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Can Spinal Decompression Help Treat Post-Accident Back Pain?

Are you still suffering from a past car accident? If the chronic pain in your back, neck, or leg area has become too unbearable, it may be time to try spinal decompression. This innovative, nonsurgical treatment can alleviate pain and pressure when performed by the experienced medical professionals of Impact Medical Group of Port Richey. Read on to learn more about this interesting technique that can get you back on your feet in no time.

Spinal decompression therapy is a modern traction procedure that can effectively treat pain issues that affect the neck and back area. For those that have experienced accident trauma, chronic pain in the cervical spine and neck area can be debilitating. This style of treatment effectively reduces recovery time and restores mobility in a non-invasive way. A great first step in determining whether this treatment aligns with your health goals is to speak with a professional. At Impact Medical Group of Port Richey, our team of professionals conducts comprehensive health exams, reviews health history, and engages patients in exercises before offering a customized treatment plan. Along with spinal decompression, adjustments, physical therapy, manual, or muscle stimulation may be introduced to complement care and improve effectiveness.

What can patients expect during this process? Generally, spinal compression treatments are performed on a chiropractic traction table. Once comfortable, a secure harness is attached to the patient’s hip area. Then, the team gradually moves the table to create a gentle stretch to the spinal area. This technique will allow the spine and the nerves surrounding it to relax and lengthen while creating more space between the vertebrae. Treatment times can vary but generally last between 30-45 minutes. Pressure can be adjusted at any time during treatment. Most patients report a reduction in stiffness in just a few treatments.

Using this therapy consistently can strengthen the muscles in the treated area, which in time, can stabilize the neck. This can also alleviate pressure on the neck area, which causes a domino effect of reduced pressure on the cervical spine and its discs. Over time, spinal decompression will then stretch the spine’s structural position. This shift gives the spine a healthy change that realigns and restores function. With most back injuries, lingering pain can cause disc and degenerative changes to the spinal column. This may compress the spinal cord, resulting in excruciating nerve pain. Using spinal decompression techniques can increase the flow of blood and nutrients to the affected area, aiding in the overall healing process.

Are you ready to learn more about the benefits of spinal decompression therapy? Let our team help you reach optimal health. Call Impact Medical Group of Port Richey at (727) 848-3377 to make an appointment today!

Why Do I Feel Pain Weeks After A Car Accident?

Car accidents can happen fast. Accident injuries, not so much. So, why are you feeling pain weeks after a car accident? Several factors impact delayed pain though one of the most common is the body’s self-preservation response. Impact Medical Rejuvenation of Tampa looks closely at how accident trauma can affect the body over time.

During the impact of an accident, the body’s initial response is to release a surge of adrenaline. This critical hormone is produced to protect from harm through the “fight or flight” response. Effects from this adrenaline deluge can include increased energy, dilated blood vessels or airways for increased oxygen, change in vision, a sudden increase in strength, or even the elimination of pain. The yin to the adrenaline yang comes in the form of endorphins. Your body releases these simultaneously to create a sense of calm and control. This wave can also affect the body’s response to pain and stress. For many, this means pain only appears after both adrenaline and endorphins have tapered off and the body has relaxed.

Common auto accident injuries that present as delayed symptoms include headaches, blurred vision, back and shoulder pain, neck stiffness, nausea, and others. Injuries like whiplash and soft tissue injuries that may have occurred from impact take time to appear. Because the ligaments and muscles were strained, inflammation and stiffness don’t appear immediately. Concussions are another common type of injury that are a result of sudden impact accidents. This brain injury can occur from a violent blow to the skull. In most cases, symptoms like dizziness, headaches, or sensitivity to light aren’t pronounced immediately and can appear days after. Back pain that affects the intervertebral discs is often delayed. Damage to a disc can appear as a tear, bulge, or hernia that will put pressure on nerves. Over time, the accumulation of this extra pressure will cause pain.

Though a car accident can happen in a matter of seconds, if not treated, injuries to the body can last indefinitely. That’s why it’s imperative to seek an early diagnosis, even if you might not show signs of injuries immediately. Receiving an early diagnosis can reduce recovery time and long-term pain complications in the future. 

At Impact Medical Rejuvenation of Tampa, our team of experts will conduct a full examination to determine all triggers and pain points. During this time, we will perform tests, X-rays, and thorough exams to see the full extent of the injuries and then create a personalized treatment plan for you. Call us at (813) 283-1910 or visit us online to schedule an appointment.

Is Manual Therapy Actually Effective for Accident Pain?

Manual therapy can be greatly beneficial to anyone, but especially when it comes to injury rehabilitation after a car accident. It can help speed up the healing process and help prevent re-injury in a variety of ways.

Learn how manual therapy works to aid the healing process from our manual therapy team at Impact Medical Wesley Chapel.

Benefits of Manual

Manual therapy is beneficial even if someone isn’t injured because it can help relax the muscles and relieve tension in the body.

While there is a range of different manual techniques, each is used to manipulate the muscles and tendons to loosen and relax them. In doing so, oxygenated blood can flow through them more efficiently, helping to reduce inflammation and pain.

By reducing inflammation in the muscles, manual also eliminates the pressure that may have been placed on the nervous system, helping your body heal and function optimally.

Ways Manual Can Help Patients Recover from Injuries

In addition to the general benefit of manual, patients who have been injured in a car accident can benefit from manual therapy for the following reasons:

Healthier Muscles

Put simply, a patient’s muscles will be healthier, and circulation will be improved after a manual. During and after a manual, a patient will experience a boost in the interchange between the cells of the muscles and the blood. The result is increased tissue metabolism. This can help the body repair itself.

