A personal injury is life-altering in a number of ways. It can stem from a bevy of unfortunate and unexpected events such as car crashes, slip and falls and workplace injuries. When you are the victim of another party’s negligence, you may suffer injuries such as whiplash, musculoskeletal injuries, neck and back injuries, or soft tissue injuries. Seeing a chiropractor after experiencing a personal injury has a number of benefits.
Personal injury attorneys often recommend that clients visit a chiropractor for three reasons:
- Discovering hidden injuries
- Avoiding long-term pain and suffering
- Strengthening your claim
What is a chiropractor?
A chiropractor is a trained medical professional who relieves pain in the spine and other areas of the body. Chiropractors have extensive training in chiropractic care and are licensed professionals. Every U.S. state requires chiropractors to obtain a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from a Council of Chiropractic Education (CCE) accredited college. Additionally, all chiropractors must keep current in the field by regularly taking continuing education classes.
What kind of treatment does a chiropractor provide?
Chiropractors provide a number of treatments for several kinds of conditions. Often, chiropractors manipulate body parts with their hands or small instruments. This can help realign bones or treat internal conditions such as constipation or acid reflux. They treat conditions that involve issues the following:
- Muscles
- Tendons
- Ligaments
- Bones
- Cartilage
- Nervous system
A chiropractor can alleviate the following discomforts:
- Neck and back pain
- Pelvic pain
- Arm and shoulder pain
- Leg and hip pain
Their techniques can help improve mobility, strengthen and stabilize injuries after an accident. For victims with personal injuries, this can mean the difference between a low cost and speedy recovery and the stress from a longterm recovery process costing tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills.
When should I see a chiropractor?
Whether or not pain is present, it’s a good idea to seek treatment from a chiropractor within three to seven days of an accident. The sooner the better. While a negligent act leading to a minor accident might not warrant a trip to the emergency room, it can lead to unseen injuries. Pain and injuries can surface within hours, days or, in some cases, months after an accident. Failing to seek care can result in a number of chronic conditions that may take months or years to fully heal. Without a quick and accurate assessment of your potential injuries, you could end up paying thousands of dollars in medical treatment.
Regardless of how long it takes for symptoms of present themselves, they need to be addressed immediately after an accident.
Further, insurance companies will use your failure to seek immediate treatment as a way to reduce or deny compensation for your injuries.
What are the benefits of chiropractic care after a personal injury?
In many cases after an accident, many people think they may need to turn to surgery or drugs to alleviate their pain. However, chiropractic care is an inexpensive and less invasive alternative to traditional medical treatment after a car crash, slip and fall or workplace injury.
Many injuries do not cause stiffness, pain, soreness or discomfort until days or weeks after an accident. Seeking treatment from a chiropractor immediately after an accident can catch and prevent injuries from worsening.
Faster Recovery
After an accident, visiting a chiropractor who specializes in personal injuries can help alleviate headaches, neck pain, lower back pain, muscle soreness, and other condition. Chiropractors provide personalized assessments and can make decisions on how best to alleviate a patient’s symptoms. Car accident, slip and fall or workplace injuries left untreated can heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue can lead to ongoing pain and discomfort.
Hidden Injuries
Broken bones, cuts and bruising are more obviously present after an accident. However, injuries after an accident are not always obvious. For example, if you slip and fall on a slippery surface at a convenience store, you may get up with little to no pain. In fact, you may waive off minor back pain and believe that your condition will improve with a little rest and ice. However, you may have experienced a back injury that leads to ongoing headaches. A chiropractor can examine you and determine and correct potential injuries that can lead to ongoing problems.
Another example, after a car crash, whiplash can take a few days to develop. But immediately seeking treatment from a chiropractor can address the pain before it even begins.
Non-Invasive Treatment
Many chiropractors believe that seeking chiropractic treatment should be an injured person’s first stop. This is because a simple adjustment can prevent an injury from worsening and leading to a more serious injury. Getting immediate treatment after an injury can lower your risks of having to undergo surgery to correct a problem. Surgery is a costly expense and while it is unavoidable in some cases, for many it can be avoided through non-invasive chiropractic adjustments.
Reduce Inflammation
An accident can lead to micro-tears in the ligaments and muscles. Unfortunately, x-rays don’t catch these types of injuries. These tears are why people wake up with soreness or stiffness the day after a car crash or slip and fall even though there are no visible injuries. A chiropractor can use certain techniques to manipulate the spine or other body parts to reduce inflammation and pain symptoms in the body.
Pain Reduction or Relief Without Drugs
When a part of your body is injured, your nerve endings send pain signals to your brain to alert you of an injury. Painkillers interfere with these messages at either end of the injury, the spinal cord or the brain. These drugs are usually derivatives of aspirin or opiates—with the latter being extremely addictive. Pain medications only mask the symptoms of an injury. In fact, they don’t actually heal the damage itself. In addition, these medications can lead to addiction.
On the other hand, chiropractic treatment addresses the source of the pain. Chiropractic care promoted the healing of the actual injury and doesn’t just enshroud the pain to give a false sense of healing.
Further, chiropractic adjustments reduce pain in the entire body. Spinal manipulation release a pain-reducing hormone that alleviates pain in the body naturally.
Restore Range of Motion
Your range of motion is an important part of being able to get up and move around. Joints have to move freely in order to complete daily activities such as brushing your teeth or standing up and sitting down. This is especially true if you have limited range of motion in your spine. Issues with your spine can lead to conditions such as carpal tunnel, headaches and back pain. Spinal alignment is crucial for free and easy range of motion. Vertebrae can become misaligned in a number of ways. For these reasons, after an accident visiting a chiropractor is necessary even if you feel OK.
How do I choose a chiropractor?
Finding a good chiropractor may prove challenging. However, simply asking your physician or a trusted friend may help you find a good chiropractor. In addition, a qualified personal injury attorney can point you to a reputable chiropractor in your area.
The Carlson Law Firm is here for you
Attorneys have seen the gamut of personal injuries and cases. Your attorney will know that while you may not be experiencing any pain in the present, that you can develop serious pain over time that may require surgery to correct. Putting off treatment for injuries can weaken your case. Seeking treatment immediately after a negative event can strengthen your claim for compensation. It is much harder for an insurance company to justify its refusal to pay your claim if you received medical care shortly after an accident occurred.
A visit to the chiropractor may seem like an unnecessary waste of time. However, these visits can prevent small injuries from turning into longlasting, costly injuries. When another party’s negligence leads to an injury, you may be unsure of what to do. Visiting a chiropractor after an accident may be crucial to your recovery.
