You’re driving along Keystone Avenue one day. It’s a nice day in Indianapolis. A traffic light just in front of you changes and you apply the brakes. The truck behind you didn’t until it was too late. 

The damage from the car accident looked like it was all on the rear bumper, but a few days later you notice your neck muscles are a little stiff. This stiffness extends into your shoulders and upper back, where things just feel sore. What’s happening in your neck and back are the initial stages of your body’s response to whiplash.

Waiting to see how you feel doesn’t make it any better, either. The problem is the tissues in your neck are deranged. They become inflamed and unlike the sensation of soreness you get out of a really heavy workout, your neck has a pretty limited range of muscle movement. When you exercise, this feeling of soreness is a sign your body is producing muscle growth in your legs or arms. But most people don’t really exercise their neck, and this soreness from a whiplash injury can be more damaging and long-lasting. 

The scar tissue your body produces in your neck, like any scar, restricts movement in your neck. Without treatment and depending on your body, it’s not uncommon for whiplash symptoms to linger for weeks or months. Like any pain, if it lasted more than a couple of days you’d get some help, and why it is important to see a chiropractor after car accident.

Auto injury and whiplash injury fling your head and neck in the initial seconds of an accident, pulling muscles and ligaments in your neck and upper spine. Whiplash injures extend beyond just soreness in your neck. Additional symptoms of whiplash include neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, upper back pain, and reduced neck mobility. 

Physical therapy with a chiropractor after physical trauma is the best method for reducing ongoing neck pain, stiffness, soreness, and headaches.

Indianapolis’ traffic stats took a turn during the pandemic

In March 2017 the Indianapolis Star had a story on what we were all sensing: traffic enforcement has dropped and people are driving with near reckless abandon on Indiana’s roads and highways, increasing fatalities:

Despite a decrease in traffic due to stay-at-home orders and a shift to work-from-home, Indiana saw an 8.1% increase in the number of fatal crashes in 2020 compared to the year before.

There were 813 fatal crashes in Indiana in 2020, according to Indiana State Police. That’s up from 752 in 2019.

The increase matches a nationwide trend: According to the National Safety Council, the number of motor-vehicle deaths in the U.S. increased 8% from 2019 to 2020. The non-profit estimated the number of vehicle miles traveled was 13% lower in the same time frame.

INDOT is still finalizing its 2020 numbers, but estimates from trackers at 140 locations around the state showed average daily traffic volumes last year were between 7.4% and 12.7% lower than 2019. 

And those are just the fatal crashes. The injury-inducing crashes are just as bad as drivers speed up, drive bigger vehicles, and enforcement stays relatively low. 

Because the majority of whiplash incidents impact the spine and the many sensitive nearby nerves and tissue, chiropractic care is an excellent way to treat pain after an X-Ray or medical diagnosis rules out any immediate life-threatening issues involving bleeding, dizziness, tiredness, or numbness.

Because most traditional medicine will rely on pills and creams to relieve pain, they don’t treat the underlying causes of the whiplash injury, however chiropractor after car accident can provide you with the treatment you need. 

IHS’ chiropractic care is non-invasive and gentle. Many of the patients who come to IHS for whiplash treatment and pain relief find relief with only a few chiropractic visits. 

Some patients choose to start with multiple treatments per week for a month or six weeks — treatment that is covered with many insurance plans. We’ll begin with an assessment and consultation on your benefits. Those choosing multiple treatments per week get a jump start on feeling better sooner. As symptoms improve visits can come less often or settle into a regular monthly session for assessment.