The short answer is: as long as necessary! If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you are likely struggling with pain and discomfort in the aftermath. When considering what car accident doctor in Lithia Springs to meet with, you might not consider a chiropractor first, though these doctors also provide effective treatment for many injuries commonly sustained in a car accident like whiplash injuries. The spine is what connects and supports the whole body and when your spine is injured, your body will not function optimally. A chiropractor who specializes in treating car accident injuries can diagnose your injuries and provide you with a treatment plan to naturally reduce your pain and help your body heal and recover.
Immediate Medical Care
If the car accident was serious, you may have received medical attention at the scene. Paramedics will assess and address your immediate injuries, from scrapes and bruises to broken bones and more. You may even take a trip to the emergency room or urgent care if you have injuries that require immediate attention. Once emergent issues are taken care of, the emergency doctor or medical professionals treating you may recommend a treatment plan that includes follow up care. This is when your trip to the chiropractor should begin.
You may be referred to a doctor for follow-up care and assessment in days or even weeks after the initial accident, but you shouldn’t wait that long to see a car accident doctor. In fact, the sooner you see a specialist the more likely you are to experience a full recovery. While many injuries sustained can be obvious, such as cuts and scrapes, there are other injuries that take a while for you to experience symptoms. These are called hidden injuries because they often appear slowly over the hours and even days following a car accident. A car accident chiropractor can help assess for any hidden injuries and begin treatment right away.
Car Accident Chiropractors
Chiropractors use non-invasive, natural treatments to decrease pain by addressing misalignments in the spine and helping you improve your range of motion after a car accident injury. Chiropractors don’t just treat your neck and back pain; they also focus on how the musculoskeletal and nervous systems are impacted. The spinal column houses and protects the nervous system, and an injury or sudden impact to the spine can disrupt the flow of communication from your brain to the rest of your body. Chiropractors are skilled in identifying these misalignments and helping restore the spine to its proper position and thus take the pressure off your nerves.
Diagnostic Tests
When necessary, your car accident doctor will use a series of diagnostic tests to review your injuries and areas where you are experiencing pain. Diagnostic imaging tools like X-rays offer a clear picture of your spinal column as well as the rest of the bones in your body to help your doctor diagnose any injuries to the bones and joints. CT scans and MRIs are diagnostic imaging tools that also show how your muscles and soft tissues have been affected as well. For example, an injury to the neck can cause the supporting muscles to strain and become inflamed. Clear images using diagnostic tests help confirm your doctor’s diagnosis of your injuries so they can develop a treatment plan that’s right for you.
Common Injuries
Neck and back injuries are the most common types of car accident injuries and your car accident chiropractor is well-versed in treating those areas of concern and finding out how they may impact other areas of the body. Neck injuries are common when the strength of impact forces your head and neck to jolt forward and backward quickly and often out of normal range of motion. This can cause whiplash, a common car accident injury. Whiplash is one of those hidden injuries that may take days to fully appear as the muscles in your neck become inflamed and you begin to experience stiffness, soreness, and pain.
Treatment Plan Timing
Your car accident doctor will develop a treatment plan unique to your particular injuries, medical history, and goals for recovery. The treatment plan is developed once your doctor has a clear understanding of your diagnosis and what it will take to help you improve. Neither chiropractors nor other car accident doctors in can promise a fast fix to a complex car accident injury like whiplash. Trust in the chiropractor who creates an individualized treatment plan for you and walks you through what to expect in the days, weeks, and even months to come. The goal is to help promote healing and wellness in your body so you can experience restoration in your range of motion and a decrease in your pain.
Call AICA Orthopedics today to schedule an appointment with a car accident chiropractor and learn how this non-invasive, natural treatment plan will work for you.