Fighting Back Against Office Back Pain

Car accidents cause injuries which can take a long time to heal, depending on their severity. However, the type of treatment that a patient is receiving and the professional offering it also determine the recovery timelines. Traditional treatment approaches include getting pain relief medication and physiotherapy. If you have been working on these two, but the recovery is still slow, there is a third option, chiropractic treatment. Chiropractors have become very popular in treating all manner of injuries connected with the skeletal and nervous system. These are the types of injuries that are common after accidents, which makes chiropractic care an ideal treatment solution.

What happens to the neck after an accident

Whiplash is a common result of a car accident. It happens when the body in motion is forced to stop suddenly, and the neck muscles snap in one direction, usually from the back to the front. Whiplash is very common in rear-end collisions and affects the neck ligaments. When the neck ligaments extend beyond their normal range of motion, the neck muscles become sore. The soreness does not appear immediately, so close monitoring is important after an accident.

Whiplash diagnosis

Whiplash does not show up immediately after an accident. This means that you have to keep monitoring your physical changes in the days following the accident. Most of the time, symptoms such as being unable to turn the neck from one side to the other and serious pain manifest the morning after the accident. While generally whiplash is a mild condition, when left untreated, it can cause serious chronic pain.

How chiropractors help

A general chiropractor can isolate the ligaments which were stretched during the accident. They then use manipulation and massage techniques to ease the tension from the muscles and ligaments. This reduces the possibility of further inflammation. Chiropractors are also best placed to treat whiplash because the massage works in relieving pain in the neck muscles and other affected parts such as the spine, shoulder and back muscles.

The benefit of chiropractic treatment is that it reduces the overdependence on the usually prescribed drugs to manage muscle spasms and other muscle pain. The treatment is also non-invasive, which means that recovery will be fast. The crucial thing to do is take time when selecting a chiropractor and choose one who has both the training and the hands-on experience in handling whiplash pain. With a competent chiropractor, the pain will be very easily managed.