Should I Go to a Chiropractor After a Car Accident? Here’s What You Need to Know

A lot can happen following a car accident. Visiting a chiropractor may be the last thing on your mind. 

However, seeing a chiropractor after a car accident can have tremendous benefits. 

In this guide, we will discuss the importance of seeing a chiropractor after a car accident and fill you in on all of the reasons why you should make it a priority.

Table of Contents

• Can Chiropractic Care Treat Auto Accident Injuries?
• 6 Reasons You Should See a Chiropractor After a Car Accident
• Should I Go to a Chiropractor After a Car Accident if I’m Not Feeling Pain?
• Let Us Help You Recover From Your Auto Accident Injury At Cascade Spine & Injury Center

Can Chiropractic Care Treat Auto Accident Injuries?

Yes, studies show that chiropractic care is an effective treatment for auto accident injuries.

Instead of treating symptoms with medication, chiropractic care focuses on directly treating the underlying injury that is causing you pain. 

Through advanced techniques like adjustments and other modalities such as muscle stimulation and rehabilitation exercises, a chiropractor can help support your body’s natural healing process so you can recover from your car accident injury.

Common Auto Accident Injuries That Chiropractors Treat

With millions of Americans suffering from whiplash each year, whiplash is one of the most common auto accident injuries that chiropractors treat. 

Other common auto accident injuries that chiropractors treat include: 

• Herniated discs
• Back pain
• Soft tissue injuries
• Concussions
• Neck injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• And more

6 Reasons You Should See a Chiropractor After a Car Accident

Seeing a chiropractor after a car accident can be a tremendous benefit to your health and wellness. Additionally, seeking chiropractic care can help you prove injury in the event that you wish to file a legal claim for your car accident.

Let’s take a look at the top seven reasons why you should see a chiropractor after a car accident.

#1: Proper Treatment Can Speed Up Your Recovery

Recovery from a car accident injury can be slow and frustrating. 

Car accident victims can find it difficult to complete daily tasks due to pain and soreness that can continue to persist even weeks after an accident. 

Addressing your auto accident injury with chiropractic care can help aid in your body’s natural recovery process so you can begin to feel better as soon as possible. 

Once diagnostic testing to assess your injury is completed, a chiropractor will create a customized treatment plan using chiropractic techniques and modalities to help restore your health back to pre-accident condition.

Chiropractic care after a car accident can help speed up your recovery by: 

• Reducing inflammation
• Restoring full range of motion
• Reducing scar tissue
• Restoring muscle and joint strength

#2: Chiropractic Care Can Help Prevent Long-Term Injuries From Developing

When injuries are left untreated, they can devolve into long-term injuries, resulting in chronic pain.

Not only does receiving chiropractic care help identify and treat the root of your pain, but it can help resolve your pain faster than if you were to not seek treatment.

#3: It’s a Non-Invasive, Drug-Free Treatment Option

Chiropractors focus on improving the body’s biomechanics without the use of medication and invasive techniques like surgery.

While pain medication can be useful in reducing pain, it only does so short-term. You may feel pain relief for a brief period, but eventually, the pain returns.

Chiropractic care focuses on long-term pain relief and natural recovery from your auto accident injury.

#4: Chiropractic Care Pairs Well With Other Natural Treatment Options

It is possible to recover from your auto accident injury using natural treatment options. In combination with chiropractic care, you may also receive other treatment options for recovery and pain relief, such as: 

• Acupuncture 
• Massage therapy
• Rehabilitation exercises

These treatments can be used in combination to alleviate your pain and aid in the process of your recovery.At Cascade Spine & Injury Center, you can receive all of these treatment options at our Portland multidisciplinary clinic.

#5: Your Chiropractor Will Educate You on Injury Prevention

Education is an integral part of chiropractic care.

When you are suffering from an auto accident injury, it is important to know what things you should be doing to aid in your recovery and what things you should avoid doing so you don’t slow your progress or cause further injury.

This expert guidance can make a huge difference in the speed and quality of your recovery.

Your chiropractor will make sure that you fully understand the scope of your injury and guide you through your recovery for the best results possible.

#6: Chiropractic Care Can Provide You With Documentation for a Legal Case

Documenting your medical care for insurance or filing a claim in court is essential. If you wait too long for chiropractic treatment, you may be unable to claim your injuries were caused by your auto accident. 

This is one of the reasons it is important to consult with a chiropractor as soon as possible following your auto accident.

Should I Go to the Chiropractor After a Car Accident if I’m Not Feeling Pain?

You’ve been in a car accident. Except for the headache you have from trying to deal with car insurance claims, you don’t feel any pain. 

You may find yourself wondering, do I need to see a chiropractor even if I feel fine? 

The answer is, yes.

Even if you are not feeling pain immediately following your car accident, there are two main reasons that you should still consult with an auto accident chiropractor:

1. Some injuries can remain “hidden” for a period of time before presenting symptoms.
2. The longer you wait to seek a diagnosis and care, the more difficult it will become to prove your injuries were sustained in the auto accident to your insurance company or in court.

You Can Have Hidden Injuries

Due to adrenaline, it is not uncommon for auto accident victims to not feel pain right away. In fact, symptoms can go unnoticed for weeks or even months. 

Perhaps you feel fine going to work and performing light, daily activities, but then notice that you are experiencing shoulder pain when you decide to go golfing the following week.

This is not an uncommon scenario. 

Many auto accident injuries like …

• Herniated discs
• Neck injuries
• Foot injuries
• Wrist injuries
• And shoulder injuries

… can go unnoticed until months or weeks later. During this time, injuries can progress and begin to present symptoms.

While these injuries may not be noticeable to you right away, a trained chiropractor can identify these injuries during full body assessments and begin a treatment plan to help you recover right away.

Seeking Treatment Can Help You File a Claim

If you have sustained an injury in an auto accident and need to file an insurance claim or lawsuit, you will need to provide strong evidence that your injury was the result of the car accident. 

It’s important to seek treatment right away so that any potential injuries can be identified and documented. The longer you wait to receive treatment, the more difficult it will become to prove your injury was sustained during the accident. 

Many chiropractors can also testify in court to the extent and correlation of your injury.

Let Us Help You Recover From Your Auto Accident Injury At Cascade Spine & Injury Center

Dr. McClaren is a certified chiropractic physician and accredited Accident Reconstructionist. He has helped dozens of patients recover from auto accident injuries in the Portland area. 

As a multi-disciplinary clinic, Cascade Spine & Injury offers chiropractic care along with massage therapy, acupuncture, and therapeutic rehabilitation for an effective, integrative approach to injury recovery. Book an appointment today to begin your recovery process from your auto accident injury.