Sciatica is a common and painful condition that can occur after a car accident, especially if the impact causes trauma to your lower back or spine. The sciatic nerve may become compressed or irritated, leading to sharp, intense pain that radiates down your back and through your legs, making it difficult to perform everyday activities.
If you’re experiencing sciatica after a car accident, it is important to seek proper treatment as soon as possible. This care can help you avoid long-term discomfort and potential mobility issues. In this blog, we’ll discuss some great ways your chiropractic team can treat sciatica so you can find relief and get back to living a comfortable, active life.
What is Sciatica?
Located near the lower spine is the largest nerve in your body: the sciatic nerve. It runs from your lower spine into your legs and is essential for movement and sensation in your legs. If you experience numbness or tingling that radiates from your lower back, down your buttocks, and into your legs, this may be a sign you’re experiencing sciatica.
In addition to the numbness and tingling, you may experience pain that extends down your legs and, in some cases, into your feet. This pain ranges from mild and dull to sharp and shooting, making it difficult to perform everyday activities. In some cases, this pain will go away on its own. However, some people will need specialized care and exercises to alleviate discomfort.
Why Do You Have Sciatica After a Car Accident?
It isn’t uncommon for some patients to develop sciatica after a car accident. But why does this occur? Accidents put intense stress on your body, twisting and compressing your muscles with the force. If you’re rear-ended or in a side-impact accident, the vertebrae of your spine may compress, leading to increased sciatic discomfort.
You may also develop a herniated disc, which may result in increased sciatic pain. In some cases, your accident may also exacerbate existing back problems. If you’ve dealt with sciatica before, it isn’t uncommon for this problem to return following the stress of a car accident. No matter why you’re experiencing this pain, treatment is essential to ensure a quick recovery.
Reliable Chiropractic Treatments for Sciatica
When experiencing sciatica after a car accident, turning to a chiropractor allows you to begin targeted treatment. This treatment results in faster recovery and lasting relief. Some of the most common chiropractic treatments your team will use to treat sciatica after a car accident include:
Spinal Adjustments
One of the most common treatments your chiropractor will use to treat sciatica after a car accident is a spinal adjustment. During these adjustments, your chiropractor will correct misalignments that may compress the sciatic nerve. This technique gently stretches your spine, helping you alleviate discomfort and reduce muscle spasms. Unlike some other therapies, spinal adjustments are a gentle, pain-free way to relieve pain.
Soft Tissue Therapy
In addition to spinal adjustments, your chiropractor can provide various soft tissue therapies to treat sciatica after a car accident. These therapies include chiropractic massage, cold therapy, and the ARP wave machine. With these various therapies, you can reduce muscle tension and inflammation. Over several weeks of treatment, you can reduce muscle spasms and deep pain in the affected area.
Rehabilitative Exercises
While in the office, your chiropractic team may provide you with a variety of rehabilitative exercises to address your sciatica. These exercises are designed to stretch and strengthen the muscles in your lower back. Over time, this treatment stabilizes the spine and reduces the pressure on your sciatic nerve. In addition to stabilizing your spine, these exercises also strengthen your core muscles, helping you avoid recurring injuries.
Lifestyle Adjustments
The final step your chiropractic team will take to treat sciatica after a car accident is to suggest lifestyle adjustments. Some lifestyle factors, such as poor posture, non-ergonomic desk setups, and inactive lifestyles, will increase your risk of developing sciatica. Your team may make suggestions like avoiding sitting for prolonged periods, creating an ergonomic desk setup, and being more physically active to help you prevent future problems.
The Importance of Early Treatment
If you’ve recently been in a car accident, you may consider opting out of professional treatment, especially if you aren’t experiencing discomfort. However, choosing to put off care, even without pain, can result in more complex problems down the road. Some injuries may take several days or weeks to present symptoms.
Instead of putting off care, it’s important that you turn to a trusted chiropractic team as soon as possible. Even after the most minor fender benders, you can develop a variety of injuries, including sciatica. By visiting a trusted professional as quickly as possible, you can begin treating injuries before they lead to disruptions to everyday life.
Whether you’re experiencing sciatica after a car accident or think you came out of the accident without a scratch, you should work with a reliable chiropractic team to ensure your health and well-being. Don’t put off care because you think you’re fine. Instead, turn to a chiropractor for support and trust that you can address even the smallest soft tissue injuries.
Helping You Recover from Sciatica After a Car Accident
Struggling with sciatica after a car accident can be debilitating, but there is pain relief within reach with the support of a trustworthy chiropractor. If you’re looking for a reliable chiropractic team in the Tooele County area, turn to our Muscle & Joint Chiropractic team. We’ve provided the most reliable chiropractic care to patients across Tooele and Grantsville for years.
Unlike the competition, our team spends dedicated time with each patient, crafting a unique treatment plan tailored to their pain and discomfort. When you visit our office, you can trust that you aren’t following a cookie-cutter treatment plan. This care is perfect for helping you find pain relief, whether you’re experiencing sciatica, neck pain, whiplash, or other injuries.
If you would like to learn more about how our team can help you recover from sciatica after a car accident, don’t hesitate to contact us today.