2016 April

Should you see a chiropractor after a motor vehicle accident? News from Fletcher Chiropractic in Boise, ID

Should I see a chiropractor after a car accident?

Motor vehicle accidents are an unfortunately common occurrence in our busy world. Although we all attempt to drive safely by wearing our seat belts, driving the speed limit, and obeying traffic rules, collisions still happen. Oftentimes these accidents can seem minor. However, even though there may be no visible damage done to a vehicle or the people inside, the body still has to absorb a tremendous amount of force due to the nature of the impact. In a collision (even at a mere five miles per hour), the neck is abruptly forced forward and back which pulls on the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the neck and back.

The muscles and ligaments in these areas connect directly to the spine, and tend to pull the spine out of alignment during this jolting movement. This type of injury is typically known as “whiplash”.

There are some things that we see commonly with patients who have sustained a whiplash injury. First, they may not feel much pain or discomfort immediately after the injury. This is usually due to delayed muscle soreness; it takes a while for your muscles to feel the stress that has just been placed on them, much like having an intense workout with the soreness setting in after exercise. Second, when the soreness eventually sets in (hours to days later), it is usually felt in the neck, upper and mid back, and sometimes even the low back. If the accident was severe enough, there may be symptoms of headaches, numbness and tingling into the arms or legs, or muscle tightness and loss of range of motion. In some instances, you might not feel any pain or discomfort at all, although this is rare.

After sustaining a whiplash injury, the muscle tenderness and soreness tends to go away on its own with time and rest. One thing that cannot and will not go away on its own is any spinal misalignment that occurred during the accident. The most common misalignment we see with these types of injuries is a straightened neck (cervical spine). The cervical spine is specifically designed with a C-shaped curve in it. This curve is structurally strong and is how we are able to hold the weight of our head all day without pain or discomfort. When the neck is suddenly jarred forward, the bones in our neck (vertebra) tend to slip forward, and no longer align in this C-shape, but instead stack on top of one another in a straight line.

Because of the anatomy of the spinal column, when these vertebrae are out of place, it puts pressure on the spinal nerves which exit out from the spine. When a vertebra is so out of place that it puts pressure on the nerve, we call this a subluxation. Nerve impingement leads to pain and tenderness, loss of range of motion, or even possible numbness and tingling into the arms and hands.

When the curvature in the neck is lost, the upper back is forced to accommodate for this loss and thus hold extra weight. This often presents as stiff and sore shoulders, forward head posture, and rounding of the shoulders. So when the neck is misaligned, the upper back will usually follow.

We see this pattern work its way down the spine to the low back as the entire spine tries to compensate for altered mechanics of the neck and upper back. As you can imagine, this would may also lead to pain and discomfort in the low back and hips.

What does all of this mean?

A motor vehicle accident can have numerous effects on the body. The most noticeable side effect of whiplash is stiffness and soreness in the neck and back, but what we have shown is that the problem can be much more than just muscular pain. A neck that has been thrown out of alignment with force will become straightened and lead to a host of structural problems down the road. And although massage therapy is very beneficial to help alleviate some of the tightness associated with this injury, no amount of massage will ever re-align the spine or restore better function. The only way to move the spine toward a more normal position is through chiropractic adjustments.

Your chiropractor will examine your neck and back to find areas of misalignment (subluxation) and provide a corrective adjustment to move remove the subluxation. Moving the vertebra away from the nerve will provide not only pain relief, but provide better structure and function of the spine, allowing you to heal and feel better.

If you or someone you know has recently been in a car accident, or had one in their past, it is important to have them examined by a chiropractor. After all, we only have one spine, and need to make sure we take care of it accordingly. Call to schedule an appointment and mention this post for a consult and exam.

In good health,

Dr. Jillaine