Have you been in a recent car accident and feel like your body just isn’t right? Have you experienced pain on one side, difficulty bearing weight, or trouble sleeping?
If so, you may have pelvic misalignment after a car accident.
If left untreated, this condition may lead to increased pain and mobility issues.
We’ll share the top signs that your pelvis may be misaligned and give you an idea of the treatment options that may best help heal the issues. Find out how to get relief as soon as possible and end your misery.
Table of Contents
- Is Pelvic Misalignment After a Car Accident Common?
- Signs of a Misaligned or Shifted Pelvis From a Car Accident
- 5 Types of Common Pelvic Misalignment Injuries After a Car Accident
- 5 Chiropractic Treatment Options for Pelvic Misalignment After a Car Accident
- Why Is Seeking Immediate Treatment for Pelvic Misalignment So Important?
- Experiencing Pelvic Pain After a Car Accident? Find Relief With Chiropractic Care at Cascade Spine & Injury
Is Pelvic Misalignment After a Car Accident Common?
Pelvic misalignment after a car accident can be quite common. Recent data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that about 5% of serious injuries caused by car crashes are abdominal, which can include the pelvic region.
This is partially due to the mechanism of the injury, especially for the driver of the vehicle. In a frontal collision, the body is being pushed forward while the driver is braking, which can jam and torque the pelvis and lead to an imbalance.
Furthermore, when the body tries to compensate for other injuries that have occurred in areas such as the spine or legs, pelvic misalignment is likely to occur.
Signs of a Misaligned or Shifted Pelvis From a Car Accident
There are specific types of pain you may feel in your hip or other parts of the body caused by pelvic misalignment after a car accident. These include:
- Unilateral pain (mostly on one side, specifically in the low back area)
- Pain with weight-bearing on one side
- Difficulty sleeping, especially due to lower back pain on one side
- A difference in leg lengths (most easily seen when lying on the back or belly with your legs side by side)
If you suspect there has been a shift in your pelvic region due to a car accident, you should seek treatment right away.
Treating pelvic misalignment is common for us at Cascade Spine & Injury Center, especially when seeing patients with lower back or leg injuries. When we are able to realign the pelvis, it creates a proper foundation for the lower spine and everything above it, so patients receive even more benefits from treatment.
5 Types of Common Pelvic Misalignment Injuries After a Car Accident
#1: Bursitis
Bursitis is common near joints that perform a lot of repetitive motions, such as the hips, elbows, and shoulders.
It occurs when small fluid-filled sacs called bursae become inflamed. These sacs normally cushion the muscles, tendons, and bones around the joints, so when they flare up, the entire area can become painful.
A car accident can easily cause the bursae to become inflamed, which may limit your mobility in the pelvic area.
#2: Tendonitis
Tendonitis occurs when the strong cords that connect your muscles to your bones become inflamed, causing pain and swelling. The condition usually develops slowly over time, but a traumatic event such as a car crash can cause it to happen more suddenly, making it harder to use your legs normally.
A related condition to tendonitis is called tenosynovitis, which is the inflammation of the lining of the tendon’s sheath. Sometimes, the tendon and sheath may be inflamed at the same time, often leading to even more pain.
#3: Dislocation
When you think of pelvic misalignment after a car accident, dislocation may be the most common presentation of your injury. If automobile drivers and passengers see a crash coming, they usually plant their feet to brace for impact. This causes the force of the collision to travel through the legs and up to the hip joint.
With dislocation, the ball of the hip joint pops out of the socket. This is quite painful and usually leaves you immobile until the joint is placed back where it should be. Even after the injury is repaired, it often causes pain and other residual effects.
#4: Torn Labrum
The labrum is a tough ring of cartilage surrounding the outside rim of each hip joint socket. This tissue both cushions the hip joint and holds the top of the thighbone securely inside the socket.
Labral tears are common for those who have structural problems in their hips or participate in certain types of sports, but they can also happen from a sudden impact like a car accident. A torn labrum is usually very painful and can lead to further pelvic misalignment.
#5: Fracture
Hip fractures occur when the upper portion of the femur breaks just below where it fits into the hip socket. When we hear about a broken hip, we usually think of an older person whose bones have been weakened by osteoporosis.
