Why Does My Neck Hurt So Much after a Car Accident?
Whiplash Injuries and Motor Vehicle Crashes
If you’ve been in any type of car accident, you can probably expect to experience some type of neck pain or discomfort within a few hours or a few days. That’s likely a sign of whiplash, the most common injury suffered in a motor vehicle accident. Whiplash can bring your life to a virtual standstill, making it difficult to perform even the simplest daily tasks, from walking to sitting down.
What Is Whiplash and Why Does It Hurt So Much?
Whiplash happens when you are in forward motion (as in a car) and you collide with a stationary object (such as another car). The impact of the crash brings your body to a complete stop, but your head continues forward, stretching the muscles and other connective tissue in your neck and shoulders. When it goes as far forward as it can, it then snaps violently backward, causing additional injury.
How Can a Chiropractor Help You after a Neck Injury in a Car Accident?
One of the common consequences of whiplash is a herniated or bulging disc, often in your neck or upper spine. Furthermore, the strain put on your neck and spinal cord in a whiplash injury can bring your spinal cord out of alignment, causing additional pain and discomfort.
A chiropractor will typically start with a simply spinal adjustment, so that you are properly aligned and don’t have any unnecessary stress or strain on muscles or impingement of nerves. A chiropractor may also use decompression techniques or massage therapy to help heal damaged tissue after a whiplash injury.
Accident Centers of Texas—Offering Comprehensive Medical Treatment in the DFW Metroplex
At Accident Centers of Texas, we focus all our efforts on helping restore patients to maximum health. We treat patients from eight easily-accessible locations throughout the Dallas-Fort-Worth area, including Oak Cliff, Arlington, Pleasant Grove, Garland, Irving and Frisco. Same-day appointments are almost always available. You may be treated by a chiropractor or a nurse practitioner, based on your medical concerns.
Appointments are available Monday through Thursday, from 9 am until 7 pm, Friday from 9 am until 5 pm and Saturdays from 10 am until 1 pm. To schedule a consultation, call us at (214) 974-4041 or contact us online.
