Common Injuries After a Car Accident

Even low-speed crashes can lead to injuries, especially when your body experiences a sudden stop, twist, or jolt. Some of the most common conditions we see at Everett Spine & Rehab include:

1. Whiplash: Often caused by rear-end collisions, whiplash affects the neck muscles, joints, and ligaments. You may not feel it right away — pain can build over hours or even days. Mayo Clinic explains whiplash symptoms and treatment.
2. Lower back pain: Compression from seatbelts or poor spinal alignment during impact can lead to disc irritation, muscle strain, or sciatic nerve issues.
3. Shoulder injuries: Bracing for impact or gripping the wheel tightly can strain rotator cuff muscles or irritate joints.
4. Headaches and dizziness: These may indicate neck tension, post-concussion symptoms, or nervous system involvement. The NIH outlines how musculoskeletal and neurological injuries may emerge after trauma.
5. Soft tissue strain: Even without broken bones, your muscles and fascia may still require care and rehabilitation.

Why Symptoms Can Be Delayed

After an accident, adrenaline can mask pain. That’s why symptoms like headaches, stiffness, and back pain may take hours or even days to appear. As the CDC explains, early evaluation helps prevent small injuries from becoming chronic issues — especially when joints and soft tissues are involved.

Physical therapy focuses on helping your body regain movement, reduce pain, and restore functional strength. The American Physical Therapy Association explains that PT may support recovery by improving mobility, reducing inflammation, and preventing long-term complications.

At Everett Spine & Rehab, our PT plans are designed around your individual injuries and goals. We may use:

1. Stretching and manual therapy to reduce tension and improve flexibility
2. Stabilizing exercises to restore safe movement
3. Postural retraining to help you recover without creating new strain
4. Dry needling or massage therapy for persistent soft tissue pain
5. Progress tracking and education so you can safely return to driving, work, or recreation

In some cases, dry needling may also be included in your recovery plan. This technique involves placing very thin needles into tight or sensitive muscle areas (known as trigger points) to help reduce tension, improve blood flow, and restore normal movement patterns. After a car accident, many patients develop guarded or overactive muscles — especially in the neck, shoulders, or lower back. Dry needling may help release these tight areas so that physical therapy exercises are more effective and comfortable.

Summer is full of distractions — but if you’re feeling post-accident pain, it’s important not to wait. The National Safety Council notes that many accident-related injuries go untreated or underreported, especially during the summer.

Whether you’re experiencing neck tension, shoulder pain, or persistent headaches, early intervention may make your recovery smoother and more complete.

Closing Thought

Summer should be about movement — not managing lingering discomfort from a car accident. If you’ve been injured in Everett, Mukilteo, Mill Creek, or surrounding areas, our team is here to help. With licensed physical therapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors working together, we support your recovery every step of the way.

Trigger point injections can offer several benefits to individuals experiencing muscle pain and discomfort caused by trigger points. Work or auto injuries can cause pain in trigger points. Injuries such as repetitive strain or trauma from accidents can lead to muscle tension and the development of trigger points, which may cause localized pain and referred pain to other areas of the body. Further, those with myofascial pain syndrome may benefit from TPI. Overall, these injections are particularly beneficial when other conservative treatments have been ineffective. TPI works to relax the tense muscle fibers, alleviate pain, and improve mobility.

Trigger Point Injection Benefits

Firstly, trigger point injections provide localized relief by directly targeting the tense muscle knots or trigger points. The injection of a local anesthetic numbs the area, reducing pain signals sent to the brain and providing immediate pain relief. Additionally, if a corticosteroid is included in the injection, it can help reduce inflammation around the trigger point, offering longer-lasting relief.

Secondly, trigger point injections can improve muscle function and mobility. By relaxing the tight muscle fibers, the injections can help restore normal muscle length and function. This, in turn, allows individuals to move more freely, perform daily activities with less discomfort, and participate in rehabilitative exercises more effectively.

What Can I Expect During a TPI Session?

TPI is typically an outpatient procedure performed in a clinic or medical office. The process starts with the patient assuming a comfortable position. The healthcare provider may first locate the trigger point by palpation or using ultrasound guidance. Once identified, the skin overlying the trigger point is sterilized.

During a TPI, a qualified healthcare professional, often a physician or pain specialist, uses a thin needle to inject a local anesthetic, such as lidocaine, directly into the trigger point. You may experience a brief increase in pain when the tip of the needle touches the trigger point, though the pain typically resides quickly.

Sometimes, a corticosteroid may also be injected to reduce inflammation and provide longer-lasting relief.

TPI in Everett, Washington and Snohomish County

Looking for pain relief using TPI? Those in Everett can visit Everett Spine & Rehab for a consultation and evaluation. We will review your health and condition and determine the best course of action for your pain, which may include TPI. Please contact us today to learn more: 425-347-8614

Sources:

Aafp.org
My.clevelandclinic.org
mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org
openai.com

Integrative Therapy to Help Your Work Injury Heal

Many work injuries involve both misalignment of the spine and soft tissue damage, and that means an integrative approach is the best way to help all affected areas heal. We offer professional care from licensed physical therapists to massage therapists, in order to ensure your overall health is managed appropriately. This breadth of experience and knowledge that our staff brings to each case allows us to fully assess and evaluate your condition as well, meaning that you can expect comprehensive, high-quality care, all in one location for your convenience.

Types of Work Injuries We Treat

A work injury could be anything from a misalignment caused by a slip-and-fall to a repetitive stress injury like carpal tunnel syndrome. Often, shoulder pain, neck pain, and back pain result from sitting or standing at an improperly-designed workstation or maintaining an awkward position for long periods of time, day after day. Our experts are equipped to address all of these issues, and we have the combination of knowledge and experience to get you back to work and feeling better as quickly as possible.

Ongoing Treatment for Lasting Results

Once we’ve addressed your acute concerns, we’ll work with you to develop a maintenance program that can help you maximize the benefits of your treatment and improve recovery outcomes. With the diverse experiences and abilities our team brings to your case, we’ll provide you with a comprehensive plan for staying healthy and reducing pain over the long term.

Schedule an Appointment With Everett Spine & Rehab

So, if you’re ready to learn more about the comprehensive occupational injury treatments we offer, call us today at (425) 310-4014