3 Ways to Move Beyond Your Car Accident Back Pain
Unfortunately, car accidents are not uncommon. And until self-driving cars take over our roads to prevent accidents, we will be in business to help you move beyond the pain your car accident caused. The American Chiropractic Association estimates roughly 80% of the population suffer from back pain at some point during their lives, and according to the Mayo Clinic, car accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injury. Do you still suffer from pain from a car accident? Sioux Falls Chiropractic has 3 tips to help you move past your pain!
1. Be Smart
We've all seen an episode of Grey's Anatomy or ER where one minute a patient is seemingly fine and the next minute they code in an MRI machine. The doctors explain to their family that sometimes adrenaline doesn't allow a body that sustained trauma to realize the extent of the injury at first. Even if your situation is not so dramatic, pain often takes time to present itself.
If you still have pain that a car accident caused and you never got medical attention, do so. There's a good chance your insurance company might even cover a trip to see us at Sioux Falls Chiropractic so we can check your alignment after an accident. If left alone, car accident back pain can cause chronic, lifelong suffering.
2. Take Care of Yourself
While taking care of your body is always important, it is especially crucial to take care of yourself after an injury. Using a supportive pillow might help pain in your neck and upper back. Some studies show that lifting weights can help with lower back pain (always be sure to check with a professional before trying anything).
Know when to heat and when to ice. Generally, heating an injury is not recommended unless you have a chronic condition that benefits from relaxed tissues. In many cases, use of a heating pad can even increase pain. Unlike heating, applying ice to an injury from a car accident will reduce inflammation to help get you through the pain until you can make an appointment with your chiropractor.
Listen to what your body is telling you to do. If you have back pain you probably shouldn't lift heavy boxes all day, but you also shouldn't stop exercising completely. Caring for your body is a balancing act. You may want to try some gentle stretches to alleviate pain. Remember, spinal injuries from car accidents are extremely common. The force of a car accident can tear soft tissue in your lower back, as well as straining spinal ligaments and muscles.
3. See Your Chiropractor
Many, including medical doctors, consider chiropractic work to be the best solution for long-term pain. Your chiropractor can help restore motion and reduce scar tissue, which often helps lower pain levels. Chiropractic care also helps to relieve stress. Car accidents are stressful on the body. Studies show that people who received chiropractic care after an accident had reduced activity in the parts of the brain responsible for stress reaction meaning that they were in a state of chronic stress.
By relieving localized pain, chiropractic care can reduce pain throughout the whole body. Pain often starts in one specific location. With precise and gentle adjustments to particular portions of your spinal column, normal nerve transmission can return to your entire back. Chiropractic adjustments get your spine moving the way it is supposed to, which lowers the risk of chronic pain. Nobody wants to deal with chronic pain from a car accident. Sioux Falls Chiropractic can help prevent it!
Car accident back pain looks different on everyone; different accidents lead to different injuries. But we treat all types of car accident injuries. Contact us today for an appointment!