Chiropractic Care for Accident Injuries: How It Helps and When to Seek Treatment

Accidents can happen to anyone at any time, and unfortunately, they often result in injuries. 

If you experience an accident that results in an injury, seeking medical attention should be your top priority to ensure a speedy recovery. In many cases, however, traditional medical treatment is not enough to alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with an injury. This is where chiropractic care comes in. An accident and injury chiropractor specializes in treating injuries that result from accidents, including those sustained in car accidents, slip and falls, and even sports injuries.

Accident and injury chiropractors are also trained to identify and treat injuries that may not be immediately apparent, such as whiplash, back pain, and headaches. They can use a variety of techniques, including spinal adjustments, massage therapy, and rehabilitative exercises, to alleviate pain and promote healing.

One of the benefits of seeking chiropractic care for an injury is that it is a non-invasive and drug-free treatment option. This is particularly important for individuals who may be allergic to certain medications or who prefer to avoid taking prescription drugs. Chiropractic care is also a natural way to help the body heal itself, which can result in a faster recovery time.

If you have been seriously injured in any type of accident, you need quality care and the money to pay for it, and when your accident was someone else’s fault, you shouldn’t be the one who has to foot the bill. At Morgan and Morgan, while we can’t provide you with chiropractic care, we can help you get the money you need to pay for it and help you find caregivers you can trust.

Contact Morgan & Morgan after any serious injury or accident to schedule a free case evaluation and learn more about your options.

Spine and Neck Injuries

You can potentially suffer spine or neck injuries in almost any type of accident. Car accidents are particularly likely to cause these types of injuries because in many car accidents, a victim’s neck whips forward and backward very quickly without any restraint.

Typically, when you have suffered a spine or neck injury, you have to deal with both long-term and immediate consequences. The immediate consequences may include:

• Short-term paralysis
• Difficulty breathing
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Muscle spasms
• Severe pain

Most of these symptoms will fade over time, but that doesn’t mean you have fully recovered. Some pain may last for years or even a lifetime. And you may also suffer from restricted movement.

How Chiropractic Care Can Help

Chiropractic care is designed to minimize and correct the long-term effects of a spine or neck injury. Typically, these injuries persist because of damage to the soft tissue surrounding the spine. This tissue heals slowly and is easily inflamed by any type of pressure or movement.

Thus, your pain or inflammation could last indefinitely because your everyday movements can aggravate your injury. And short of restricting yourself to weeks of bed rest, there is almost nothing you can do independently to recover.

A chiropractor has more options than that, though. A skilled chiropractor makes small adjustments to your back and neck that relieve the pressure on your nerves, muscles, and other soft tissue. This immediately reduces or removes any pain you are feeling.

This is important because pain is your body’s way of telling you that you are in danger. If the pain is being relieved naturally, that means your body recognizes that the danger is gone.

And your body is correct. After a chiropractic adjustment, your realigned neck and back aren’t rubbing against tissues in the wrong way. This gives your entire body a chance to heal.

Typically, you will require multiple sessions to fully recover. Until your injury has fully healed, the adjustments will revert after some time. But if you receive regular care, you can keep ahead of that process, and the inflammation and pressure will dissipate over time.

In addition to treating injuries, accident and injury chiropractors can also provide documentation of your injuries and treatment for use in a personal injury case. 

If you have been injured in an accident that was caused by someone else's negligence, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Having documentation of your injuries and treatment can be instrumental in proving the extent of your injuries and the impact they have had on your life.

The Hidden Dangers of Whiplash

One of the more common results of a car accident is whiplash. This is a subtle injury because it often doesn’t fully reveal itself until well after the accident happens.

In a whiplash injury, typically muscles are strained in your neck from the sudden whipping motion of your head that happens when the car stops suddenly. Often, the damage this places on your neck muscles isn’t immediately apparent.

Instead, your injured muscles continue to support your head and get inflamed because they are hurt—and you don’t realize it. Eventually, once the inflammation gets bad enough, you are in severe pain. But by that point, there is little you can do alone to prevent the pain.

Even worse, many people will take painkillers when the pain first starts. All this does is hide the pain while the injury continues to worsen. When the painkillers eventually can’t keep up, you will likely be in serious danger.

An accident and injury chiropractor won’t disguise the pain. Instead, they will attack the source of the damage directly.

The sooner you get chiropractic care, the quicker you should recover from your injuries. This is why you should seek a chiropractor as soon as possible after an accident, even if you don’t think you were hurt. They may be able to diagnose a soft tissue injury that could be overlooked by emergency personnel.

