Minor Car Accident? Head to Your Chiropractor's Office Sooner Rather Than Later
Getting in a car accident can be traumatic, even if it was just a fender-bender. It's still a good idea to go to the hospital and get looked over after a minor crash, just in case you suffered any injuries that are not causing you pain yet. But there's one more stop you should make after a minor car accident -- your chiropractor's office. Here are three reasons why a quick visit to the chiropractor is a good idea after any crash.
It may prevent whiplash.
Whiplash is a broad term that refers to any pain in the neck after a traumatic event. Minor whiplash may just be muscle soreness, while more serious cases may involve the ligaments and tendons. Whiplash is not usually considered too dangerous and will generally resolve on its own, but why suffer pain when you don't have to? If you visit your chiropractor for an adjustment after your car accident, they can correct any spinal misalignments that occurred due to your accident and may lead to whiplash symptoms in the next day or two. If you do still develop whiplash symptoms, they won't be as serious as they would have been if you hadn't had the adjustment.
It will alleviate aches and pains that are starting to set in.
Chiropractors don't just adjust spines. While that is an important part of what they do, they often also massage muscles and ligaments. If you're starting to feel a little soreness in your neck, back, abdomen, or even legs, you can tell your chiropractor about it. They can then massage the area to help increase blood flow to the area and ease the pain before it gets any worse. They can also use cold laser therapy to ease muscle soreness and loosen any tendons that may be starting to swell or tighten.
If the hospital missed something, the chiropractor may spot it.
Though doctors are well-educated and do their best to be thorough, they do sometimes miss things. Seeing a chiropractor after your accident gives a second medical professional a chance to look you over, which is essentially a double-guarantee that, if you were injured, it will be caught. This is quite important, not only to ensure you receive adequate care, but also for the purposes of filing insurance claims.
After a car accident, there can be many minor injuries and aches that go undetected and untreated. If you visit a chiropractor at clinics like Allegheny Brain And Spine Surgeons, you'll reduce your chances of soreness and more serious injury.