Can Chiropractic Care Help With Car Accident Injuries?

Yes. Car accident injuries affect the entirety of the human body from the head to the toe. The musculoskeletal system – that is the muscles, tendons, and bones throughout the body – are the speciality of chiropractors. Our own Layton, Utah chiropractor Dr. Brad Miller is an expert at diagnosing issues that car accidents can cause to the body. His careful, precise and gentle realignments of the human frame will bring lasting relief, even from enduring chronic pain.

Can Massage Therapy Help With Car Accident Injuries?

Yes. Many doctors realize that massage therapy is an essential part of the recovery process related to car accident injuries. A qualified massage therapist understands the physiology behind such injuries. Treatments can reduce inflammation, restore range of motion, improve healing times, and provide essential hormone balance to the body. Our own Layton-based Master Bodyworker Brianna Francom specializes in developing therapy plans that are catered to each situation and injury.

Whiplash

Whiplash occurs when the head and neck are forcefully jerked suddenly backward and then forward, putting the cervical spine under intense stress and causing damage. This type of injury most often occurs after an accident in which you were rear-ended. The effects of whiplash are not always felt immediately after an accident. It may take up to 48 hours to begin noticing symptoms and when you do, you may not realize that they are associated with your accident.

If you were rear-ended, pay attention to the development of the following symptoms which may indicate whiplash:

• Headache
• Dizziness or vertigo
• Neck pain or stiffness
• Shoulder pain or stiffness
• Ringing in the ears
• Arm pain or weakness
• Abnormal vision problems
• Abnormal fatigue

After an initial assessment of your injuries, our team will put together a treatment plan that will encourage your body to heal. Whiplash injuries can be complex, often involving damage to the muscles, myofascial tissue, nerves, and spine. Fortunately, skilled application of soft tissue release therapy and gentle encouragement of motility have proved very effective in treating these types of injuries. Depending on the extent of neurological damage, we may also recommend treatment that encourages the toning of the nervous system to address nerve damage.

Back Injury

Car accidents very often result in back injury. In a rollover accident, you may experience violent spinal compression. In a collision with another vehicle, the impact against your seatbelt and airbag may cause forceful unnatural twisting that can cause damage from your lower back up through your shoulders and into the neck. If you’re experiencing back pain after an accident don’t wait to get treatment. Back injuries left untreated only tend to get worse. They can also be a sign of more serious issues such as displaced bone fragments in the spine, herniated discs or soft tissue injuries. After an initial assessment of your injuries, our musculoskeletal experts at The Rejuvenation Center will put a treatment plan together for you that will get you back on the road to recovery.

Back injuries can also cause a host of other problems you’d never imagined would be connected to the accident, such as acid reflux and pain elsewhere in the body. An alignment by a chiropractor will go a long way in providing relief.

Additionally, when part of a comprehensive treatment plan that includes massage therapy, the body can be stimulated to produce the natural chemicals it needs to heal itself. Helpful forms of treatment may include craniosacral therapy, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), medical massage, trigger point therapy, and deep tissue massage.

Scar Tissue

Following an injury in an accident, scar tissue often forms as part of the healing process. Scar tissue can reduce the range of motion in the body, inhibit mobility, and cause pain. As an unseen culprit under the skin, it’s not something we often think about. Some even accept it as something that just happens after an injury. Yet, the impact can’t be understated.

Adjustments by a car accident chiropractor realign the spinal column and reduce inflammation. When coupled with a whole-body approach that includes massage therapy the scar tissue can be broken up increasing mobility and range of motion, and providing natural pain relief. Deep tissue massage, medical massage, Swedish massage, PNF, and myofascial therapy can all be effective parts of a comprehensive, holistic treatment plan.

Knee Injury

Airbags and seatbelts may keep us from being ejected from a vehicle during an accident, but that kinetic energy has to go somewhere. Whiplash is one example of that. However, knee injuries are just as common. As the body is thrown about, knees can make harsh contact with each other, the dashboard, the door, or can even be shaken with terrifying force as the front of the car crumples and the pedals are moved up. Injuries to these tendons, muscles, and bones can be extremely painful. One of the most common injuries to a knee in a car accident is Anterior Cruciate Ligaments (ACLs) tears.

A targeted massage to the affected area can aid in healing, reduce inflammation, and increase blood flow. It can also release the body’s natural anti-pain chemicals serotonin as well as pleasure-inducing endorphins. Therapies such as medical massage, trigger point massage, and deep tissue massage can be used as part of a whole-person, customized treatment protocol created for you at The Rejuvenation Center to get you back on your feet as soon as possible.

Concussion

Another common car accident injury is concussion. The trauma that the brain goes through in this kind of injury is very serious and can lead to a lifetime of pain, headaches, and issues such as vertigo or memory loss.

While neither chiropractic nor massage therapies can cure such a serious medical condition, when coupled with a treatment plan under the observation of a doctor, they can provide real relief.

One study at the University of Washington Medical Center found that massage therapy helped to “reduce headache, dizziness, and nausea in concussion recovery.” In fact, massage therapy “restored ideal alignment of the atlanto-occipital joint for the patient described. There was a reduction in pain, muscle hypertonicity, headaches, and reduced medication use, as well as improved balance, posture, cervical range of motion, mental focus, and physical activity.” This was because the musculoskeletal system was put back into alignment after the accident, which provided the researchers with their findings and improved healing of the patient.

At The Rejuvenation Center, we are well aware of the effects of trauma injuries. While medications can reduce the pain, they do not treat the underlying cause of that pain. We will find it and solve it by realigning the body.

Anxiety and PTSD

Emotional injuries are just as prevalent as the physical ones. Many people describe that moment as being locked in time. They hear the tires screech and feel the impact of the accident over and over again in their minds. This emotional trauma can lead to insomnia, anxiety and other stresses. At The Rejuvenation Center, we don’t just try to heal the body. We want to heal the person. We take a holistic approach to the entire rejuvenation process and tailor our treatment to the individual.

Just as the chiropractic and massage therapy can put the body back into alignment, these same therapies have also been proven to affect mood and the body’s natural hormones through treatment. Spinal realignment therapy will release pleasure-inducing endorphins. Massage has been noted to release those same endorphins, as well as serotonin for pain relief and increase the sleep-inducing hormone dopamine for improved sleep cycles. Massage also reduces the anxiety chemical cortisol in the body.

Frequently Asked Questions