Why You Shouldn't Wait to Seek Chiropractic Care After an Auto Accident

You’ve been in a car accident. Your car may have suffered some minor damage, but you think you feel okay. You may not even realize it, but you could’ve suffered whiplash, an injury that affects 3 million Americans per year. But you might not notice the symptoms until later.

At Advantage Spinal Dynamics in Meridian, Idaho, Dr. Jamie Ricks and his team are experts at diagnosing and treating whiplash. We know what symptoms to look for and how best to treat the condition before it becomes a long-term health problem. If you’ve been in a car accident, don’t hesitate to get treatment. 

Whiplash: Why you shouldn’t wait

When you’re involved in an auto accident, your neck is propelled forward and back in rapid jerking motions that are quite unnatural. This causes damage to your soft tissues, including your muscles, tendons, and nerves.

Unfortunately — and the reason that you shouldn’t wait to seek treatment — whiplash is notorious for not showing symptoms immediately. You could suffer the injury during your accident, but not experience symptoms until much later. Symptoms include:

• Neck pain and stiffness
• Shoulder pain and stiffness
• Decreased range of motion in your upper body
• Stiffness in your arms and upper back
• Dizziness
• Nausea 
• Fatigue
• Headaches (especially at the base of your skull)
• Pain that gets worse with movement 
• Tingling
• Numbness

If left untreated, whiplash can pose problems that get progressively worse. You may begin to experience more serious symptoms like:

• Memory problems
• Trouble with concentration
• Depression and mood swings
• Insomnia
• Vision impairment
• Hearing problems, like tinnitus (a constant ringing in your ears)

It’s important to make an appointment with us as soon as you possibly can following your accident. The sooner we diagnose and begin treating your whiplash, the better your chances of avoiding the above symptoms. 

Treating whiplash with chiropractic care

At Advantage Spinal Dynamics, we’ve built our treatment for whiplash around a holistic model. We take all of your physiology into account when treating your injury. In addition to helping you heal faster and better, chiropractic can provide lasting long-term symptom relief. 

With chiropractic treatment, you don’t have to worry about any harsh drugs or invasive surgeries. You won’t need any extended downtime for recovery, and you won’t run the risk of addiction to opioids. 

Additionally, we can help you establish your medical record and provide you with documents to help you with a compensation claim or legal action as a result of the accident.

If you’ve been in a car accident, don’t let your whiplash become a long-term problem. Call us for an appointment today or schedule right on our website.