The patient will often seek care initially with their medical practitioner, which typically results in medications, including anti-inflammatories or pain medications. Some of these physicians will refer out for physical rehabilitation, but often physical rehabilitation addresses only the primary diagnosis from the medical physician versus looking at the entire person and all possible diagnoses that could be contributing to pain. This is one big reason why patients who suffer from injuries in car accidents suffer with residual symptoms the rest of their lives. Obtaining an accurate and thorough diagnosis from the very beginning is essential for the best outcome.

Do not equate the seriousness of an injury to the damage of a vehicle, or whether emergency care was necessary. What you may consider simple “soreness” after an accident is a signal alerting you to the fact that you may have damaged the discs, nerves, soft tissue, or even bones. The earlier these conditions are caught, the better the outcome. If missed, degeneration quickly sets in, and the pain will soon become chronic. The lack of care in these early stages of injury can have severe, long-term consequences.

Chronic pain is any pain that lasts longer than the injury suggests it should—generally six months or longer. A study performed at the University of Aberdeen School of Medicine and Dentistry (1) looked at 2,069 people who identified themselves as experiencing chronic pain. shows that chronic pain that occurs after a car accident is exceedingly common. The research team found that those who reported being injured during a car accident had an 84% increased risk of suffering from new onset, chronic and widespread pain.

Even in seemingly mild car accidents, there are radiological findings often present – including a loss of curvature in the neck and/or back. If these changes are not addressed, the patient is vulnerable to accelerated degeneration, and ultimately chronic pain.

Our integrative and collaborative team has the best understanding of how spinal problems can affect the posture and other areas of the body. Without this background, many providers miss ligament injuries from car accidents which often results in the wrong treatment.