Car Accident Tips: Expert Advice from a Local Prior Lake Chiropractor
Car accidents are one of the most serious injuries a human may sustain in their lifetime. Think about it - we hurl at high speeds in thousands of pounds of metal and then collide with something. Pretty scary, isn’t it?
The human frame wasn’t meant to sustain the impact of an auto collision. Seat belts and car design have come a long way in terms of preserving human life; however, the fast “jerk” that happens with an auto collision can cause both minor and major trauma. This fast jerk is also known as “whiplash.”
Many of us will have to endure the effects of a car accident at least once in our lifetime. I would like to go over the top tips on what to do after a chiropractor that will not only help you manage current pain, but also prevent chronic pain from setting in and causing problems in the future.
Heat over ice. After a car accident, many times your soft tissues will be damaged. Soft tissue such as muscle, ligaments, and tendons in the neck will be sprained and strained - in other words, torn up. Your body will immediately go into healing mode. Its natural response will be inflammation. Most of the time, inflammation is something we don’t want to have, especially chronically. However, in this case, inflammation will help bring blood flow as well as nutrients to the damaged area to begin “patching things up.” Ice will only cause vasocontriction (reducing the size of blood vessels) which will make it more difficult for the body to supply the damaged area with what it needs.
Avoiding strenuous exercises and work. Due to the fact that after a car accident, the muscles, ligaments, and tendons will be damaged, we want to give them some time to heal up before we subject them to hard work again. Gentle stretching is going to be your best friends. Go up to the pain but not into it. Gentle massages will also be helpful.
Anti-inflammatory diet - because there will be enough inflammation in your body due to the trauma from the car accident, avoid inflammatory foods. This will include things like sugar, processed foods (box, can, package), and foods containing gluten, dairy, soy and corn.
See a chiropractor right away. Damaged soft tissue will cause laxity, or looseness, in your spinal bones. This can cause things to misalign. We definitely don’t want your body to lay scar tissue over these areas. If this happens, the misalignments will become the “new normal” and will predispose you to future pain and problems. Overlayed with scar tissue, eventually this leads to joint restrictions and reduced range of motion and pain. A chiropractor will make sure that you are well-aligned and this will help prevent problems in the future.
Address problem areas right away - it is a lot easier to fix things earlier, rather than later. The sooner we can get you checked out, the faster we can get you back to normal! If you are even injured in a car accident, don’t wait - schedule an evaluation right away.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Thaddeus Sharikov
