Being in a motor vehicle accident can hurt your body in a number of ways, and will often compel you to seek chiropractic care. An adjustment of your back or another joint can make you feel better, but if your primary care health provider has indicated that you have nerve pain or damage as a result of your accident, you might feel uneasy about the idea of adjustments. You should still plan to seek care from a chiropractor — just be sure to reveal the locations and severity of your nerve issues so that he or she can work around them. Here are some ways that the chiropractor can treat you without flaring up your accident-caused nerve pain.
Refined Adjustments
When you have nerve pain, your chiropractor won't adjust various parts of your body in the same manner as he or she may do so without nerve pain. While the chiropractor may still advocate some adjustments — after all, they may be exactly what you need to see a reduction in your nerve pain — he or she will do so in a very focused and refined manner. For example, your chiropractor may use an activator to perform highly precise adjustments. This is a tool that allows the practitioner to target a smaller area than during a standard adjustment with his or her hands.
Decompression
Chiropractors may also use decompression techniques to help the pain in your body without worsening your nerve pain. Again, this type of care can alleviate pressure in certain areas, which may reduce the nerve pain that has been bothering you. Decompression involves lengthening the targeted area and is a common way to treat back pain. Sometimes, chiropractors will use decompression tables or other devices, but something as simple as manually pulling your legs can reverse the spinal compression that you experienced in the accident.
Massage
Massage is a complementary therapy that many chiropractors rely on, and this form of treatment can be useful for reducing your pain when you can't handle a traditional chiropractic adjustment. By massaging key areas, your chiropractor can identify injuries in your muscles and tissues that may be contributing to your nerve pain. Repeated massages to these locations can alleviate the muscle restrictions, allowing them to relax and ideally cease exerting pressure on the nearby nerves. When your chiropractor uses such techniques to treat you without bothering the nerves, he or she may eventually be able to use traditional adjustment techniques to continue to help you.
For more information, contact a company like Preferred Family Chiropractic.
