After you experience a car accident, you may find yourself full of aches, pains, and injuries that limit your range of motion and mobility. Seeking collision injury chiropractic care can help alleviate these issues and support your recovery journey. A chiropractor specializing in car accident injuries can ensure the new limits on your range of motion don’t become permanent.

Several common car accident injuries affect the soft tissue, leading patients to disregard their symptoms. Unfortunately, these injuries can cause lasting damage. Three such injuries include:

1.  Whiplash

Whiplash is a soft tissue injury often resulting from a car accident. It occurs when the neck experiences a rapid, forceful movement, like a whip cracking. This motion strains or sprains the neck muscles.

When patients follow a treatment plan for whiplash that includes exercises and chiropractic care, it often heals within a few weeks. However, when whiplash goes untreated, patients may experience chronic neck pain, headaches, and loss of range of motion in the neck.

2.  Sprains

A sprain occurs when ligaments become stretched or torn. Ligaments are soft tissues that connect bones. Ligaments in the back, wrists, ankle, neck, or knee often sustain damage through the impact of a car accident.

Sprains may cause pain, swelling, bruising, and stiffness. In addition, the joint may become difficult to move. Sprain severity can vary greatly. However, severe sprains can prevent victims from engaging in everyday activities for an extended period.

3.  Strains

While strains and sprains are often used interchangeably, they affect different tissues. Sprains solely impact ligaments, while strains affect muscles and tendons. For example, strains resulting from a car accident occur in the lower back due to the force of the impact.

A strain can cause:

• Bruising
• Tenderness
• Inflammation
• Swelling
• Muscle spasms
• Lack of range of motion

In severe accidents, a victim may tear a muscle in the lower back.

How Can Chiropractic Care Help after a Collision Injury?

Many patients only seek chiropractic care for joint misalignments or joint-based pain, but collision injury chiropractic can also effectively address post-accident issues and aid in recovery.

However, chiropractors can use several methods to treat soft tissue injuries. For example, electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) tools can decrease inflammation, reduce muscle spasms, and relieve pain.

Additionally, chiropractic adjustments realign the vertebrae to take pressure away from the site of the strain or sprain, which increases mobility and alleviates pain.

Many chiropractors, like those at Veeva Chiropractic Clinic, offer therapeutic massage to loosen muscle stiffness and tension and increase the effectiveness of a chiropractic adjustment.

Recover Your Range of Motion with Veeva Clinic

Soft tissue injuries may seem minor but can lead to lasting repercussions. When you choose a chiropractor specializing in recovering from car accidents, you help your body fully recover, ensuring you don’t permanently limit your movement.

After a car accident, visiting a specialized chiropractor is essential. If you’ve been a victim of a car accident in Oregon or Washington, contact Veeva Chiropractic Clinic to begin your healing today.