Nerve Damage From a Car Accident: Can a Chiropractor Help?
Car accidents can be traumatic for victims, leading to diverse types of injuries, including nerve damage. Car accident victims who suffer nerve damage often have to seek treatment from different medical professionals. However, most of the treatments require the use of medication or invasive procedures.
One highly effective alternative is chiropractic treatment. But how does a chiropractor treat nerve damage from a car accident? Woodstock’s top-rated pain and accident chiropractic practice covers the details in this post.
The Various Types of Nerve Damage From a Car Accident
There are more than 100 types of nerve injuries an individual can suffer following a car accident. However, they are all medically classified into a few main groups: peripheral, proximal, autonomic, and focal nerve damage. Peripheral damage is the most common.
Medical professionals also classify nerve damage by the type of nerve affected. Therefore, car accident victims can suffer cranial, autonomic, sensory, and motor nerve damage.
The Symptoms of Nerve Damage
The symptoms of nerve damage will vary depending on the affected nerve area and the severity of the damage. Any damage to the motor nerves can cause symptoms such as weakness, paralysis, muscle atrophy, and twitching.
Damage to the autonomic nerves will produce symptoms like constipation, sexual dysfunction, bladder dysfunction, and lightheadedness.
If the nerve damage affects the sensory nerves, you may experience symptoms like numbness, tingling, positional vertigo, and heightened sensitivity.
Most people who suffer nerve damage from a car accident will also experience chronic pain, regardless of the nerve clusters affected.
How Can a Chiropractor Help?
Chiropractic care can help during recovery from nerve damage by doing the following.
Managing Pain
The approaches deployed by chiropractors in nerve damage treatment can help relieve pain that arises due to muscle tension and inflammation caused by the nerve damage. This helps reduce reliance on pain medications.
Improving Range of Motion
Chiropractic adjustments can help improve the range of motion in individuals who have suffered nerve damage that limits mobility or the ability to move their arms, legs, waist, and neck.
Improving Overall Well-Being
Car accidents take a huge toll on the body. Chiropractic care can help reduce the aches, pains, and general feeling of discomfort all over the body, hastening complete recovery from the accident.
How Do Chiropractors Treat Nerve Damage From a Car Accident?
Chiropractors combine a range of approaches in the treatment of nerve damage. The composition of the treatment plan will depend on the type of nerve damage, the affected parts of the body, and the severity. Some of the treatment approaches will include:
- Spinal decompression therapy
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
- General spinal adjustments and manipulation
- Dietary modifications
Spinal adjustments are the bedrock of chiropractic treatment for most conditions, including nerve damage. This treatment focuses on realigning the spine to relieve pressure on pinched nerves around the area. Spinal decompression is effective in easing tension on pinched nerves. A combination of both approaches can help reduce inflammation and nerve irritation.
Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can also help reduce inflammation. Your chiropractor may recommend it as a standalone treatment or use it in combination with other modalities. Some chiropractors may use ultrasound therapy in place of TENS.
What To Expect During Chiropractic Treatment for Nerve Damage
When you visit a chiropractor for treatment for nerve damage from a car accident, you should expect in-depth diagnostic checks and conversations surrounding your accident. The chiropractor will want to understand the impact of the accident, the treatments you’ve undergone, and how the nerve damage is affecting your life.
Next, they will order various physical, neurological, and imaging tests that will help them make an accurate diagnosis.
The composition of your treatment plan will depend on the outcome of their diagnostic findings. You may begin the first set of treatments on your first meeting with the chiropractor or on subsequent visits.
How Effective Is Chiropractic Care in the Treatment of Nerve Damage From a Car Accident
Chiropractic care for nerve damage is highly effective because it treats the symptoms instead of masking the pain like over-the-counter painkillers. It’s also less demanding on the body compared to invasive surgical procedures. Ultimately, this means more manageable medical bills.
Patients typically report improved nerve function, reduction in nerve inflammation, improved spinal posture, and overall improvement in general body wellness by the end of the treatment.
Get Chiropractic Treatment for Nerve Damage From a Car Accident in Woodstock
Have you sustained nerve damage from a car accident? Ribley Chiropractic has over 21 years of experience helping Woodstock residents recover from diverse musculoskeletal issues and showing them the importance of chiropractic care. Call now to book an appointment.