Being involved in a motor vehicle accident in Newnan, GA can be an overwhelming and downright terrifying experience, especially if you've suffered an auto accident injury.
One minute you're driving down the road, and everything is fine, and the next thing you know, you've been involved in a car accident, and you're not sure what to do next.
If you were injured in your accident, no matter what type of injury it is or how severe it may or may not be, it's essential to know how to get your injuries treated.
Many car accident victims in Newnan that need medical attention seek chiropractic care after their accident.
Chiropractors can treat several types of injuries that are common in motor vehicle accidents.
And, unlike many other health care professionals, your Newnan car accident chiropractor won't prescribe addictive painkillers and will only recommend an invasive surgery as a last resort.
In the article below, we will discuss a few common types of car accident injuries and how a Newnan, GA, Chiropractor can treat them.
Table of Contents
- Common Auto Accident Injuries
- Whiplash and Other Neck Injuries
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Pinched Nerves
- Knee Pain
- Head Injuries
- How Can Arrowhead Clinic in Newnan, Ga Help You?
Common Auto Accident Injuries
A car crash can affect many areas of your body.
Some people experience pain and other injury symptoms immediately following the accident, while it may take other accident victims days or even weeks after the accident occurred to notice anything.
Accident injuries can have a long-term adverse effect on your health, comfort, and quality of life, so accident victims need to seek treatment as soon as possible after their accident.
Here are a few of the most common accident injuries that can be treated by chiropractic care.
Whiplash and Other Neck Injuries
Whiplash is a widespread car accident injury, especially after a rear-end collision.
Whiplash injuries occur when your head is suddenly and forcefully whipped backward and forward, similar to the cracking of a whip.
This motion can occur even in a minor car accident.
These soft tissue injuries can damage the soft tissue of the neck, and if the ligaments or muscles extend beyond the normal range of motion, you can develop small tears.
Sometimes auto accident patients don't realize they have whiplash until days or weeks after the accident when symptoms persist or become worse.
Common symptoms of whiplash are:
- Neck pain
- Upper and lower back pain
- Dizziness
- Arm pain
- Stiff neck
- Reduced range of motion in the neck, shoulders, or upper arms
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Shoulder pain
If whiplash injuries aren't treated correctly or promptly, they can continue to worsen and cause severe pain and limit your range of motion for years.
Some doctors don't take whiplash seriously enough and only prescribe pain medications to numb the pain.
But as the whiplash injury heals, you can develop scarring that will also limit your range of motion if your spine isn't correctly aligned before the scar tissue develops.
Chiropractors design treatment plans that can provide pain relief, restore mobility, and allows for long-term healing without the negative effects of prescription medications.
Chiropractors have extensive experience treating whiplash and other common injuries that other doctors simply “medicate” instead of treating.
Your chiropractor will be the one health care professional that will listen to your complaints and take your whiplash symptoms seriously.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are some of the most serious injuries you can sustain in a car accident.
If they aren't treated promptly, you will suffer the long-term consequences, and the medical bills will pile up quickly.
Your spinal cord is vital to the overall function and movement of almost every body part.
If your spinal cord is damaged in a car accident, it can cause partial or major loss of function, sensation, and paralysis, all of which can be disabling.
Spinal cord injuries occur when pieces of bone, disc fragments, or ligament bruises or tears contact your spinal cord.
When this happens, it can damage your nerve cells that are transmitted to and from your brain and body.
These significant back injuries often require substantial medical treatment for you to make a complete recovery.
Even if you see an accident chiropractor, surgery is sometimes necessary, followed by months of physical therapy and rehabilitation.
Seeking medical treatment immediately is necessary so the injury can be diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.
Pinched Nerves
Pinched nerves typically occur in your spine after a car accident, but you can experience a pinched nerve anywhere in your body after an accident.
When a nerve is pinched, you experience increased pressure on that nerve.
That pressure can cause chronic pain, numbness, and tingling.
Pinched nerves often develop in conjunction with whiplash and other spinal cord injuries, like herniated discs.
If you think you are experiencing a pinched nerve, you should seek medical care right away.
Your chiropractor can treat pinched nerves in several ways.
The most common chiropractic treatment for a pinched nerve is a manual spinal adjustment.
With manual adjustments, your nerve endings will relax and return to their correct position, alleviating pain and other symptoms.
The most common symptoms of a pinched nerve are:
- Tingling sensations
- Decreased sensation in the area supplied by the nerve
- Numbness in the area supplied by the nerve
- Muscle weakness
- Aching, sharp, or burning pain that will sometimes radiate outward from the area
- Feeling like the affected has “fallen asleep.”
Similar to many other accident injuries, other doctors will prescribe rest and painkillers for pinched nerves.
But if the source of the problem isn't treated, a pinched nerve can cause long-term health problems like chronic pain.
Chiropractic care addresses the cause of the symptoms to provide overall healing and improved health.
Knee Pain
The sudden impact of car accidents can cause knee injuries and knee pain, especially if your knees strike the dashboard, seats, or any other object inside the vehicle.
Knee injuries cause joint pain and pain to the ligaments and kneecaps.
If a knee injury is left untreated, knee injuries can cause long-term pain and difficulty walking and running.
Chiropractic accident treatments provide specific treatment to ensure your knee ligaments, joints, and muscles can heal properly.
Physical therapy performed by a chiropractor can help patients suffering from knee injuries recover and return to their normal life.
Before you decide to have invasive knee surgery, consider the benefits of chiropractic treatments and adjustments to relieve knee pain.
Head Injuries
Head injuries take many different forms.
Some can be relatively minor, while others can be life-changing.
When a blow to the head occurs, severe damage can occur as the brain is moved inside of the skull, which can cause a traumatic brain injury.
Concussions are another widespread occurrence when the head is banged around in a car accident.
Head injuries can go undetected for some time because, like whiplash, the symptoms can take time to appear.
Accident victims may not always realize that their nausea, headaches, or blurred vision occur because they hit their head in a car accident.
When a head injury occurs, having it detected quickly by chiropractic doctors is crucial for recovery.
How Can Arrowhead Clinic in Newnan, Ga Help You?
If you've suffered a car accident injury in Newnan, GA, the Arrowhead Clinic team can provide accident injury treatment personalized to your unique needs.
The team in Newnan will provide a treatment plan focused on your specific accident injuries.
The team of medical professionals with Arrowhead Clinic holds over 40 years of experience treating musculoskeletal pain and injuries common in car accidents.
Our goal is to make the community of Newnan, GA, a safer place by delivering world-class Chiropractic care after car accidents.
Arrowhead Clinic takes it a step further by preparing a patient profile and organized documentation of your injury that can help with your accident claim.
We can refer you to personal injury attorneys to help you with your personal injury claim and deal with the insurance companies after experiencing injuries in an automobile accident.
Our team is ready to help you regain your full strength.
If you need a consultation following your auto accident, click the button below or feel free to call (770) 637-5678 to book your free consultation.