Neck Pain Treatment After Car Accident

Neck pain commonly happens after getting into a car accident. Your neck is the most mobile part of your spine, able to rotate and bend. It is thus ideal to know what treatment options there are to relieve your neck pain after an auto accident.

Treatments for Neck Pain After a Car Accident 

Treatments differ because neck pain can vary from one patient to another. Below are the common treatments used:

• Home Remedies

When you need immediate pain relief after a car accident, home remedies can help. Using heat helps reduce stiffness and increase blood flow to the injured tissues. You can use saunas, hot packs, heating pads, or whirlpool baths.

Massage treatments also help improve your range of motion and reduce your pain. Massages relieve muscle tension, improve circulation, and reduce pain.

• Exercise

Low-impact exercises help improve strength and reduce neck stiffness. Exercising can lubricate your joints. You can do home exercises like walking or tai chi to treat your neck pain and improve functioning.

• Physical Therapy

Physical therapy helps stretch your injured soft tissues and neck muscles. It restores lost movement and function in a safe and structured environment. 

• Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care helps realign segments of your spine. It helps restore your normal neck movement. 

•  Medications

You can use medications to treat your neck pain. When done in conjunction with other injections and therapies, they help speed up your healing process. Different medications deal with what triggers the pain. Anti-inflammatory medication reduces tissue inflammation and swelling after an injury. 

There is medication for muscle spasms to improve your range of motion. Some medicine helps reduce pain and aches. 

• Surgical Procedures

Surgical treatment is essential where there are neurological deficits due to structural damage, including loss of sensation or muscle weakness. Your doctor can also recommend surgery if there is a risk of damaging your spinal cord. 

Recovery

Going for physical therapy helps in recovery. Your doctor can refer you to a physiotherapist. Additionally, recovery may involve practicing a good posture. Exercise also builds your neck strength and flexibility. 

Your doctor can also give you a foam collar to keep your neck in a stable position. But you should not wear the collar for more than three hours at a time. Avoid using them in the first days after your injury. But not all doctors prefer using collars because they slow healing if used for more than the minimum time.

Aftercare Alternatives

There are alternative aftercare remedies you can do. You can go for chiropractic care or massages to relieve the tension that can build up in your neck muscles. You can also take an electrical nerve stimulation to reduce the pain.

When to Contact Your Doctor

See a doctor if the pain and stiffness go away and come back. If you experience a localized weakness in your arm or leg, you may need medical treatment. Any bladder or bowel problems are reasons to see a doctor for further treatment.

For more reasons to see a chiropractor, visit Advanced Spinal Care at our office in Charleston, South Carolina. You can call (843) 350-5022 today to schedule an appointment.