“Treatment for back pain from car accident? ”
I've been having lower back pain since i got into a car accident 1 month ago. I didn't break any bones but the pain will not go away. What can be done to help my back pain?
24 Answers
Go to the ER first. They will document your injury and see if anything else is going on. Then get an exam by a chiropractor to see if there are any shifted vertebral segments.
We see many patients that have been in car accidents. We shorten the time of recovery by many months.
Find out the cause of the problem via a professional.
It sounds like you are experiencing late effects of whiplash due to you car accident. This is a common problem when the head is thrown forward and back.The muscles of the neck and upper back are strained and sprained, along with inflammation which causes the pain. Use ice and see a chiropractor for an examination with X-rays to rule out deeper problems.
You are not alone, many people involved in accidents don't have pain for a few weeks or months. I would recommend that you see a local chiropractor to be assessed for whiplash or other conditions associated with a motor vehicle accident. Generally, the faster care is initiated, the less time it takes to recover. Your doctor may also talk to you about therapy, massage, and acupuncture. All of these are great therapies that can speed your recovery.
Thank you for reaching out and good luck with your healing journey.
Thank you for reaching out and good luck with your healing journey.
Back pain from a car crash is common. I assume you had x-Rays taken of your low back to confirm no fractures. Pain can manifest itself in many different ways. Soft tissue injuries, not bones, are also very common. I recommend to go to your doctor and have further evaluation of your low back and a possible MRI to rule out disc or soft tissue injury. Finding the true diagnosis to your pain symptoms is the first step in recovering.
My recommendation would be to go to a chiropractor to be evaluated and have an X-ray done to start. Depending on symptoms, you may need an MRI.
Dr. Carlisle
Dr. Carlisle
It is essential that you see a chiropractor ASAP. The longer you wait, the greater the chance of your problem becoming permanent.
You should schedule an appointment with a back specialist. A chiropractor!! We see these types of injuries every day. You may have sustained a whiplash type of injury. Chiropractic adjustments along with physiotherapy will help to alleviate your pain. Make that appointment now.
Chiropractors have a great reputation and success with auto accident injuries. Even though you didn't break anything the G forces a body sustains from these types of accidents not only strains muscles and ligaments, it also disrupts the normal biomechanical workings of the spine. It will only get worse the longer it remains unattended and the longer it will take to get better.
You should seek help with a chiropractor as soon as possible. The longer you wait the more difficult it will be to fix the problem. The chiropractor will exam your spine and associated structures to determine what is going and correct the cause of your pain.
More than likely you will be corrected in couple weeks and the pain will be alleviated quickly.
More than likely you will be corrected in couple weeks and the pain will be alleviated quickly.
Thank you for the question.
Patients that suffer from pain as a result of a motor vehicle accident often seek out chiropractors for help. I would recommend making an appointment with one to have an examination done to find the source of your pain. Once that is found, they should be able to put together a treatment plan to help you get out of pain. There are many different types of treatments a chiropractor may do to help. Once you begin to feel better, they may introduce a rehab program as well. Good luck on your recovery.
Yours in health,
Christopher Sitarski, DC
Patients that suffer from pain as a result of a motor vehicle accident often seek out chiropractors for help. I would recommend making an appointment with one to have an examination done to find the source of your pain. Once that is found, they should be able to put together a treatment plan to help you get out of pain. There are many different types of treatments a chiropractor may do to help. Once you begin to feel better, they may introduce a rehab program as well. Good luck on your recovery.
Yours in health,
Christopher Sitarski, DC
Most definitely chiropractic care can help. You will need a full examination first to rule out anything extraordinary. A chiropractor will set you up with some adjustments, physiotherapy, and corrective muscle exercises.
Research shows that chiropractors are very good at treating low back pain. I would find a chiropractor who takes X-rays and works with car accident cases on a regular basis. In the meantime, you can try stretching and use heat and ice on your back for pain.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Further tests should be done including x-rays, mri's and ct scans.
