There are roughly 15,000 + car accidents every day in the United States according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Annually 2.3 million people are either injured or disabled due to these car accidents. According to a report by Micheal Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute the people with driver’s
licenses aged 16 – 44 has been decreasing steadily since 1983, yet it only takes one car accident to sustain an injury. When you are involved in a minor car accident, even as a passenger you might not have pain right away, but it’s still important to get check out by a licensed medical professional and document what happened just in case. This article will focus on the importance of seeking medical attention after a car accident, specifically chiropractic care and some of the injuries you might sustain, but before we get into that here are 8 things you should do after a car accident according to the Insurance Information
Institute, whether you were at fault for the accident or not.
- Check yourself for injuries
- Check on the well-being of your passengers
- Get to safety
- Call 911
- Wait for help
- Exchange information
- Document the accident
- Notify your insurer and start the claim process
Additionally, you might want to consider hiring an attorney to help protect your rights.
You might be wondering.
Should I see a Chiropractor after being in a car accident?
If you are seriously injured after a car accident you will most likely go to the emergency room for treatment however, if you are not seriously hurt and you are not transported to the ER it’s up to you to seek medical treatment. It’s recommended that you get checked out immediately after being in a car accident, but no longer than 72 hours after the accident for legal, medical, and
insurance purposes.
When you are involved in a minor car accident, even as a passenger you might not have pain right
away. You might be wondering “should I go and see a doctor or chiropractor?” Even if you don’t
experience any pain after a minor car accident you should still go to your chiropractor and get checked out.
Let’s say you get into a crash and you have no pain, but a week later your neck and upper back start to hurt to the point of not being able to get a good night sleep. When you file a claim or go to court and try to get compensated for your injuries, you’re going to need proof of your injuries from a licensed medical professional. And most importantly, what appear to be small injuries may heal improperly or cause larger compensations in your body that could cause you big problems down the road. So, whatever your motivation, getting a proper evaluation and recommendation for management of your injuries is vitally important if you were involved in a motor vehicle collision.
What type of spinal injuries can you get from even a minor car accident? You might experience neck and back injuries, which include:
- Whiplash
- Herniated discs
- Concussion
- Spinal joint fixation
- Sprains and strains
What kind of other injuries can you sustain from a car crash?
During a car accident your wrists, elbows, and knees might also sustain any number of injuries. For example, a knee sprain or strain can occur in a car accident if you stretch, tear, or damage the ligaments, tendons, muscles, or joint capsule surrounding the knee. Some of the extremity injuries you might experience from a car crash are:
- Ligament sprains
Ligaments tie bones together and provide vital support to joints. Sprains are caused when
traumatic forces stretch ligaments beyond their boundaries causing tearing. This results in
instability, abnormal motion and wear in a joint, and eventual degeneration, even arthritis. - Ruptured Tendons
The tendons connect the muscles to the bones. This is considered a major injury and typically
requires surgery and extensive physical therapy. - Dislocation
When a joint dislocates, one bone typically slides out of the normal articulation with another
causing pain, swelling, tenderness, an inability to straighten or properly move the joint, and a
deformed look. Dislocations are medical emergencies and should be managed immediately. - Fractures
There are three different types of fractures you can sustain from a car accident, all of which are
very painful.- A stable fracture
- A displaced fracture, and
- A comminuted fracture
Some of these injuries are very serious and require surgery and months of rehabilitation. Visiting a chiropractor as part of your physical therapy recovery plan after a going through surgery from a car accident injury will help keep your spine, hips and other parts of your body in proper motion and alignment. This may help speed recovery time and possibly prevent any serious secondary issues from arising in the future.
After a car crash you might not have pain right away, but there are a few things you should watch
out for following the days and weeks after a car accident. Watch out for these symptoms even if
you have seen a licensed medical professional for your immediate injuries. You might want to
consider seeing a chiropractor if you experience,
- Headaches
- Neck and/or shoulder pain or stiffness
- Back pain
- Numbness or tingling
Your joints and ligaments aren’t the only thing affected by a car accident injury; you might also experience sore achy muscles and damage to the covering of the muscles called the fascia (myofascial) after an accident. There are 2 main reasons for this.
First, your muscles have been overstretched/torn and inflammation and swelling develop as the body rushes blood to the area to begin healing.
Secondly, the muscles and fascia can be damaged by a counterforce. This is seen when you see the accident about to happen and brace the tissues in your body. This type of injury is commonly seen in the neck, shoulders and arms of the driver in a car accident that braces the steering wheel. For this type of injury, you should see a chiropractor and massage therapist!
Always get checked by a Chiropractor after a Car Accident!
While no one wants to be involved in a car accident, auto collisions unfortunately are a part of our everyday lives and will inevitably happen. Remember, it only takes one accident to sustain an injury that may last a lifetime. From a simple fender-bender to catastrophic collisions, a lot of force is generated by these impacts, and the human body was not designed to endure these. Just because you feel fine immediately following a car accident, that doesn’t necessarily mean you are.
Your body is releasing large amounts of adrenaline and endorphins to help you cope with the trauma and once these chemicals begin to subside, the pain after any car accident may begin to set in more noticeably. We recommend that anyone involved in a motor vehicle collision receive an evaluation from a licensed chiropractic physician. Chiropractors are perfectly suited to manage the most commonly found auto accidents injuries and can direct and refer you to additional medical imaging and specialists if necessary.
The Auto Accident Injury Chiropractors at Pro Chiropractic are expertly trained and vastly experienced in managing auto accident injury cases, and are the Top-Rated choice in the Bozeman, Montana area for a Chiropractor after a Car Accident! For more information call (406)219-2462 today!