Being in a car accident can cause intense physical and emotional trauma. Whether you come out of it with injuries or relatively unharmed, there’s bound to be some pain. At times, car accident injuries take time to show. Whether there are visible symptoms of injuries or not, it’s important to seek medical care as quickly as possible.
There are many non-invasive treatments for car accident pain. Here are some options you could try to get rid of lingering pain and discomfort from motor vehicle accidents.
Home Remedies
If you have mild car accident pain and discomfort, you can try home remedies to help soothe sore muscles and promote natural healing. Some home remedies include:
- Applying ice to the affected area can reduce pain and swelling.
- Neck or back brace. Even though it’s only a temporary pain management option, neck/back braces promote healing, and the restriction in movement can reduce pain.
- Prescription and over-the-counter medications, such as painkillers, anti-inflammatories, and muscle relaxants, can alleviate pain and swelling.
Resting is also a crucial part of the recovery process. Be cautious with your movements as you go about your routine. If a certain activity worsens your pain, stop doing it, otherwise you risk aggravating the injury. It’s best not to push yourself during recovery.
Chiropractic Care
If you’re not keen on taking medications, if they aren’t working, or if you want to employ multiple treatment modalities at once for better recovery results, a chiropractor could help relieve your pain with fewer contraindications. A chiropractor will try to find the root cause of your symptoms and then heal it with gentle manipulations and adjustments.
They often treat car accident pain involving muscles, joints, the spine, and soft tissues. There are several benefits to visiting a chiropractor after a car accident, such as:
- No medications are needed. Some patients might be allergic to some medications or just don’t want to take them. Chiropractors apply massages and adjustments to eliminate pain without using medications.
- Reduced scar tissue. Scar tissue can lead to reduced strength and motion in an injured area. Chiropractors can break up scar tissue as it forms.
- Minimized pain and inflammation. Chiropractic care uses natural, holistic treatments to reduce pain and swelling.
- Restored mobility and flexibility. With chiropractic care, your injuries can heal without affecting the area’s function, allowing you to regain full flexibility and range of motion.
While chiropractic treatments are personalized, here are some treatments you can get:
Spine Rehabilitation
It’s possible that your vertebrae could get knocked out of their natural position in a car accident. A chiropractor can make necessary adjustments to ensure that your spine is aligned correctly, thus promoting the body’s natural healing abilities.
Whiplash Treatment
Whiplash is one of the most common injuries in a car accident. It causes stiffness and soreness in your neck, making it hard to turn your head from side to side. With chiropractic adjustments, a chiropractor can loosen strained ligaments.
Dry Needling
Dry needling innovatively helps treat muscle pain without medication use. It helps loosen strains and knots in muscle tissue following an auto vehicle accident.
Physical Therapy
The cornerstones of physical therapy are stretching and exercise. Through these, patients can reduce pain, restore function, and enhance the healing process. Physical therapy strengthens tendons, muscles, and ligaments, and it can even eliminate the need for surgery.
There are many types of physical therapy treatments for car accidents. Here are some options that you may want to explore for your treatment:
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy helps restore function to damaged muscles and ligaments. It prevents them from tightening or healing incorrectly, which could cause additional pain. Lastly, it relieves pain by increasing blood circulation to the affected area.
Hydromassage
A hydromassage can help you relax. It soothes areas of tension and increases blood circulation.
Ultrasound
Using acoustic waves generated by ultrasonic wave technology, a high-energy pulse will be delivered to painful areas. It promotes the body’s natural healing process and loosens tight muscles.
Pulsed Cold Laser Therapy
This treatment uses low-level laser therapy to promote soft tissue healing. It reduces pain and scarring, heals wounds faster, and increases blood flow.
Trigger Point Injections
You may suffer strain and tension when you get injured in a car accident. Trigger points are tight knots that form in muscles in the neck, shoulders, and back. They can result in chronic neck or back pain. Trigger point injections can relieve this pain.
Other injection treatments are epidural steroid injections, radiofrequency ablation, medial branch blocks, and facet joint injections. Your doctor will recommend the right type of injection therapy based on your unique situation and needs.
Car Accident Pain Treatment In Delaware
Waiting for car accident pain to go away on its own can have damaging effects. The sooner you receive the proper care, the sooner you can return to a pain-free life.
If you’re hurt in a motor vehicle accident, Delaware Back Pain & Sports Rehabilitation Centers can help bring you pain relief. Our highly experienced, skilled chiropractors offer a wide variety of nonsurgical treatment options to address all types of musculoskeletal injuries.
If you want to know more or schedule a consultation with our chiropractors, call our nearest office or fill out our appointment request form. We look forward to giving you lasting pain relief!