Statistics reveal that in 2016, there were 395,785 traffic crashes in Florida. This is a significant increase from 374,342 in 2016. Of the 395,785 crashes, 2,935 were fatal, causing 3,176 deaths. In 2014, 11 vehicles were involved in fatal car accidents in Plant City, Florida, causing six deaths. Plant City is Dr. Chambers’ hometown and home to one of our Chambers Medical Group locations.
One of the most common types of physical injuries following an auto accident is neck pain. If you sustained a neck injury in a car accident, you should immediately seek medical attention from a auto accident chiropractor or doctor at Chambers Medical Group. Some of the symptoms you will experience when you sustain a neck injury include:
- Stiffness and pain in the muscles of the neck, shoulders and upper back
- Sensory abnormalities such as tingling and numbness in the arms and hands
- Headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, poor balance, slowing of your thinking, and jaw pain
While symptoms may appear immediately after a car accident, there are many that are often not felt until many hours after you have sustained the injury.
Treatment for Neck Pain Following an Auto Accident
When you have sustained a neck injury it is important to seek medical help as soon as possible. You should immediately visit your doctor to have your injury diagnosed and treated. Therapies and medications to ease the pain and get you back on track to good health will most likely be prescribed. These treatments can include:
- Chiropractic Treatment: You should ask your doctor to refer you to a good chiropractor to treat your neck injury. This is necessary to help in realigning the bones of your spine and restoring integrity to your muscles, ligaments, and joints in your neck area.
- Trigger Point Therapy: The soft tissues in your neck could get damaged and cause trigger points to develop. These are tight bands of knotted muscles that lead to pain. You can reduce this pain by opting for trigger point therapy. This treatment includes various techniques including injections and massage that promotes healing of dysfunctional neck muscles.
- Traction & Vibration Therapy: Another treatment for neck injuries include traction and vibration techniques. These modalities help increase blood flow to the damaged soft tissues and promote quicker healing. It also reduces the risk of contracting long term postural damage that can lead to excruciating pain in the future.
- Myofascial Treatment: Car accidents can cause damage to the soft tissues in your neck. Because of this, it is likely that your doctor will use various techniques to help stretch tight muscles, reduce muscle spasms, and increase the mobility of your neck.
- Cold Laser Therapy: This type of therapy for neck pain after a car accident is drug-free and painless, making it one of the ideal treatments for such injuries. Cold laser therapy effectively helps to decrease pain, swelling and inflammation in your neck area. At the same time, this therapy also boosts your body’s natural ability to heal.
- Therapeutic Exercises: It is important to make sure that scar tissue is properly aligned in the damaged tissues as the soft tissues try to repair itself following an auto accident. Your car accident doctor will recommend and supervise therapeutic exercises to help in repairing, remodelling and rehabilitating the areas injured in your neck.
- Simple Neck & Back Exercises: You can help restore full range of motion by doing some gentle stretches and exercises from the comfort of your home after you have been released from your physician’s care. It is best to learn these exercises correctly in your physician’s office then continue them at home as needed.
- Neck rotation: Neck rotation helps greatly in rehabilitating neck injuries. To perform a neck rotation, sit or stand with a straight back keeping your arms by your sides. Next, twist your head gently to the right as far as you possibly can without discomfort and hold your neck in the position for a few seconds. Now, repeat this stretch to the left. Alternate, this simple exercise for at least five times for each side.
- Anterior shoulder stretch: This exercise may seem difficult at first, but is easy to master with practice. Stand up straight and move your feet a shoulder width apart from each other. Now, reach out and grasp your hands behind your back. Your elbows should remain straight. Next, gently bend forward at your hips and stretch your hands up to the ceiling. Hold this position for 10 seconds, and gently go back to a standing position.
- Upper back stretch: This is yet another simple exercise that can alleviate neck pain caused by a car crash. For this exercise, stand up straight and keep your arms by your sides such that the palms face outwards. Now, rotate your elbows forward, while you roll your shoulders to feel a gentle stretch in the upper region of your back. Hold for about 10 seconds and then release. Repeat at least 5-6 times.
Word of Caution: Do not start exercising until you have consulted a doctor or chiropractor at Chambers Medical Group. These physicians will tell you what type of exercises and the number of repetitions that you should be performing.
- Natural Treatments: To treat neck pain after an auto accident, you can opt for natural treatments as well. One of the most effective ways to alleviate neck pain is to apply heat to the affected area – you can use a thermal wrap, heating pad, or a simple hot shower. The heat will help in soothing injured tissues and block pain receptors. Do not use heat therapy more than 15 minutes at a time. Massage therapy with essential oils can also work wonders to treat neck pain after a car accident. You should visit a licensed and experienced therapist at Chambers Medical Group to get the best results. Before you try any natural treatments for neck pain caused by an auto accident, you should consult your doctor first.
Get Top-Notch Care for Your Car Accident Injury
If you or a loved one has been in an auto accident, make sure that you get the best car accident injury care at Chambers Medical Group. Give us a call at 1-888-6BackMan to get the treatment you need for your injuries.
Chambers Medical group has car accident treatment clinics in the following locations:
- Neck Injury Treatment in Tampa
- Neck Injury Treatment in Plant City
- Neck Injury Treatment in Brandon
- Neck Injury Treatment in Lakeland
- Neck Injury Treatment in Sarasota
- Neck Injury Treatment in Louisville
- Neck Injury Treatment in Lexington
- Neck Injury Treatment in Florence
