Car accidents are “exciting” events but not in the way your first trip abroad is exciting, not in the way a roller coaster is exciting, and not in the way the birth of your first born is exciting. After a car accident, your body is flooded with the hormone adrenaline (epinephrine), which is responsible for your body’s fight or flight response as well as your body’s amazing ability to mask pain for hours, if not days after the accident.
As a result of this adrenaline rush, drivers continuously believe they are not hurt and they leave the scene of the accident thinking they don’t need to seek out medical attention.
After a wreck, some injuries like a broken nose, a gash in the forehead filled with glass, or a deep and worrisome cut in the leg are easy to spot. Obviously, you need to seek medical attention at the nearest ER, but others like soft tissue injuries, whiplash, spinal cord injuries, and head injuries may not reveal themselves for days.
Should you see a chiropractor after a car accident, or will a doctor suffice? Does it matter? While some injuries clearly need to be examined by a medical doctor, like a broken bone, or a deep cut, but others, especially the less noticeable ones should be addressed by a chiropractor. Why? Because chiropractors treat neuromuscular disorders and misalignments of the spine that may be causing debilitating pain.
What do chiropractors treat?
- Migraines
- Whiplash
- Sciatica
- Neck stiffness
- Arm pain
- Neck and back pain
- Car accident injuries
- Reduced range of motion in the neck or back
- Numbness and tingling in the arms or legs
If you were in a car accident, seeking medical treatment is essential. You should see either a doctor or a chiropractor no later than 72 hours after the crash. Is one better than the other? It depends on your particular injuries. Often, it’s best to see both, but at the least you should see a chiropractor, which counts as seeking “medical treatment” according to the insurance industry’s standards.
Related: What Not to Do After a Car Accident
Chiropractic helps car accident victims by reliving pain, restoring mobility, and promoting long-term health and healing. If you experience pain after a car accident and ignore it, it can lead to irreversible damage. Not only that, but if you fail to seek medical care promptly after a crash, it could mean the insurance company tries to devalue or deny your claim.