Car accidents are traumatic and can leave you with long-term consequences. Even a minor fender bender can result in injuries that interfere with your comfort, work, and sleep. Most of our patients reached out to us after an accident because they knew they needed help healing from their injuries. One question that many of our patients have is regarding how often to see us following an accident. The following briefing will provide some perspective on this matter.
Individualized Chiropractic Medicine
Although it can be easy to lump all car accidents into one category, there are several different kinds of accidents. These accidents vary in the type of impact and in the categories of injuries they tend to produce. For example, a rapid side-swipe crash with broken windows would tend to make more cuts or abrasions than a rear-end collision in a fully loaded moving van.
Frequently, injuries occur in groups. While whiplash might cause you the most pain, you might also have a concussion or some internal bleeding that doesn’t have very noticeable symptoms. The severity of your injuries also impacts what kind of treatment you need and how often you need it.
One factor that is universal is that seeing us sooner is always better for you. The sooner you see us, the faster we can provide you with pain relief and begin treatment. We can also spot minor issues and address them before they turn into chronic pain syndromes and other long-term problems.
Research-backed Protocols
Since the type and extent of your injuries can vary so wildly, your treatment schedule will differ from that of our other patients. In addition to your physical condition, another factor that influences your treatment schedule is the types of treatments you have scheduled.
At our office, our team painstakingly combs the research for the latest in chiropractic innovation. We also look for evidence-based studies and use our chosen treatments according to recommendations from researchers, product developers, and other members of the scientific community.
The Graston Technique is a method of separating muscle from the painful scar tissue that can form as a result of a car accident. It is highly effective, and studies have shown it typically takes between six and 12 20-minute sessions for maximum muscular release.
Laser therapies reduce inflammation, boost metabolism, and provide many other benefits for healing damaged tissue. These treatments aren’t like a topical cream that must be reapplied to achieve the same effect each time. Laser treatments have a cumulative treatment effect, so your pain levels, strength, and movement reap additional benefits with each treatment.
Depending on which type of laser is appropriate for your situation, you might benefit from as few as six treatments. The K-Laser is an FDA-approved treatment option that works best over six to 15 sessions. These are findings based on numerous studies we have analyzed in the latest research journals.
Results-Driven Care
Scientific studies are valuable, but our goal is to help you recover from your injuries and go on to experience better health than you had before the accident. For this reason, we do frequent assessments and reassessments throughout treatment. Our patients often are surprised at the many questions, tests, and examinations they complete at an initial appointment. but these provide the data we need to decide which therapies are best and to develop an approximate timeframe for treatment.
After you’ve received a few sessions with a laser or have been adjusted by someone on our team, we enjoy getting additional data to see how well treatment is working. If your body doesn’t respond to treatment, we need to know so we can change the frequency or type of your treatment.
In addition to chiropractic care, we also have a few credentialed massage and acupuncture therapists on staff. These give our patients additional treatment options to alleviate pain and enhance healing as well as overall health. The effects of these therapies may last for a week or longer, depending on individual response. Chiropractic visits for these therapies may follow a different schedule than other treatments, or you may be able to have multiple treatments during each appointment.
Many of our primary chiropractic care patients started seeing us after car accidents. When they experienced relief and felt their health was improving beyond what it was before the accident, they kept coming to see us. No one wants another person to be in a car accident, but our practice is thrilled when patients experience some of our services and decide to make us a permanent addition to their healthcare routine.
At our practice, we’re focused on providing results-driven care. The entire reason we exist is to get results that help you experience your best health. While we have specific treatment schedule recommendations, we’re also pleased to be able to offer you Saturday and extended workday hours. After all, the first rule of treatment is that it must occur on a schedule that fits into your busy life.
A Chiropractic Treatment Schedule for You
If you or a loved one has been in an accident, we want you to reap the benefits of chiropractic care as soon as possible. Once you’re in our office, your results and preferences can shape your schedule. Making an appointment with one of our chiropractors is easy. Simply email Dr. Artichoker at drtrent@denverchiropracticllc.com, call us at (303) 455-2225, or complete our online appointment request form.