The aftermath of a car accident brings many problems, even if the accident wasn’t severe. You start to worry about the car, the passengers—if there are any—insurance, and if adrenaline still runs through your body, you may not feel muscle spasms caused by severe contractions or abnormal pressure. When muscle spasm symptoms kick in, you may wonder if the symptoms are a direct cause of the accident, especially if you had no visible injury from the auto crash. The best way to get an answer to your pain or to confirm if your muscles are spasming is to go to an accident injury clinic.
How Long Do Muscle Spasms Last after a Car Accident?
Depending on the accident’s severity, muscle spasms can last a day, a week or may even become a lifelong issue if you do not get proper medical care.
Many things occur before, during, and after an accident, and the effects of these can cause muscle spasms. Let’s take a look:
#1: Fiber Damage
Before or during an accident, your body has to make quick adjustments to lessen the impact of the collision. In this case, your shoulders may move quickly in an abnormal direction to support the movement of your body. Other body parts like the neck and hands will also have to make quick adjustments. You may not feel pain from the adjustment immediately after the accident because of your adrenaline rush; however, you may feel it the day or a few days after the accident.
#2: Inflammation from Reaction to the Accident
While your body may move abnormally during an accident, it also moves in reaction to the incoming collision. Seconds before the accident occurs, your body subconsciously stiffens and shrinks, which can cause inflammation and muscle spasms after the accident. Muscle spasms caused by abnormal contraction of muscles can lead to swelling, inflammation, inability to carry heavy objects, change of posture, discomfort, and severe pain.
How to Treat Muscle Spasm from a Car Accident
Muscle spasm after accidents tends to heal over time. However, you should seek professional medical help if the pain lingers for more than a few days. Muscle spasms can become severe, causing unending body swelling, inflammation, and pain that may not fade away with over-the-counter painkillers. Even if your symptoms are mild, it is advisable to seek medical help. In the accident injury clinic, your doctor will check to ensure no severe underlying conditions. They will also run a series of tests and ask about your accident and other past or present medical conditions. The tests will inform them on what treatment plan best fits your condition.
Physical Therapy
Physical therapy helps your muscles gain strength, mass, and become stronger over time. For example, medical professionals often use physical therapy to help incapacitated people get back on their feet from accidents. Physical therapy also improves muscle flexibility and corrects posture. Hence, while you may feel a lot of pain in your knee area, physical therapy will help you walk through the pain until your legs regain their strength.
Chiropractic Therapy
Chiropractors are professionals who help resolve spinal misalignment, protrusions, and other conditions that may affect the nerves and muscles around your spinal column. Misalignments along your spinal cord may cause immense pressure on your back, neck, and head, resulting in pain. For example, after an accident, you may feel consistent pain that does not seem to go away even after using strong painkillers. The reason is that while the painkillers address the pain, they do not address the source. Hence, as long as your spine is misaligned, you may suffer long-term pain.
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Worrying Muscle Spasm Causes
There are times when the underlying cause of muscle spasms may be severe and can become life-threatening if you do not seek quick medical attention. For example, muscle spasms from car accidents can also cause the following conditions:
- Spinal fracture
- Muscle injury in your lower back
- Disc rupturing: Disc rupture is a severe medical condition when your disc nucleus protrudes into the spinal canal through the annulus. Disc rupture leads to disc degeneration and can become life-threatening.
- Injuries of the joint: Joint injuries are common after a car accident.
It’s easy to dismiss pain after a car accident, especially when it is mild. However, muscle spasms and their underlying causes can easily be treated early, and it’s vital to seek general medical care to ensure that the doctors find severe conditions early. It’s also essential to seek chiropractic professionals if you have an accident.
Here at Kaizo Health, it is our firm belief that, with the proper chiropractic help, you can rise above your pain and enjoy a more proactive lifestyle! If you have any questions regarding chiropractic help, don’t hesitate to contact us and schedule an appointment with our chiropractic team! In the meantime, make sure that you check out our blog for more information on the chiropractic field as well as our free virtual self-assessment chiropractic web app here.