Q) I have been treated at the hospital after my auto accident; do I still have to consult a Wirth Chiropractic in Greenville, NC?
A) Yes, even when you have been treated initially in the emergency room of a hospital after your auto accident, it is always fantastic to consult a chiropractor. The physician at the hospital will mainly take care of cuts, bruises, broken bones, and bleeding injuries. You will be prescribed regular analgesic or painkiller medications for your pain. Such medication will provide short-term pain relief, but the main cause of your pain could remain undiagnosed.
Sometimes, when you have suffered whiplash injury, you might not even experience symptoms for days, weeks, and even months, and your condition could remain undetected. Therefore, for detecting all your auto injuries and for receiving the right treatment, you must pay a visit to the chiropractor.
You should not look at this at being a punishment but more of a privilege. You want to be healthy right?
Q) What is whiplash injury, and is it quite common in auto accidents?
A) Whiplash injuries are the most common types of auto injuries, especially when the vehicle has been rear-ended. Even if you car has suffered minimal damage, or you were travelling at less than 10 mph at the time of accident, you are most likely to suffer from whiplash.
As the name suggests, you cervical spine is “whipped” by the external force, which jerks your neck backwards and then forwards, causing cervical misalignment or neck ligament sprains and tears. Even if the symptoms are not evident at first, the whiplash can deteriorate into chronic pain condition, and limited neck mobility. If it is left undetected, it can also cause osteoarthritis and other severe conditions later on―none of them you want to experience.
If you do not think this situation can become worse, you are certainly mistaken.
Q) Will chiropractic treatment help with my neck pain?
A) Chiropractic treatment will treat the main injury, and therefore it is much more effective than painkillers and analgesic medications. Wirth Chiropractic of Greenville, NC will first detect the type and extent of injury and accordingly prescribe an effective treatment plan. If the cervical area of the spine has become misaligned, the chiropractor will use various techniques to align the spine correctly, relieve pain, and restore full range of motion of the neck, arms, and shoulders.
Depending on the extent of injury, you might have to undergo message therapy and do corrective exercises as well. Massage therapy is very helpful in relieving muscle tension in the neck area, and relieving pain. The prescribed exercises will help in hastening the healing process, and in restoring your body’s ability to move, twist, stretch, and pivot like it should.