Visit a chiropractor
If broken bones have been ruled out, you may have a soft tissue injury. This is very common in auto accidents, especially if your body is jarred suddenly. Soft tissue injuries will not show up on xray and need to be evaluated to determine the extent of the injury before making any treatment recommendations. Typically if a problem has not started to improve on its own after a couple weeks of rest, then treatment will be required. In the mean time you can use ice packs to keep the inflammation under control (25-30 minutes on, 1 hour off and repeat). This will not fix the injury but should at least alleviate some of the discomfort.
If activity doesn’t make the pain decrease I would go get a professional evaluation from a chiropractor. I have seen too many patients who waited months and for some it complicated recovery. For some it was such an easy fix they kicked themselves for not coming in earlier. Most sprains and strains will start to resolve after six weeks without care. However, why deal with a higher level of discomfort if you don’t have to. Even if chiropractic care takes the pain down a few notches over the next few weeks while you heal. I hope it all works out.
Chiropractic and massage should always be considered when involved in a car accident.
Seeing a Chiropractor after a car accident is a must in my opinion. Whiplash injuries can be life long if not treated correctly after the accident. I would recommend treating with a Chiropractor and if needed get in to your M.D. for some medications.
The treatment for back pain post-motor vehicle accident is a bit tricky. Your body is very tight after an accident and people tend to want to stretch the tight muscles. This is not going to help and may hurt yourself more. Gentle chiropractic manipulation and passive therapy followed by a stretching and strengthening protocol is the best solution.
In health,
Gary Mendez, DC
In health,
Gary Mendez, DC
A lot! Low back injury is common after a motor vehicle collision. There is often muscle strain, and sometimes ligament and cartilage damage. There is sometimes disc injury and even endplate vertebral fracture with herniation of disc material into the fracture. There can be other microfractures not always seen on radiographs (“x-rays”) or even CT or MRI. Spinal instability can result. So, a thorough physical examination should be performed, imaging done as necessary, and a diagnosis made. Imaging in different pisitions are sometimes performed. In my office I do a functional exam: we see what you can and cannot do in addition to traditional orthopedic assessment. We also assess patients neurologically. I use McGill’s work and treatment approaches, if you want to Google that.
Treatment would include targeting exercises at the injured tissues to strengthen, gradually and without pain. There are also many passive therapies for pain reduction, speedier healing and increased range of motion. Active therapies (ones patients can do on their own once they can successfully demonstrate and oerform them) are most important. It is my job to make you independent of doctors.
So yes, much we can do. One question we always get is “Why spinal manipulation” after a car crash? The answer is complex, but in a nutshell, it is because when spinal ligaments are injured, they need to move during the repair phase of healing. Compare to an ankle sprain: part of rehab of those torn ligaments is gentle movement and eventual weight-bearing movenent. You have conscious control over ankle movement. But humans do NOT have conscious control over individual spinal movements. But those injured spinal joints and ligaments NEED to move just like the ankle joints during healing. So, spinal manipulation by a trained professional provides that movement when you cannot. Make sense?
Treatment would include targeting exercises at the injured tissues to strengthen, gradually and without pain. There are also many passive therapies for pain reduction, speedier healing and increased range of motion. Active therapies (ones patients can do on their own once they can successfully demonstrate and oerform them) are most important. It is my job to make you independent of doctors.
So yes, much we can do. One question we always get is “Why spinal manipulation” after a car crash? The answer is complex, but in a nutshell, it is because when spinal ligaments are injured, they need to move during the repair phase of healing. Compare to an ankle sprain: part of rehab of those torn ligaments is gentle movement and eventual weight-bearing movenent. You have conscious control over ankle movement. But humans do NOT have conscious control over individual spinal movements. But those injured spinal joints and ligaments NEED to move just like the ankle joints during healing. So, spinal manipulation by a trained professional provides that movement when you cannot. Make sense?
The forces placed on a human body in a car accident almost always result in injury to the soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments, discs).This sprain/strain injury can be properly evaluated and treated by a doctor of chiropractic.
Chiropractic should always be the first choice of care in auto accident injuries
