Have you recently been involved in a motor vehicle accident? If so, you might have suffered a serious injury, with one of the most common being a thoracic injury. The thorax refers to the chest, and most thoracic injuries involve the thoracic part of the spine. Thoracic injuries can dramatically impact your overall quality of life, and some of them can lead to permanent complications. Therefore, you need to know what to do following a thoracic injury in a car accident. What should you do? Keep reading to find out.
Seek Medical Care Right Away
No matter how minor the car accident might seem, you need to seek medical care as quickly as possible. Some thoracic injuries can involve the spinal cord, and a few thoracic injuries could require emergency surgery.
Following a motor vehicle accident, you will have a lot of adrenaline flowing through your system. Therefore, you might still feel fine even if you have suffered a serious injury.
When you get to the emergency room, the doctor there will do everything possible to stabilize you. Then, you can undergo a variety of tests to make sure that nothing is missed. Finally, you can develop a plan for your recovery. In a lot of cases, a chiropractor can help you.
Visit a Local Chiropractor
Even if you are sent home from the emergency room, you still need to visit a local chiropractor for help with a thoracic injury. Even a minor thoracic injury can impact the alignment of the vertebrae in your spine.
If your vertebrae are not properly aligned, you could suffer nerve issues, ligament sprains, and range of motion problems. A chiropractor will listen to what happened in the accident to figure out where your issues might be coming from. Then, he or she can examine your spine to look for possible alignment issues.
Using a series of controlled thrusts, a chiropractor can move the vertebrae in your spine back into proper alignment. This is important for allowing your body to recover naturally. A chiropractor can also talk about stretches and exercises that can strengthen the muscles in your thoracic spine, which can help you complete the recovery process and prevent future injuries.
Focus on Rest, Diet, and Physical Therapy
Finally, to round out the recovery process following a thoracic injury, you need to get plenty of rest. Sleep is critical for giving your body a chance to recover.
You also need to eat a healthy diet that gives your body the nutrients it needs to heal properly. For example, lean protein is critical for building muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Antioxidants are important for reducing inflammation.
Physical therapy can also be an important part of the recovery process. A physical therapist can help you learn how to perform exercises that can improve your strength and flexibility. Work with your chiropractor to develop a comprehensive treatment plan that focuses on all areas of your life.
Recover Following a Thoracic Injury in a Motor Vehicle Accident
These are just a few of the most important steps you need to take if you have suffered a thoracic injury in a motor vehicle accident. Similar to other injuries, thoracic injuries can vary significantly in terms of their scope and severity; however, even if you feel fine after a car accident, you still need to seek medical care as quickly as possible.
Then, be sure to work with a chiropractor who can help you complete the recovery process. That way, you can put yourself in the best position possible to restore flexibility, functionality, and range of motion while also avoiding complications and side effects.
If you don’t have a local chiropractor, consider Accurate Chiropractic Clinic located at 12082 Cortez Blvd in Brooksville, Florida. Our chiropractors help people from Brooksville, Spring Hill and surrounding areas overcome pain from auto accidents and other health-related problems in 90 days or less without drugs or surgery. Our phone number is (352) 684-2707. Give us a call today. We’re here to help!
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