https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4ODnk_w-iI
If you’ve been in an auto accident, you might be experiencing lingering pain and wondering if you need chiropractic care. Here are some of the most common types of injuries people experience as a result of accidents along with some of the possible treatment options.
Common Issues
First, let’s take a look at someone who was rear ended. Their head snaps back rapidly from the initial force. As the car decelerates, their head then snaps forward. The person is getting double the damage—the muscles are being stretched and retracted quickly against a lengthening process. It can result in significant damage to the muscles and sometimes even the ligaments. This type of hyperextension and hyperflexion injury is a very common consequence of an auto accident.
We also occasionally see people that experience low back pain or thoracic upper back pain in the shoulder blades. People commonly describe this as having a hand on the steering wheel as the airbag deployed or having their hand forced upward towards the shoulder during impact. Occasionally, patients will also experience radiculopathy, which is pain down the extremities due to a problem at the spine. The posture of the patient during impact and placement of the seatbelt can also contribute to shoulder pain. If they were turning to the left or right, one side may be worse than the other.
Warning Signs
After experiencing an injury from an auto accident, people will sometimes decide to wait a couple of days to see if their pain persists. This is perfectly reasonable. However, if the pain lingers for more than a week or so, they are likely experiencing a strain or something potentially more serious. It’s important to make sure that there aren’t any fractured bones and that the ligaments and spinal cord are intact.
Pain isn’t the only warning sign that something needs to be addressed. Decreased range of motion could also be an indication that something is wrong. If the spine has been damaged in any way, the muscles will lock down and spasm. The most common presentation in that scenario is neck pain accompanied by reduced range of motion. If the person has to use their whole body to turn around, then the range of motion has definitely been affected. Difficulty performing activities like checking blind spots or combing hair is an indication that the body is trying to protect itself.
Diagnosis
We will ask a multitude of questions to patients about what happened in the accident, how they were hit, if they were wearing a seatbelt, the speed of the impact, and any other details that can help us gain a complete picture of exactly what happened.
We may also perform some range of motion tests or functional tests to determine if any of the muscles are experiencing weakness. We are going to identify if/where there is a need for increased stability.
Treatment Options
Strained muscles just need a little bit of TLC at this point to get back to where they were before. To treat the patient’s issue, we will likely perform some manipulation, soft tissue therapy, rehab, and therapeutic exercises to get their brain to understand that the area can move again.
We often deal with instability in the neck, meaning that the neck muscles that are built to hold your head in place and stabilize the area while not moving are already weak to begin with. A patient who goes through the trauma of a crash will have this issue exacerbated further. If our functional tests have indicated that there is muscle weakness, we probably won’t manipulate the patient’s neck. Instead, we will focus on strengthening and mobilizing the surrounding areas.
If the patient has areas that need improved stability, we’ll develop an individualized exercise program. Soft tissue goes hand in hand with mobility, so we will also identify and correct the deficit with either manipulation or therapeutic exercise.
If you’re suffering from lingering pain from an auto accident, contact us online or give us a call at (918) 743-3737.
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