When you get behind the wheel of a car, there is a good chance that you place safety first. You probably expect the other people to do the same thing. Unfortunately, even the best drivers could experience a motor vehicle accident.
Even though you may feel fine when you initially step out of the vehicle, you could wake up the next morning with significant pain in your head and your neck. Why are you suffering from such a severe headache following a car accident? What can you do to help yourself recover more quickly? That is where a chiropractor can be helpful.
Why Does Your Head Hurt After a Car Accident?
There are countless reasons why you might be experiencing headaches following a motor vehicle accident. For example, you may have struck her head on the steering wheel, dashboard, or window. Or, even though that airbag may have saved your life, its impact can also lead to musculoskeletal trauma to your head, face, and neck area.
If you are experiencing severe headaches following a car accident, understand that there are multiple types of discomfort. In general, two types of headaches you may experience include:
- Tension Headaches: If you feel like there is someone squeezing your head in a vice grip, there is a good chance that you are experiencing something called a tension headache. A tension headache develops when the muscles in your scalp and neck are pulling against your head. Often, this develops because ligaments and tendons in your head and neck area are sprained or strained following a collision.
- Migraine Headaches: If you feel like there is someone pounding on the inside of your head, or if you are developing nausea, you might have something called a migraine headache. Even though the exact cause of migraine headaches is unclear, it could have to do with changes in the way your nerves communicate with each other. This might be leading to blood flow changes throughout your head, leading to migraines.
Following a severe motor vehicle accident, you may think that you have to take prescription pain medications or undergo a surgical procedure. Keep in mind that chiropractic care is also an option.
How can chiropractic care help you recover from a headache following a car accident?
CHIROPRACTIC CARE CAN ADDRESS ALIGNMENT ISSUES IN THE NECK AND SPINE
In a lot of situations, both tension headaches and migraine headaches can be helped by improving the alignment with a Chiropractic Spinal Adjustment. For example, if you are experiencing a tension headache, there is a chance that your scalp may be pulled a bit tight because your spine is no longer properly aligned. If the vertebrae in your neck are out of alignment, the ligaments and tendons might not be able to function appropriately. They may be pulling on the muscles in your scalp, causing significant discomfort.
Alignment issues of the spine can also impact the way the nerves communicate with each other. If your nerves are not able to send appropriate signals to one another, this could also lead to headaches. With light Chiropractic Adjustments improving proper spinal alignment, restoring proper motion to the joints can help with these type of painful headaches.
A few benefits of chiropractic adjustments include:
- Chiropractic Adjustments restore proper motion to the joints and improve alignment, reducing painful headaches and helping to reduce future headaches.
- Because you do not have to take any prescription medications or undergo surgical procedures, the chances of complications or side effects following a chiropractic adjustment are minimal.
- Chiropractic adjustments can alleviate pinched nerves and disc compression, improving your mobility and flexibility.
- A chiropractic adjustment can also help you alleviate the pressure that might be pressing on certain parts of your back, also contributing to neck pain and headaches.
- Ultimately, a chiropractor is able to take a close look at why you might be experiencing headaches. Then, he or she will be able to advise you on what you need to do next to not only take away your tension or migraine headaches that also prevent them from coming back.
MORE THAN JUST ADJUSTMENTS AND MANUAL THERAPY: COMPLETE CARE
A lot of people believe that chiropractors only perform adjustments on the spine. Even though this is a major part of chiropractic care, a visit to the chiropractor is more holistic than that.
As is the case with a lot of medical issues, the causes, symptoms, and treatment of headaches are always multifactorial. Therefore, a chiropractor will help you take a look at every facet of your headache. Some additional treatment that a chiropractor may recommend include:
In order to alleviate nerve issues contributing to your headaches, a chiropractor may recommend acupuncture. If you have muscle, ligament, or tendon issues leading to your headaches, a chiropractor may also recommend massage therapy. If a chiropractor is concerned about your headaches returning in the future, he or she may recommend corrective exercises and physical therapy to strengthen your neck, scalp, and back. A chiropractor is going to individualize the treatment plan to the needs of each individual patient.
RELY ON THE HELP OF A CHIROPRACTOR FOR HEADACHE AFTER CAR ACCIDENT
If you are experiencing headaches following a car accident, a chiropractor can help you. This is important for helping achieve the fastest, most complete recovery possible while minimizing potential side effects. Count on Seminole Chiropractic Center’s Dr. Jenkins to help you.