Home Treatments to do after a Car Accident

Car accidents are extremely common, but their severity can vary widely. While some people are seriously injured or even killed, others may feel that they haven’t been injured at all.
 

Even if your car accident was fairly minor and you think that you haven’t suffered an injury, there may be more damage to your musculoskeletal system than you realize. This refers to the spine, bones, muscles, and connective tissues that give your body shape and strength. This is because the force that is placed onto the musculoskeletal system when you are involved in a car accident is huge. This type of extreme force can cause internal injuries, particularly to the soft tissues of the neck and back.

If you have been involved in a car accident, visiting the chiropractor is the single best thing that you can do to support your natural healing process and minimize the effects that the accident has on your body. Chiropractors are specialists in the musculoskeletal system. They will be able to assess you to see if your musculoskeletal system has been in any way damaged by the force placed on your body, and if so, provide treatments that are designed specifically to address them. These can include spinal manipulations, massage, and decompression therapy.

As well as attending appointments at your chiropractor’s office, you’ll also be given a number of things to do at home. These will further support the effects of the treatment that you’ve had in the office, ensuring that you make the quickest and smoothest possible recovery from your car accident. Here are some of the most common treatment to do at home following a car accident.

Use heat to help soothe your discomfort

It’s normal to experience some discomfort in the hours and days following a car accident. Many people are reluctant to take medication, but heat can be a good alternative. This is because heat soothes injured tissues and blocks pain receptors. It also helps to relax muscles and boost your circulation. Use a heating pad, a hot water bottle, or a thermal wrap and apply it to the injured area to obtain fast relief. Soaking in a hot bath is also shown to be very helpful, particularly if you have a bath containing Epsom Salt. This is because Epsom Salt can help to draw out toxins from within the body, reducing inflammation and the associated discomfort it causes.

Stay hydrated

Your chiropractor will make sure that you understand the importance of staying properly hydrated during the recovery period. Any damaged tissues inside the body require increased circulation to heal them properly and drinking enough water is essential to boost blood flow. Meanwhile, any cells that are being replaced with healthy, new cells also require plenty of fluid to enable them to form. If you don’t drink enough water, you could inhibit the healing process, meaning it will take longer for you to recover.

Do gentle exercise

Although intense physical activity may be off the cards for a while, your body will still benefit from some gentle exercise while you recover. One of the reasons for this is that exercise releases endorphins – hormones that can block pain signals and help to alleviate anxiety, stress, and other negative feelings that can accompany the aftermath of a car accident or suffering an injury. Walking and swimming are great, low-impact exercises that will gently work your muscles to strengthen them, while also producing endorphins.

Get plenty of rest

It may sound like a cliché, but getting enough rest really is crucial to make a smooth and timely recovery from your accident. Sleep helps the body to regenerate damaged cells – both those damaged in your usual day to day activities and those damaged as a result of your car accident. If you don’t get enough rest, you can potentially prolong the effects of your injuries.

If you would like more information about treatments that you can do at home following a car accident, don’t hesitate to speak to our team of chiropractors. Please call any of our locations: Seattle-Chinatown at (206) 233-0818, Skyway-Renton at (206) 772-0088, Bellevue at (425) 649-9335, or Tukwila-Renton-Kent at (425) 243-1200.