Imagine you’re sitting at a stop light and you’re rear-ended. You get accidents, but it doesn’t seem “that bad”. You turn to get out of the car and you feel a little tingle in your back, but you brush it off since it was just a minor bump. You survey the damage, only to find that there is little more than a few scratches. Not even a dent. After exchanging insurance information, you go about the rest of your day trying to put it behind you. Only, the tingle in your back has turned into a dull ache and you are starting to feel a little stiff. Hoping that rest is the remedy, you take a few Ibuprofen and head to bed. But when you awaken, the stiffness has turned to pain and you begin to wonder how things got so much worse overnight. As you think back to the accident, it is difficult to grasp that such a minor collision could cause any real injury, especially since you felt relatively fine immediately following the hit. Can you relate? So many people are in this exact situation and they delay getting help until their pain has become unbearable.

Chiropractic care can help. With X-rays and a thorough exam, a chiropractor can determine whether your injuries are minor or will require more extensive treatment. Many times, a chiropractic course of treatment will include:

Spinal Manipulation, to improve functionality, reducing nerve irritability and restoring range of motion in the back.

• Heat and Ice Therapy, used to help patients treat back pain
• Electrical muscle stimulation (EMS), where electrodes are placed on the skin to send light electrical pulses to different areas of the body with the purpose of reducing inflammation, curtailing muscle spasms and relieving back pain
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators (TENS), which feature electrodes that are placed over the painful area with the user having the power to control the intensity of electrical stimulation.
• Massage Therapy

An experienced Chiropractor can also recommend stretches and exercises to strengthen the muscles surrounding your spine and neck, to help the healing process along with your accidents.

It is very important to seek a medical or chiropractic consultation after an accident, no matter the severity, as many injuries can occur at the time of the accident, but the symptoms won’t manifest for hours or even days later. Take control of your health and schedule an appointment today.