14. I was in a car accident. Should I see a Chiropractor?

If you are involved in an auto accident it is important to be evaluated to determine if there is a soft tissue injury.
Chiropractors focus on proper function of posture and the spine, nerves, muscles and ligaments, so the first thing evaluated is evidence of serious trauma such as fractures, etc.
Because the symptoms from a soft tissue injury may not show up until 3-7 days after the trauma, a thorough chiropractic examination is very important. Pain changes how a body moves, therefore after the initial pain improves, the body may adapt to moving differently.
Pain medication and muscle relaxers can mask the pain, but unless normal motion is restored, body motion will be unbalanced. Left untreated, the body adapts to the unbalanced pattern of motion, creating a chronic problem.