Seeing a chiropractor after a car accident can drastically change the trajectory of your recovery. Many people assume that medical care isn’t necessary if they’re able to “walk away” from an accident. While you may have been cleared for visible injuries following your accident, there’s a high chance that your musculoskeletal system was affected by the force of the impact. A chiropractor can evaluate your neck, spine, and soft tissue to determine if anything is out of balance following an accident. When an issue is detected early, it can save you from the pain, dysfunction, and immobility that often accompany undiagnosed accident injuries. Structural chiropractic is a leading chiropractic office in Redmond, Washington specializing in pain. Take a look at the seven benefits of chiropractic care after an accident.

1. Chiropractic Care Addresses Inflammation

It’s not uncommon for people to feel like their muscles and joints are “on fire” following car accidents. Inflammation usually kicks in a few hours after the accident. It’s also not uncommon to wake up feeling like you can’t move after going to bed feeling “normal” on the day of your accident. The good news is that some degree of inflammation is actually normal after an accident. It could be a sign that your body is using its own resources to heal itself. However, inflammation will eventually cause pain, discomfort, and dysfunction if it isn’t addressed. Chiropractors are able to reduce inflammatory cytokine production to regulate the inflammatory response that is responsible for the pain and discomfort you’re experiencing.

2. Chiropractic Care Can Provide Natural Pain Relief

Chiropractic care can have an analgesic effect. Yes, that means that a chiropractic session can provide natural pain relief. This is important if you’re hoping to avoid the use of opioids and pain relievers while managing your accident-related pain. According to a 2014 study looking at changes in biochemical markers of pain perception and stress response after spinal manipulation, the mechanical stimulus provided by spinal manipulation triggers an increase in neurotensin, oxytocin, and cortisol blood levels.

3. Chiropractic Care Can Help to Prevent the Formation of Scar Tissue

Unfortunately, internal scar tissue often develops after a car accident when “hidden” injuries are ignored. That means that you could experience a lifetime of stiffness and pain. The body uses its own collagen to form scar tissue in an attempt to heal injuries within muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues. You can actually control the healing process when you use chiropractic care instead of forcing your body to compensate for injuries. Chiropractors have specialized techniques for breaking up scar tissue to speed up healing.

4. Chiropractic Care Can Help You to Avoid Surgery in the Future

Early chiropractic intervention is a gateway to avoiding invasive treatments down the line. Research shows that chiropractic care is helpful for managing or alleviating chronic pain without the use of drugs or surgery. Failing to address injuries immediately after an accident can allow the damage to progress to the point where surgery is the only option left. Untreated injuries often get worse with time because we utilize the injured tissue to the point of extreme strain. Early chiropractic intervention can often help patients to avoid the “last resort” of surgery.

5. Chiropractic Care Provides the Best Treatment for Whiplash

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries associated with auto accidents. Whiplash is a serious neck injury that is caused by a rapid back-and-forth motion of the head and neck. The neck’s close relationship with the spine means that pain and dysfunction can easily travel down the “main highway” of the nervous system to create symptoms throughout the body. Whiplash isn’t something that “goes away” on its own. People can potentially live with whiplash symptoms for decades if they don’t seek help right away. Chiropractors treat whiplash using a combination of physical manipulations, muscle relaxation, and muscle stimulation. Chiropractors can also advise you on steps to take in your daily life to reduce whiplash symptoms.

6. Chiropractic Care Can Help to Restore Range of Motion

You may be very familiar with stiffness if you’ve recently been involved in a car accident. Following head and neck injuries, misalignments throughout the body actually block blood and nutrients from reaching soft tissue. In addition to slowing down the healing process, this issue also causes inflammation, pain, and reduced range of motion. During a chiropractic intervention, your chiropractor will mobilize the spine to eliminate blockages that are limiting your range of motion. This allows the body’s natural healing process to activate.

7. Chiropractic Care Can Increase the Likelihood of Your Claims Being Accepted

This last benefit of chiropractic care following an accident is a little bit different. While it’s obvious that chiropractic care is a valuable tool for getting on the road to healing and recovery, you may not be aware that chiropractic care may be the key to getting your accident claims approved. If you were injured due to another person’s fault or negligence, you’re eager to find a way to ensure that the other party’s insurance company will cover your medical costs. It’s essential to seek out documented medical care immediately after an accident if you intend to file a claim. At Structural Chiropractic, our care providers provide you with all of the documentation needed to successfully submit claims.

Don’t live with pain, inflammation, and reduced range of motion following a car accident. Pain following a car accident is nothing to shrug off. At Structural Chiropractic of Redmond, we understand how chaotic and overwhelming the period following an accident injury can be for our patients. That’s why we offer compassionate, personalized care at our state-of-art chiropractic clinic near Seattle. Contact us today for a consultation.