Chiropractic care from Align Health & Wellness may be the answer to your chronic inflammation issues. Call us today at (609) 799-8444 to schedule an appointment.
According to the New Jersey Department of Transportation, over 42,000 people sustained injuries from car accidents throughout the state in 2020. Even minor collisions can trigger the body’s immune system and cause painful inflammation in the neck, back, shoulders, and other injured body parts. If you experience discomfort due to inflamed tissues and joints after an accident, you might ask yourself, “Can a chiropractor help with inflammation?”
Align Health & Wellness is a leading provider of chiropractic care in West Windsor. At our state-of-the-art facility, we practice a whole-body approach to helping patients alleviate pain after injuries, including issues with inflammation after car accidents. We have decades of experience providing chiropractic treatments and other non-surgical services like acupuncture and physical therapy.
You could benefit from chiropractic treatments if you experience pain due to inflammation after an accident. Here, our team explains how visits with a chiropractor can minimize the effects of inflammation.
What Is Inflammation?
Inflammation is the body’s response to illness and injury. When the immune system senses an injury, including bone fractures and soft tissue trauma from an auto collision, it releases inflammatory cells to the site of the trauma.
The cells attempt to fend off foreign bodies like bacteria and repair the injured tissue. As a result of the inflammatory response, the injured site can develop redness, swelling, bruising, or pain.
Some medical conditions, like arthritis, produce joint pain and inflammation. The body has no injury or illness in those cases. However, the immune system constantly releases inflammatory cells to attack healthy cells, tissues, and ligaments.
Mild inflammation is temporary and expected after a car accident. However, inflammation around sensitive areas like the neck and spine can affect other body parts and cause further complications without prompt attention.
Why Inflammation Occurs After a Car Accident
In a car accident, the muscles and ligaments around your spine can develop micro-tears due to the force of movement your body experiences during the crash. When your body quickly jolts in any direction, the muscles and tissues can stretch, causing tears, strains, or sprains.
The tears are painful but not always noticeable on diagnostic image scans like X-rays. However, pain and inflammation in the back or neck clearly indicate injury.
For instance, whiplash is one of the most common car accident injuries resulting from rear-end crashes which may generate acute inflammation. According to recent statistics, rear-end crashes make up about 29% of all car accidents, making them the most common type of collision.
Can a Car Accident Chiropractor Reduce Inflammation?
Though it’s always best to visit an emergency room or primary care doctor after an accident for an injury assessment, your symptoms may develop days after the accident. When you’re in a car accident, your body releases adrenaline, which may temporarily mask the pain you’d typically feel from an injury.
Chiropractors offer a natural way to alleviate post-accident pain and discomfort. With personalized chiropractic care, you can recover faster and resort to pain medication only when necessary.
So, can a chiropractor help with inflammation? Yes, a car accident chiropractor can help relieve affected muscles and nerves using chiropractic adjustments and other treatments. Spinal manipulations could help your immune system release anti-inflammatory cytokines to help regulate your body’s immune response to injuries.
Chiropractic care also provides additional benefits after a car accident. For instance, a study shows that 94% of people with low back pain found relief in 14 days with chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic Treatments for Inflammation vs. Medication
People often resort to over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relievers like NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) to manage pain and discomfort from inflamed tissues and joints. However, the medication only provides short-term relief and does not prevent the body from triggering an inflammatory response. It’s also possible to experience long-term damage to the kidney, stomach, and liver from prolonged use of NSAIDs.
Unlike over-the-counter medications, chiropractors address the root of a person’s pain instead of providing temporary relief of its symptoms. For instance, if you have inflammation, neck pain, and stiffness from whiplash, your trusted chiropractor can treat the injury to relieve the symptoms and prevent permanent complications.
What to Expect with Chiropractic Treatment to Reduce Inflammation
When you consult a chiropractor about your pain after a car accident, they will first ask about your medical history. They will then ask about details from the accident, your symptoms, and possible pre-existing medical issues you have that could contribute to your aches and discomfort. A physical exam will follow the medical history discussion, which they will use to create a customized treatment plan.
Chiropractic adjustments will likely be part of your customized treatment plan to minimize your body’s inflammatory response. Manual spinal adjustments help restore natural alignment to encourage better communication between the immune system and injured areas. The adjustments can also eliminate pressure between compacted, herniated, or injured vertebrae, reducing inflammation in the neck and back.
The chiropractor may include other treatments as part of your plan to help your body recover naturally after an accident. For instance, low-intensity ultrasound treatment encourages tissue repair and minimizes joint inflammation.
If you have inflamed soft tissues, the chiropractor for inflammation may use a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) unit. A TENS unit has small pads that stick to your skin and emit a low electrical current into soft tissues to stimulate repair in inflamed muscles and affected nerves.
Reduce Your Chronic Inflammation Today with Chiropractic Treatments
Can a chiropractor help with inflammation caused by a car accident injury? It is possible for chiropractic treatment plans to help you manage pain due to inflammation.
At Align Health & Wellness, you can begin a safe healing process after a vehicular collision. Our specialists tailor treatment plants to accommodate your specific needs.
Our doctors accept most insurance plans, including workers’ compensation, no-fault, and personal injury protection (PIP). Schedule an appointment today by calling 609-799-8444. Same-day appointments may be available.
Are you also suffering from whiplash after a car accident? If you need a chiropractor, contact Align Health & Wellness!