But direct impacts like a vehicle collision can create enough force to cause this fracture in a younger, healthier person. Hip fractures are very painful and limit the use of your pelvis/hips until the bones heal.
5 Chiropractic Treatment Options for Pelvic Misalignment After a Car Accident
At Cascade Spine & Injury Center, we integrate a variety of treatment options to help patients who are experiencing a shifted pelvis from a car accident. Spinal adjustments are our primary method of care, but we may also use:
- Treatment modalities
- Massage therapy
- Mobility exercises; and
- Acupuncture
We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all treatment plan, so we not only come up with a therapy strategy based on your specific injury and physical condition, but we also constantly evaluate how you are responding to care and make adjustments as needed.
Spinal Adjustments
Spinal adjustments are how we manipulate the bones of the spinal column to help get it and all your other affected parts back in alignment. Our advanced chiropractic techniques may include diversified adjustments, motion palpation, drop table, and instrument adjusting.
If your condition prevents us from making traditional spinal adjustments, we may choose to pursue other positional releases using blocking or pillows.
Spinal adjustments are the best way to get the pelvis back in alignment after a car accident.
Treatment Modalities
Treatment modalities help relax muscles and release pain, so the spinal adjustments will be more effective. Examples of treatment modalities we may employ include:
- Ultrasound
- Hot laser
- Traction
- Interferential current
- And more
Massage Therapy
Massage therapy is an excellent complementary treatment to spinal adjustments and other types of chiropractic care. Our therapists use varying degrees of pressure to manipulate the soft tissues of your body — such as muscles, tendons, and ligaments — to help speed healing.
Besides releasing endorphins and helping you relax, massage also has many other benefits, including:
- Improved circulation
- Increased flexibility and joint mobility
- Recovery of soft tissue injuries
- Stimulation of the lymphatic system, which helps with tissue regeneration; and
- Enhanced overall wellness
Even after your pelvic misalignment is corrected, you can benefit from continued massage therapy.
Mobility Exercises
We consider our exercise rehabilitation services to be a crucial component to help you regain strength and fully recover from your collision. After an injury, your muscles, tendons, and ligaments may become weak and inflexible. Targeted exercises help restore:
- Flexibility
- Strength
- Coordination; and
- Endurance
Not only can the changes to your system be reversed with mobility exercises, but they can also help keep the imbalance from returning and prevent re-injury.
Our licensed rehab and exercise therapists tailor their plans to each individual patient and reevaluate as they progress through care. We will work personally with you to ensure you get the results you desire.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine that can help relax the pelvic area and increase the efficacy of treatment. We primarily use acupuncture to:
- Release tight muscles
- Reduce pain; and
- Speed up the body’s natural healing process
Many of our other patients who have sustained car accident injuries — including pelvic misalignment — have experienced great relief from acupuncture treatments.
Why Is Seeking Immediate Treatment for Pelvic Misalignment So Important?
Seeking immediate treatment for pelvic misalignment is so important because the hips create a foundation for the spine, and when they aren’t in the right position, it can throw off everything above and below them.
Sometimes a person will already have a bit of a pelvic misalignment before a collision occurs, and once they get injured, it needs to be addressed to resolve the injury. This is because pelvic misalignment causes biomechanical stress through the spine. If the misalignment is due to a difference in leg lengths, they may need heel lifts or orthotics to create balance and allow the injured areas in the spine to heal.
Experiencing Pelvic Pain After a Car Accident? Find Relief With Chiropractic Care at Cascade Spine & Injury
Cascade Spine & Injury Center is Portland’s most trusted car accident chiropractor. If you’ve been in a collision and are now experiencing pelvic misalignment and pain, contact us immediately so we can schedule an evaluation.
We will consider your injuries and physical condition to create a personalized regimen consisting of spinal adjustments and other therapies designed to bring you healing and relief as soon as possible. We pride ourselves on specializing in safe and successful treatment for all types of auto injuries.
Don’t let pelvic misalignment after a car accident interrupt your everyday activities. Call or book an appointment online today and find relief from your pelvic pain.
The content in this blog should not be used in place of direct medical advice/treatment and is solely for informational purposes.
