Vehicle Accidents: The Role of Chiropractors

Whether minor or serious, car accidents can cause devastating injuries. Even a minor fender bender accident can cause severe brain trauma that could require therapy.

Nobody wants to be involved in an accident or have a loved one be involved in one, but accidents are unforeseen events, so there’s no stopping it. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 1.3 million people die every year due to road traffic accidents.

Although accidents are unplanned, the truth is they can sometimes be prevented. However, with the rising number of careless drivers and road users, more people fall victim to car accidents every year. This also increases the number of people who seek chiropractic care and legal assistance.

Different Vehicle Accident Injuries

As stated above, car accidents can cause many serious injuries to a victim’s body. Some of the most common injuries are:

1. Back Injuries

The human body, especially the spine, can’t absorb the shock of a car accident. Therefore, when there is a heavy impact, back injuries may surface. Some examples of back injuries that can be sustained in an accident are back strain or sprain, ruptured disc, and nerve damage.

2. Internal Injuries

When an accident causes the body to crash into an object or be hit by an object, there may be damage to the internal organs. Internal injuries aren’t usually noticed on the surface, but they are one of the most critical injuries you can sustain in an accident. For this reason, you must always seek medical assistance after every accident.

3. Fractured and Broken Bones

Broken ribs, legs, wrists, arms, and ankles are common injuries in a car accident. However, the severity of these cases may differ from simple breaks or dislocation to severe breaks that may even require surgery. Sometimes, even after treatment, you may require physical therapy to have your broken bone working normally again.

4. Whiplash

Whiplash is a very common injury of accident victims. Essentially, whiplash is a neck injury that occurs when the head suddenly moves backward and forward in a car accident. In this case, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments are affected.

Other common vehicle accident injuries are:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI);
• Facial Injuries and Scars;
• Knee Injuries;
• Limb Loss;
• Crush Injuries, and so on.

What is a Chiropractor?

In any car accident case, you need to be treated because the sustained injuries won’t heal on their own. If you want your injuries to heal naturally and effectively, a chiropractor is just what you need for this. What then is a chiropractor?

A chiropractor is a trained specialist who helps patients manage their back and neck injuries sustained in an accident. Chiropractors diagnose and care for disorders in the tendons, ligaments, and other neuromuscular parts of the body through spinal adjustments.

4 Benefits of a Chiropractor After a Vehicle Accident

Sometimes, after a car accident, your doctor may ask you to continue care and treatment with a chiropractor. A chiropractor focuses mainly on back and neck injuries, but they also have techniques to treat the whole body. Here are four benefits of a chiropractor after a vehicle accident for your injuries:

1. Medication-Free Treatment

Naturally, nobody wants to deal with drugs and medications unless absolutely necessary. This is where chiropractors come in. With chiropractic treatment, you don’t have to worry about drugs because the techniques are completely natural.

In a vehicle accident, the force of impact can cause some misalignment of your joints and spine. The chiropractor has to realign these joints and relieve the pain(s) associated with this kind of injury. A medical massage can handle any subsequent pain. A chiropractor will do all these without putting you through the use of medication and the possible risks of taking painkillers.

2. Discovery of Unnoticed Injuries

Sometimes, shock and adrenaline can hide some injuries for days and even months. Meanwhile, some states have limited the number of days you have to seek medical attention through your personal injury protection (PIP) coverage after a car accident.

You need a professional to help you know whether there are hidden or unnoticed injuries somewhere. A car accident chiropractor will help you have accurate information about your medical condition.

3. Faster Pain Relief

The more you neglect your auto accident injuries, the more you’ll have to deal with them in the coming days or months and sometimes years. Before any symptoms escalate, you should see a chiropractor.

An important advantage of chiropractic treatment is that not only will the symptoms be treated, but the injury itself will too. While physical therapy is recommended, it isn’t always as effective and fast as chiropractic care. A chiropractor will realign your joints after several visits. At the same time, a physical therapist will focus on your muscles and try to use rehabilitation techniques to heal those muscles.

4. Less Stress

Vehicle accidents cause a lot of stress and anxiety and sometimes can manifest in the form of physical symptoms. A chiropractor can help you release some of this tension with standard chiropractic care.

Financial Implications of Vehicle Accident Injuries Treatment

Other than the injuries you can sustain in a vehicle accident, there are also financial implications of an auto accident. These implications can be devastating. One of the financial implications of vehicle accident injuries is costly medical bills. Besides medical bills, you also have to consider the expenses for rehabilitation and follow-up treatments. All these put together can cause a huge dent in your finances.

The good news, however, is that sometimes a car accident is not your fault, and you can seek financial compensation for the injuries you’ve sustained. To do this, you need a full evaluation of your injuries and proof of your medical expenses. This is where a chiropractor comes in.

A chiropractor can work with your lawyer or insurance company to ensure that you are able to seek compensation for all your medical expenses and property damages. In fact, many lawyers advise their clients to see a chiropractor, especially when the accident isn’t your fault.

If you’re on vacation in Florida, for example, and are involved in an accident, you can contact a car accident lawyer to work with your chiropractor wherever the chiropractor is located. They do this so they can gauge just how injured you are and know the level of compensation to demand from the accused.

Sadly, chiropractic care is still regarded as non-medical care. This may be why insurance companies and negligent parties who caused the accident might try to reduce your settlement. To increase your chances of successfully seeking the full amount of compensation that you need for chiropractic care, your lawyer would advise you to:

• Begin chiropractic treatment immediately after the accident;
• Request for a chiropractic referral from your medical doctor;
• Ensure your chiropractor documents the specific symptoms, the treatment(s) given, and the cost of each treatment;
• Have an injury log having detailed documentation of your physical pain(s);
• Strictly follow treatment schedules.

Once the jury determines how necessary these treatments are, the financial settlement can be estimated. Depending on the merits, it could be substantial. From this settlement, the injured can pay for his chiropractic treatment and other expenses that he might have incurred or will incur while recuperating back to full health.

Different Chiropractic Treatments for Vehicle Accidents

These are the major chiropractic treatments for car injuries:

1. Whiplash Treatment: This treatment tries to reduce the inflammation in the neck region. The techniques involved are gentle stretching and manual therapy techniques.

2. Manual Therapy: Some examples of manual therapy are manual joint stretching, therapeutic massage, resistance techniques, etc.

3. Spinal Manipulation: There are three different techniques for this:

• Flexion-distraction technique – treatment of bulging discs;
• Instrument-assisted technique – treatment of older patients who also have a degenerative joint syndrome;
• Specific spinal manipulation – treatment of spinal joints with restricted or unusual motion.

4. Electrical Stimulation: The use of a weak electrical current to reduce inflation.

Seek Chiropractor Help

No matter how minor you think your injuries are, don’t downplay them. Early treatment of your injuries is the best way to recover quickly and move on with your life. Also, the sooner you contact your chiropractor, you can enjoy the benefits of your PIP coverage.

Immediately after an accident, reach out to a chiropractor and seek treatment.