Each year there are more than 16 million car accidents. Most of those accidents are minor and cause no outward signs of injury. Unfortunately, even if you are not visibly cut or bruised, you may still have injuries to your back and neck that cannot be seen.
Concussions
Concussions occur when someone hits their head or is hit in the head hard enough to cause the brain to bounce off the skull. This causes swelling and bruising of the brain that can be mild, moderate or severe. Symptoms of a concussion include headaches, dizziness and fogginess.
Dislocations and Misalignments of the Extremities
Impacting the seatbelt can cause injuries to the shoulders and hips. Knees can get injured by impacting the dash or door or getting twisted upon impact. If you happen to be holding on to the steering wheel or stick shift at the moment of impact your wrists, hands and elbows can become injured, misaligned or dislocated. Symptoms of extremity dislocations and injuries include pain, loss of range of motion and swelling.
Herniated Discs
The impact of the car accident jars the spine, which can cause the discs to slip out of place. When this happens, the discs put pressure on the nerves running through the spine, causing inflammation of the soft tissues, back pain and numbness or tingling.
Misalignments of the Spine
Misalignments of the spine are extremely common during auto accidents. This causes inflammation of the soft tissues, back, neck and leg pain, loss of range of motion and headaches.
Sprains and Strains of the Back and Neck
Even if you avoid herniated a disc or dislocating a joint, you could still experience a strain or strain of your back and neck. Sprains and strains occur when the soft tissues and muscles are stretched beyond their normal range of motion. This results in pain, inflammation and swelling.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a severe sprain and strain of the neck. It occurs when your head is forcefully bounced against the headrest and slung forward only to be stopped by your body in the seatbelt. This strains all the muscles in your neck and sprains the ligaments. It also throws your cervical vertebrae out of alignment. Symptoms of whiplash include severe headaches, nausea, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness. Untreated whiplash can lead to a deterioration of the discs and bone spurs.
Chiropractic Treatment for Car Accident Injuries
Our chiropractor in Dunedin can treat injuries of the muscles, joints and vertebrae after a car accident. Even if you are not experiencing symptoms, we recommend that you call and make an appointment to check for injuries to your back and neck. Car accident injuries of the musculoskeletal system can take days and even weeks to appear. By the time you feel pain, your body has already started trying to heal the injuries, creating inflammation. This can affect other nearby soft tissues resulting in more pain.
To schedule an appointment with our chiropractor, call us at (727) 733-0433 .