No matter how minor or severe your car accident, any instance of jarring or impact can cause potential harm or injury to your body. Victims of a car crash may experience back pain, neck pain, or even migraines shortly after their accident, causing long-term effects or chronic pain issues. In many other cases, victims may not feel the impact of their car accident until days later. As alternative care becomes more available to those seeking treatment, chiropractic care offers a promising and all-encompassing approach to treating headaches and bodily pain after a car accident. From evaluation to treatment, spine and headache clinics in Denver strive to deliver the best possible care to get you back on your feet.
Here, we will explore what happens to your body during a car accident, the benefits of chiropractic care, and how chiropractors can help you rehabilitate and recover from your injuries, so that you can get back to the life you love.
Why Do People Get Headaches After an Accident?
Following an accident, many victims may convince themselves that their headache is the result of stress. Dealing with the nuances of a car accident — damages, injuries, legalities, insurance claims — can be more than enough to trigger a mild to severe headache. But headaches can also occur as a result of various other injuries and conditions, such as:
Whiplash: Commonly experienced in rear-end collisions, whiplash occurs when the head and neck are abruptly thrown or forced back and forth. This sudden movement can strain muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the neck, tearing muscles and creating tension. As a result, car accident victims may experience cervicogenic headaches, migraines, and increased tension leading up to the head.
Concussions or Traumatic Brain Injuries: When the brain bounces against the walls of your skull, usually when the head is impacted or shaken up, it causes brain bruising and trauma, known as a concussion. Classified as mild TBIs, concussions can cause a variety of symptoms, such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and cognitive difficulties. In cases of more severe TBIs, these symptoms can be amplified, leading to prolonged and intense headaches and other neurological effects.
Cervical Spine Injuries: Cervical spine (neck) injuries can cause headaches, neck pain, and stiffness. As the body absorbs the impacts of a car crash, these injuries can take the form of many effects, being as minor as a tweak or strain to a vertebral fracture.
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorders: The TMJ connects the jaw to the skull and helps us maintain functionality for opening and closing our mouths, eating, and biting. As an exposed area of the head, the TMJ can be prone to injury in a car accident, facing impacts from the side. An injured TMJ can cause tension and pain in the head, exacerbating headaches and tension.
Recognizing the Symptoms of Post-Accident Headaches
Post-accident headaches can vary depending on the underlying causes and the nature and severity of the car accident. However, as one of the most common symptoms after a car accident, many people experience them while sustaining no other injuries. A few things to look out for when assessing yourself for a post-accident headache are:
- Dull or aching pain in the head
- Sharp, stabbing pain in the head
- Throbbing pain, often accompanied by nausea and light sensitivity
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Dizziness and vertigo
- Fatigue
- Cognitive difficulties
- Visual disturbances
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you must visit a doctor for evaluation and treatment. Ignoring these symptoms may cause long-term complications if not treated properly, especially if you’ve sustained a moderate to severe concussion.
Once you’ve been evaluated, your doctor may recommend taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, resting and hydrating, or seeing a specialist for further treatment and care. In many cases, doctors may suggest chiropractic care to treat headaches at their root cause.
The Role of Chiropractic Care for Headaches
Chiropractors are trained to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal injuries, including those that lead to headaches. During an accident, the body can be pulled, pushed, or distorted in several different ways, causing musculoskeletal injuries such as muscle tears or tension, whiplash, or spinal compression. Chiropractors help to alleviate these injuries, ultimately facilitating pain relief in the head.
Using techniques such as spinal realignment, massage therapy, and acupuncture, chiropractors offer a holistic approach to healing and treating injuries throughout the body that may play a factor in headaches. Chiropractors deliver headache treatment through the following methods:
Spinal Alignment and Adjustment: Correcting misalignments in the spine can help relieve pressure on the nerves in the spine and neck, minimizing pain and tension in the head, neck, and back. This alignment also helps realign and optimize the spine for stability and balance, helping patients maintain proper posture.
Massage Therapy: By massaging muscles, chiropractors can relieve areas of tension and tightness, allowing muscles to relax. When muscles — especially in the neck and upper back area — are tense, they can become inflamed and press on our nerves, causing pain and discomfort.
Acupuncture: Chiropractors use acupuncture to stimulate the nervous system to release neurotransmitters that alter the body’s hormones, reducing pain and inflammation. If your headache is due to an injury to your nervous system, acupuncture can aid recovery by kickstarting your body’s healing responses.
Treat Car Accident Headaches and Injuries With Governor’s Parl Chiropractic
Car accidents can happen in the blink of an eye, causing debilitating injuries within seconds. If you are sustaining injuries from an accident, including headaches and neck pain, visit your doctor for a proper diagnosis and see a licensed chiropractor for treatment, rehabilitation, and recovery. Governor’s Park Chiropractic delivers full-service chiropractic care, treating patients from head to toe. As experts in musculoskeletal health, our chiropractors are prepared to help navigate the nuances of headaches and pain in the neck and spine.
For more information or to schedule an appointment at any of our three locations in Denver, Wheat Ridge, and Lone Tree, visit our website or call us at (720) 928-3683.
Governor's Park Chiropractic is the Colorado chiropractor team dedicated to helping individuals get out of pain and achieve better health. Offering a range of services and treatment options to meet the specific needs of each patient.