Types of Car Accident Injuries

Treat Painful Auto Accident Injuries with Chiropractic Care in Sewell and Turnersville, NJ

Being in an auto accident or even a minor "fender-bender" inflicts various degrees of trauma on your body, especially your musculoskeletal system.  Unfortunately, victims of a car accident may not feel the effects of muscle, joint and bone injuries until days or weeks after the accident occurred. Visiting their primary care physician for pain relief usually ends with their doctor prescribing muscle relaxers or pain medication that do not address the underlying cause of neck, leg, arm and back pain--a misaligned spine and compressed spinal nerves.

Whiplash

People suffering whiplash may not experience pain immediately after the accident. Instead, pain may come later in the form of back and leg pain,  stiffness, headache, dizziness and a burning sensation around the neck area. Other signs of possible whiplash include sleep disturbances, overwhelming fatigue, chronic sore throat and difficulty concentrating.  Whiplash may manifest in shoulder or arm pain as well. Symptoms of mild whiplash may diminish within weeks of the accident but moderate to severe whiplash symptoms can last indefinitely without comprehensive treatment from your Sewell chiropractor.

Back Pain

You can also suffer chronic and severe back pain following an auto accident unrelated to whiplash due to lumbar spine trauma. This commonly happens when you are wearing a seat belt and your upper body rotates against the seat belt. Where your lumbar spine and pelvis meets is called the sacrum. Joints connecting the sacrum to your pelvis and lumbar spine may get locked in a painfully rotated position that requires chiropractic adjustment treatment for back pain relief.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries may be serious since the spinal cord is directly connected to your brain. Paralysis may occur if an auto accident victim suffers loss of feeling and function in the arms, legs and back. Placement of the fracture will dictate the amount of paralysis inflicted. However, where the spinal cord is traumatized generally indicates where the paralysis begins. Less traumatic spinal cord injuries may also cause breathing, incontinence and speech difficulties. Chiropractic adjustment and manipulation techniques can help realign the spine and relieve pressure off nerves contributing to these problems.

Neck Fractures

Neck trauma sustained in a car accident may involve the spinal cord and spinal cord column (vertebrae). This type of injury can cause extreme pain, unconsciousness, tingling and numbness or even irreparable paralysis. Treatment for severe neck trauma depends on the severity of the injury and where the neck suffered the brunt of the injury.  Your Turnersville chiropractor can diagnose possible neck fractures using x-rays, MRI or CT scans.

Herniated Disc

If your back suffers trauma in an auto accident, one or more vertebral discs may slip out of place, bulge or rupture. Herniated discs press on spinal nerves, irritating and inflaming them. If you have a herniated disc, you may suffer numbness, intense shooting pains and weakness in your lower back, buttocks and legs.

For relief from painful whiplash and other musculoskeletal injuries for the surrounding communities of Sewell, Turnersville, Williamstown, Blackwood, and Glassboro, call our chiropractor today at 856-269-4567.