Treating Painful Muscle Spasms After A Car Accident

The aftermath of a car accident varies depending on the severity of the accident. The severity of an accident is determined by car position, the force of impact, other object, and of course your body’s reaction to the trauma. The most common car accident injury is whiplash, but there are a variety of other ailments that are not life-threatening you can experience. Muscle spasms is another symptom experienced by victims of the collision. Treating painful muscle spasms after a car accident is possible through chiropractic care. However, it’s important to understand why you are experiencing muscle spasms in the first place.

Why Do Muscles Ache and Spasms After a Car Accident?

Muscle pain as a result of the car accident is caused by two main reasons.

The first is that the muscle fibers have been overstretched. This causes inflammation and swelling to occur, similar to sprained ankle or wrist. The build up of swelling and inflammation irritates the nerves surrounding the muscle. It can take several days for the inflammation to build and reveal the irritation. Sometimes several days after the car accident will pass before symptoms show.

The irritation of the nerves sends signals to the brain to protect the damaged muscle. The muscles then contract and the area becomes immobilized. Thus, in addition to the soft tissue damage the inflammation continually causes the muscles to tighten and spasm.

The second reason for aching muscles after a car accident is the counter force your body experiences. When you see the accident about to happen, your muscles begin to brace for impact.

These injuries are typically seen in the neck, shoulders, and arms of the driver in the vehicle, as they brace against the steering wheel.

Treatment for Muscle Spasms

As it was previously mentioned, chiropractic care is the most effective in treating painful muscle spasms after a car accident.

One of the therapies chiropractors use to reduce inflammation is cold laser therapy.

Cold Laser Therapy

At RxWellness Spine & Health we use state of the art technology with cold laser therapy. This laser therapy penetrates deep into your muscle tissue to reduce pain, inflammation, and promote a quicker healing process.

By using cold laser therapy there is a higher chance of less scar tissue in your muscles, which means that you have less chance of re-injuring the same area later in life.

Chiropractic Physical Therapy

Physical therapy of the spine is also a proven method for treating damaged muscle tissue, and RxWellness Spine & Health has developed their physical therapy program specifically in mind for auto accident patients. Our physical therapy program uses both chiropractic care with physical therapy in conjunction. There are 3 phases of the program.

Phase 1: Relief Care

During relief care the goal is to minimize your symptoms and promote healing to your injuries through non-invasive methods. It is during this stage of the chiropractic physical therapy program where the following measures are used:

Spinal adjustments
Cold laser therapy
Massage therapy
TENs unit

Phase 2: Corrective Care

In the second phase the focus our doctors and team is to restore function for the patients daily activities. This is done with chiropractic adjustments, physical therapy and active rehabilitation exercises. The focus of this stage is to:

Restore strength of muscle & ligaments
Stabilize posture
Increase range of motion & flexibility
Restore proper biomechanics
Muscular re-education
Improve endurance

Phase 3: Maintenance

The last phase consists solely on chiropractic care and spinal adjustments. We recommend checking in with your chiropractor periodically to maintain the hard work you put in to restoring your body.

RxWellness Spine & Health has been serving Northern Virginia with its skilled doctors for over 25 years. Our team is the most equipped in treating painful muscle spasms after a car accident, and believe in putting our patients’ well being first. If you’ve been injured or are experiencing muscle pain in your back, neck, or shoulders call our office today at 703-904-9666.

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