Taking Care of Yourself After an Accident

Too many people don’t understand the importance of taking care of themselves after an accident. Typically, injuries either get better or get worse. It is very uncommon for them to not change.

If you receive proper treatment and follow the instructions of the people giving you care, usually your injuries will improve. And after enough improvement, they usually go away permanently.

However, if you don’t follow instructions or aren’t properly treated, your injury will probably worsen. If an injury worsens enough, you could end up permanently disabled. In the worst-case scenario, ignoring an injury could be fatal.

Even if your injury worsens while receiving care, if you are focused on your recovery and visiting the proper care professionals, you will know that you aren’t recovering and be able to act on that knowledge.

Protecting your health isn’t the only reason you should take care of yourself after an accident. Your financial health is equally important.

Insurance companies have a lot of power over how much compensation you receive after an accident. And if you don’t follow their rules, they might deny your claim or pay you less money than you need to recover.

One important rule is that the insurance company will only pay for treatment that is directly a result of an accident. Thus, if you wait to get treatment or don’t visit the right care professionals, the insurance company can claim that your inaction is responsible for some of the harm you suffered.

If the insurance company determines that, it can deny part or all of your treatment. And that means you probably won’t have the money you need to pay for your healthcare.

It can be difficult to visit countless doctors and healthcare providers while you are in pain after an accident or injury. But if you don’t act quickly, not only might that pain continue for years but you could be on the hook for paying for your care out of pocket.

How to Know if You Need an Accident and Injury Chiropractor

In some ways, a chiropractor is no different from any other type of healthcare professional. Often, you won’t know for certain if you need to visit one. Instead, you have a suspicion that you might, and you let the chiropractor investigate your symptoms.

As a rule, if you have difficulty moving your back or neck without pain, or your range of motion is limited, you should get evaluated by a chiropractor. Neck and spine injuries are the main types of injuries that chiropractors deal with.

Even if you aren’t experiencing any pain or limited movement, if you were involved in an accident that included a sudden change in kinetic motion, you should probably get evaluated by a chiropractor. If you don’t need their services, at least you will have the peace of mind that a professional made that determination.

If you are in need of chiropractic care for an injury, it is important to choose a chiropractor who specializes in accident and injury treatment. These chiropractors have the experience and expertise to identify and treat injuries that are specific to accidents, and they are familiar with the documentation and legal requirements that are often necessary for personal injury cases.

Why Does a Spinal Cord Injury Potentially Result in a Loss of Control Over Bowel Movements?

When your spinal cord is damaged, you are likely to suffer nerve damage. This means that your sense of feeling might be limited below the injury. Many people assume this means that you just can’t feel things on your skin, but it can also mean a loss of feeling internally as well.

If your sense of feeling is diminished internally, you have difficulty recognizing that your bladder or bowels are full. Effectively, you could control them if you knew you needed to, but you aren’t even aware.

Will Insurance Cover the Services of a Chiropractor?

If you were injured in an accident covered by insurance and the services of a chiropractor are necessary for healing or pain mitigation, you should receive compensation for those services. A Morgan and Morgan personal injury attorney can help you get the money you need.

When Should I Consult With a Morgan & Morgan Personal Injury Attorney After An Accident?

The best time to consult with a personal injury lawyer is immediately after you get injured. We don’t charge for the initial consultation, where we determine the value of your case and let you know about your legal options. Even if you don’t retain our services, you will receive valuable advice.

Can an Insurance Company Force Me to Go to a Specific Chiropractor?

That depends on several factors, including where you live. Most states protect your right to choose who provides your care. However, some states give insurance companies more power over that decision. If you think your rights are being violated, speak to a personal injury attorney immediately.

How Long Will I Need Chiropractic Treatment?

Unfortunately, there is no way to answer that question until you have been evaluated by an experienced chiropractor. Some injuries may require you to receive treatment for the rest of your life. Other injuries may be healed after a few weeks or months.

If you are concerned about paying for chiropractic services for the rest of your life, consult with a personal injury attorney at Morgan and Morgan. We might be able to get you compensation for those chiropractic services, allowing you to enjoy the benefits without putting a hole in your wallet.

After a Serious Accident, Consult With a Personal Injury Lawyer

If you have been seriously injured in an accident, you may need the services of an accident and injury chiropractor. Typically, these services are covered by insurance if you follow the right procedures. Contact Morgan & Morgan today to schedule a free case evaluation and learn about your options for getting compensation for chiropractic treatment.