An Automobile Accident is Frightening
Maybe you’re stopped at a red light and someone rear-ends your vehicle, or maybe you’re driving through a green light when someone runs the red light and hits the side of your car. Either way it is frightening and potentially very dangerous. 
Besides the obvious damage to your vehicle, the cost of an auto accident can be great; from injuries to your neck, back or extremities to chronic headaches, anxiety and fear of driving.
What Should You Do After an Accident?
There are several things you should do after being involved in an accident.
1. Do not leave the scene of the accident. If your vehicle is not interfering with traffic you may want to leave it where it is until the police arrive.
2. If anyone is injured call 911 and get an ambulance.
3. If you have an emergency road sign as in image to the right, use it and stay off the road. If it’s nighttime, and you have flares, use them if possible.
Of course there are a lot of other things you can do such as exchange information etc with the other driver, but the main thing is to stay in a safe place and get help for anyone that is injured.
What to Do at Home After a Car Accident
You may only feel a little sore after being in a car accident. When you get home, and even for a few days after, you should probably ice the area for at least 10 minutes at a time. You can use an ice pack wrapped in a thin towel (or paper towel). Make sure it’s not too cold on your skin. You can also use a natural muscle relaxer, such as Relax Already. You may also want to use a topical analgesic such as Sombra or Cryoderm (we use both in our office).
I have been treating auto injuries for over 32 years, and I would recommend that anyone involved in a motor vehicle accident to get their spine examined by a chiropractor to make sure they do not have traumatic subluxations (misalignments of spine due to trauma). Many of my patients had pain that they thought would go away. Initially they just covered up the pain with pain medication; but that is not a good long-term solution.
Ideally, the best thing to do would be avoid the accident in the first place. But of course, it’s called an accident for a reason. If the true cause of your pain is not addressed, a chronic pain can ensue. This can be chronic neck pain, chronic back pain or even chronic headaches. The best thing to do is get examined and treated properly by a chiropractor that has years of experience treating auto injuries. This is your best way to help avoid – potentially permanent injury.
Call our office at 860-583-4346 or fill out the form below.
Dr David M. Spitz is the founder and clinic director of the Chiropractic Health Center of Bristol, located in Bristol, CT. Since 1982, he has treated thousands of patients for various conditions ranging from neck and back pain, to migraine headaches. He specializes in treating patients who have suffered whiplash injuries and/or back injuries in a motor vehicle accident.
Dr Spitz was a volunteer EMT-I and a lieutenant for several years at the Burlington Volunteer Fire Department. He has lectured throughout CT on various topics including, chiropractic, stress management, headaches and preventing back injury in the workplace.
