Six Back Pain Treatments That Can Help After a Car Accident
There are six gentle and effective ways to get relief for back pain following an accident that are commonly used by Denver chiropractors and physical therapists.
The period following a car accident can leave you wondering if you’ll ever feel like yourself again. If you’re experiencing back pain following a car accident, you may be particularly anxious regarding your ability to return to your job duties, your duties at home, and the activities that bring you joy in your life. Back injuries are common following car accidents. The impact of a collision can cause lumbar fractures, vertebra fractures, back sprains, back strains, herniated discs, torn muscles, torn ligaments, and a variety of other soft-tissue injuries. Some of the symptoms you may be living with if your back has been injured in an accident might include muscle spasms, searing pain moving through your back to your buttocks and legs, stiffness, reduced range of motion, sharp pains when you change positions, discomfort when walking or standing, and persistent tingling. These aren’t issues that will correct on their own without intervention. In fact, untreated accident injuries can actually progress to the point where you’re unable to function. This is why working with a care provider with in-depth knowledge of how to diagnose and treat musculoskeletal injuries is so important for recovery and rehabilitation.
When you work with a chiropractor or physical therapist in Denver to treat back pain following an auto accident, you’ll gain access to a variety of science-backed treatments for healing back pain. Your treatment plan can look different based on the type of injury that is causing your back pain. However, you can still get a good idea of what to expect when you visit a chiropractor or physical therapist for back treatments following an accident once you know about the six common back pain treatments.
1. Manual Adjustments
If the impact of your accident has thrown your spine out of alignment, the pain you’re experiencing may be caused by something called a subluxation. Manual chiropractic adjustments can offer relief for many people suffering from back pain. Using specialized techniques, a chiropractor will gently shift the misaligned vertebrae back into position to relieve the tension and pressure caused by the subluxation. As a result, blood flow returns to the area to help you enjoy proper function again. The positive evidence regarding spinal manipulation for low back pain is so compelling that the American College of Physicians guideline on low back pain actually recommends spinal manipulation.
2. Trigger Point Injections
Trigger points create spasms, tender points, and irritability in muscle areas. In some cases, you can actually feel or see a painful nodule. Both the upper and lower back areas are susceptible to trigger points following collisions. A trigger point injection is a targeted treatment that can help to undo the source of your muscle tension to provide pain relief while also stopping muscle spasms.
3. Therapeutic Massage
People suffering from pain and tension following car accidents can benefit from therapeutic massage techniques. According to a 2011 study involving 401 subjects, massage can be effective for the treatment of low back pain by providing benefits that last for at least six months following 10 weeks of treatment. Another study published in 2017 also found that massage is an effective treatment for creating meaningful improvements for people suffering from low back pain.
4. Lifestyle Recommendations
Life needs to go on in spite of back pain. If you’re currently suffering from back pain, you may find that it’s challenging to keep up with all of the responsibilities of daily life while you’re in pain. This is where working with a chiropractor or physical therapist specializing in rehabilitative health can make such a difference. These experts are often able to make suggestions for how to keep your back stable and supported throughout the day. This can look like suggestions for an ergonomic work chair, a prescription for orthopedic shoes, and guidelines for how to maintain proper sleep posture. Getting the knowledge you need to avoid exacerbating your injury while you go about daily life can be a true game changer if you’re feeling discouraged by life with back pain. It can also help you feel confident about resuming some normal activities without fear of making your injury worse.
5. Gentle Exercise
Exercise can seem like the last thing you should be doing if your back has been injured in a car accident. However, doing specific exercises under the guidance of a physical therapist can actually help with recovery. The danger of becoming dormant after an injury is that your muscles will grow weak. This can actually make a back injury worse because your back will no longer be supported by the rest of your body. In addition to helping you to maintain your strength, specialized exercises can also help to improve blood flow to the area of your injury. This is essential for healing!
6. Steroid Injections
People living with acute back pain with stiffness and spasms can sometimes only get the immediate relief they need through an option like a cortisone shot. While injections aren’t intended to provide long-term relief without accompanying rehabilitative care, they have been shown to provide relief for a full month in studies. Getting a shot from a holistic healthcare provider can be a good option for pain relief for someone who is understandably reluctant to accept an opioid prescription for pain from their primary physician.
Final Thoughts on What to Expect When Getting Your Back Pain Treated After an Auto Accident
Sitting with pain isn’t necessary. Care providers specializing in musculoskeletal injuries in the Denver area can provide you with customized attention to help relieve the underlying cause of the pain, tension, and loss of mobility you’re experiencing. Here at Guardian Medical, we’ve made it our mission to ensure that patients just like you can get access to the care they deserve following an accident. Our medical doctors (MDs) will visit your chiropractic or physical therapy office one to two times per week to meet with you to ensure that you’re getting the care you deserve. As MDs, we can help to bring the credibility you need to assist with the process of getting your claims approved. Guardian Medical will also create and manage all of your medical records for easy accessibility during the claims process. Learn more about how we can make the process of receiving care for back pain following an accident go as smoothly as possible by calling Guardian Medical at 303-222-0363.
