Auto Accident Treatment in Duluth
Chiropractic care has proven effective for pain relief, restoration of function, mobility, and range of motion.
What is Whiplash?
When your vehicle is stopped suddenly, your body wants to continue its forward motion. Seatbelts, steering wheels and other parts of the car stop that motion. Meanwhile, your head stays in place momentarily before snapping forward.
This rapid motion affects the muscles and ligaments around the bones involved. When stretched and quickly released, the ligaments are strained and muscles have to work harder to hold everything in place. Muscle spasms are often the result.
Why do I Need Chiropractic Care?
Symptoms from whiplash don’t always show up right away. They can take weeks or months to present which can make it difficult to prove the origin for insurance purposes.
If an assessment is not done soon after the accident, when the problem is discovered, it can linger for a long time. Long-term affects from untreated whiplash include: spinal degeneration, bone spurs, osteophyte formation, increased stiffness and joint immobility.
Irritation and inflammation around the disc moves to the nerve causing chronic pain symptoms; like pain radiating down the arms and/or legs and headaches.
Can You Benefit?
Just as every person is different, every whiplash injury is different as well. Although there are different ways we can treat whiplash, the objective is the same. Reduce the patient’s neck pain and back pain as quickly as possible.
Your customized treatment plan may include the following:
Chiropractic Adjustments: Our primary treatment for subluxation of the neck vertebrae from a whiplash injury is a chiropractic adjustment. Displaced neck vertebrae are the likely cause of the patient’s whiplash symptoms. We carefully and gently adjust the displaced vertebra back into its proper position, relieving painful pressure on the spinal nerves.
Relaxing and Stretching Muscles: Muscle dysfunction can also result from a whiplash injury. To treat the affected muscles, we will carefully stretch them to relieve excessive tension or spasms. If a muscle is knotted, trigger point treatments, using a finger pressure technique directly on that knot might be used.
Electronic Muscle Stimulation: A painless electrical current is used to stimulate the injured muscles. The electrical current causes the muscles to rapidly contract and relax to promote faster rehabilitation and increased range of motion. This therapy can also be used to manipulate nerves to reduce pain and discomfort.
Home Exercises: A program of stretching and strengthening exercises is recommended between visits with our chiropractors. Once our chiropractor repositioned the vertebrae, strong muscles will help keep them there and help prevent further injury. The program also helps to restore the patient’s range of motion and function.
The time frame for recovery varies depending on the severity of the injury and how soon it’s addressed. The longer care is delayed, the more likely it is that fibrous tissue and adhesions will have to be broken down before healing can start.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Don’t put it off any longer, get relief from your chronic pain and get your life back again. Chiropractic Health Center wants to help you, contact us at (218) 628-0646 to make an appointment today.
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