There is a common misconception that all car accident injuries are severe and immediate. However, even serious injuries are sometimes hidden behind minor symptoms. If you've been involved in a car accident, it's important you know what signs you should not ignore.
Numbness
If you detect a loss of feeling in any area of your body, this issue is a cause for concern. Numbness is most often linked to a joint injury. Under the skin is a complex layout of joints, muscles, and nerves. When an individual suffers a joint injury, any inflammation or shift in the joint can also compress the nerves surrounding it.
The nerves play a critical part in your ability to feel and sense pain. Nerve damage caused by a joint injury is not a life-threatening case, but it is one that will not heal on its own. Chiropractic care to adjust or correct any joint injuries can help relieve the nerve compression and resolve this symptom.
Limited Range of Motion
In order to function, it's critical that you be able to move. As a result, if you experience a decrease in your ability to move around freely, you need to speak with a chiropractor to try and get to the bottom of the problem. A decrease in your range of motion, with or without pain, can mean several things.
For example, a person who finds it challenging to rotate their neck after an accident could indicate inflammation within the muscles of the neck. Manipulation techniques would be critical in this instance to reduce the inflammation to restore their range of motion.
Constant Headaches
When an individual experiences frequent headaches after an accident, this symptom is often indicative of a back, shoulder, or neck injury. Whiplash is a common injury that leads to headaches. Whiplash is an injury that arises when the neck forcefully jolts backward or forwards, which is common during an accident impact. The jolting movement causes inflammation within the joints, which can cause the accident victim to suffer from tension headaches.
If left untreated, the headaches will progressively get worse, and the individual could even see a decrease in their ability to move their neck freely. Manipulation is incredibly important for whiplash injuries because it minimizes the inflammation, which will, in turn, minimize the tension that is causing the headache.
If you experience any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with an accident chiropractor in your area.