of people who received chiropractic adjustments for neck pain. They found that those patients had reduced brain activity in the parts of the brain responsible for pain processing and stress reactions. They also had significantly lower levels of cortisol, indicating reduced stress. Participants also reported lower pain scores and a better quality of life after treatment. Reducing your overall level of stress is important, because, left untreated, stress can also slow recovery time and increase your risk of developing chronic pain.

7. Chiropractic Care Is Bona Fide

Researchers realize chiropractic helps people recover from auto injuries. In 1996, British researchers found that 93% of auto injury patients with neck pain experienced dramatic improvement with chiropractic care.
In 2015, an Ontario, Canada government group agreed that spinal manipulation, combined with staying active and continuing to work, are the most important factors in recovering quickly from car crash injuries.

8. Chiropractic Care Can Prevent Chronic Pain

From 2000 and 2003 studies found auto injury patients who received early care recovered faster and had fewer residual symptoms from the crash. Chiropractic does this: a chiropractic adjustment gets the joints in your spine moving the way they’re supposed to, helping to prevent chronic pain.

If you’ve been injured in a car crash, you don’t have to suffer from chronic pain. Chiropractic is a great way to help your body heal from all kinds of injuries.

By Dr. Alex Jimenez