Auto Accident and Spine Trauma

Immediately after an auto collision, it’s common for people to wait to get treatment. Most people think, “I’ll just wait to see how I feel next week.” This approach can be a mistake.

A number of scientific studies show that when a patient gets early treatment soon after a crash, they have a better outcome than those patients who wait.

During a crash, the tissues of your neck can be stretched or torn. You may not feel pain right away, but as the tissues become swollen and inflamed, patients often wake up the next day sore and with a stiff neck.

Pain and stiffness are signs of trauma to the ligaments and muscles of your neck. The body’s response to injury is to restrict movement and to heal the injury by sending white blood cells to the area. Your body will then begin repairing the injured area by laying down scar tissue.

The problem with scar tissue is that each joint in your neck has a fairly limited range of motion. Scar tissue reduces that motion even more, and if you don’t receive proper treatment, that can result in permanent limited mobility, chronic pain, and even spinal degeneration of the joints.

Getting early treatment will break up this pattern by increasing movement in the injured area and by preventing the development of scar tissue.

If you’ve been in a crash, it’s important to see your chiropractor right away to be checked out and to start the process of recovery. Your chiropractor will work with you gently to increase the range of motion in your spine and help your body heal quickly.

If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment, please give our office a call.