Drug-Free Pain Relief

Most people may feel the aftereffects of a car accident for days if not weeks after the collision. This can range from aches and pains to severe whiplash. Inflammation is a natural response following any kind of injury, and pain and inflammation go hand in hand.

Manual therapy enables oxygenated blood to flow through the muscles, helping eliminate pain without the use of medication.

Shortened Recovery Time

By manipulating the soft tissues of the body, manual therapy can help car accident patients recover more quickly. Since manual therapy reduces the amount of inflammation in your muscles, they become looser and more relaxed after each treatment. As a result, patients can enjoy better range of motion, enabling them to get back to their daily routine more quickly.

Reduction of Scar Tissue

Scarring is a natural part of the healing process. When injuries occur in the musculoskeletal system, this scarring will occur internally. While you can’t see it yourself, you may be able to feel it. This is because thickened adhesions and collagen fibers can restrict movement and cause pain when you try to use the affected area.

Deep tissue manual has been shown to help break down scar tissue and can even prevent it from forming in the first place. 

Different Types of Manual Therapy

Several kinds of manual therapy can be beneficial for post-accident treatment. Here are a few of the most popular techniques that are used for injury recovery:

• Swedish Manual: The purpose of this manual technique is to relax the entire body. Manual therapists will rub the muscles with long strokes, following the direction that blood takes to get back to the heart.

• Trigger Point Manual: Trigger points are areas within muscle tissue that are tight and cause pain in different areas of the body. This technique is geared toward getting rid of the source of pain. It uses a series of pressure and release maneuvers, during which the patient actively participates by breathing deeply and noting where and how much each trigger point hurts.

• Deep Tissue Manual: This technique is similar to Swedish manual but, as the name implies, it uses deep pressure to help release tension in the body. Deep tissue manual therapists focus on the deepest layers of the muscles and tendons.
• Craniosacral Manual: This technique uses light touch to examine membranes and the movement of fluids in and around the central nervous system to provide pain relief from back pain, headaches, and more after a car accident.

Post-Accident Manual Therapy

If you are in pain after an accident, manual therapy may help! Our manual therapists at Impact Medical Wesley Chapel can create a comprehensive manual plan that includes deep tissue, trigger point, craniosacral, or relaxing Swedish manual to offer pain relief.

Don’t let lasting accident pain affect your daily life. Call Impact Medical Wesley Chapel to schedule an appointment today at (813) 953-1002!

What Are the Different Types of Manuals Used in Manual Therapy for Accident Pain?

The days and weeks following a car accident can be overwhelming due to insurance claims, vehicle repairs, and of course, pain if you sustained injuries. If your pain isn’t addressed promptly, it can result in chronic issues that can limit your range of motion and your quality of life.

This is why our team at Impact Medical Zephyrhills always recommends that people seek medical treatment immediately after an accident, including manual therapy.

Here are some different types of manual techniques that can be beneficial to help treat accident pain. 

Why Manual is Effective After an Accident

After an accident, you may have injuries to the soft tissues of the neck or back. Manual is generally an effective method to treat such injuries as it increases circulation, which in turn promotes healing.

If you get a concussion in a car accident, manual can help strengthen the parasympathetic nervous system, which is quite helpful for those who have a concussion.

Now, let’s see how different manual techniques can treat accident pain!

Types of Manual to Treat Accident Pain

Several kinds of manual therapy can alleviate car accident pain including:

Trigger Point Manual

Like unknotting a snag in a sweater, trigger point manual is used to change the “locking up” of muscles following an accident. Trigger point manual helps release the pain and tension in the muscles, thus improving the range of motion.

Since trigger points are caused by trauma to the muscles, this is an essential technique for treating injuries like whiplash. A skilled manual therapist can find the trigger point areas, compress them, and then release the isolated pressure, allowing the area to relax as it changes the memory of the muscle.

Craniosacral Manual

This technique is particularly effective for people who have experienced whiplash. Craniosacral manual therapy is very gentle and focuses on the head and neck. It is very relaxing and can also help reduce headaches after an accident.

Myofascial Release

Myofascial tissues surround and support the muscles in your body and can develop tightness and tenderness after an accident. Myofascial release manual will gently and gradually stretch these tissues, helping to relax the tension build-up and work out the adhesions that are causing pain. This ultimately improves your range of motion by relaxing and lengthening the supporting tissues.

Deep Tissue Manual

True deep tissue manual can be crucial to your healing process if you have developed scar tissue from a car accident. Deep tissue manual uses sustained pressure and slow, deep strokes, focusing on the inner layers of muscles and tendons, alleviating tension, and breaking up scar tissue.

It can also promote faster healing as it increases blood flow and reduces inflammation.

Swedish Manual

One of the most common forms of manual is called “Swedish manual,” which focuses on relaxation. It is gentler than deep tissue manual and is used to loosen tight muscles that are causing stiffness.

Following a car accident, you may find that the relaxation that Swedish manual offers is more important than ever, as it can help calm your nervous system, improve, and promote healing, and ease discomfort and soreness.

Neuromuscular Manual

The focus of a neuromuscular manual is to improve the alignment of the muscular and skeletal systems. Neuromuscular manual therapists will place consistent pressure on a site that has low blood flow or adhesions. This kind of therapeutic manual is highly effective when working with whiplash, muscle imbalances, and nerve compression after an accident.

Relax, Repair, & Rejuvenate

If you are experiencing pain and loss of range of motion after a car accident in the Zephyrhills area, our manual therapists at Impact Medical Zephyrhills can help! From relaxing Swedish or Cranial Sacral manual to deep tissue and myofascial release, we can find the best manual technique to treat your injuries.

Don’t wait. Call our manual therapists for a consultation today at (813) 706-5156!