Delayed Symptoms: The Silent Aftermath

It’s common for car accident victims to walk away from the scene thinking they’re unharmed, only to experience pain and stiffness later. The rush of adrenaline during an accident can temporarily mask symptoms, making it difficult to assess the full extent of injuries.

Some common delayed symptoms include:

• Neck and back pain – Whiplash injuries often take 24-48 hours to manifest and can lead to chronic neck pain if untreated.
• Headaches – A headache days after an accident could indicate a concussion, whiplash, or even a blood clot.
• Numbness or tingling – These symptoms can be a sign of nerve damage or herniated discs.
• Dizziness or balance issues – Inner ear injuries or mild traumatic brain injuries can cause vertigo and coordination problems.

Hidden Injuries That Can Become Chronic

1. Soft Tissue Damage

Muscle strains, ligament sprains, and micro-tears in soft tissue may not show up on X-rays but can lead to stiffness, reduced range of motion, and chronic pain if untreated. Physical therapy can help restore function and prevent long-term damage.

2. Whiplash and Spinal Misalignment

Whiplash is one of the most common injuries from rear-end collisions. If left untreated, it can lead to persistent neck pain, headaches, and even cognitive issues. Physical therapy and chiropractic care can help realign the spine and improve mobility.

3. Herniated Discs and Nerve Compression

The impact of a car crash can cause spinal discs to bulge or herniate, pressing on nerves and leading to pain, numbness, and weakness in the arms or legs. Early intervention through physical therapy can help avoid surgery and long-term disability.

Why Physical Therapy is Essential After a Car Accident

Many car accident victims assume that rest and over-the-counter pain relievers are enough to recover. However, without proper rehabilitation, hidden injuries can lead to long-term complications, including:

• Chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia or myofascial pain syndrome.
• Reduced mobility due to stiffness and scar tissue buildup.
• Postural imbalances that contribute to joint and muscle strain.
• Weakened muscles that increase the risk of future injuries.

A skilled physical therapist can create a customized rehabilitation plan to restore strength, flexibility, and function. Treatments may include:

• Manual therapy to break up scar tissue and improve mobility.
• Therapeutic exercises to strengthen muscles and stabilize joints.
• Postural training to prevent misalignments that lead to chronic pain.
• Modalities like heat, ice, and electrical stimulation to reduce inflammation and promote healing.

Don’t Wait—Prioritize Your Recovery

If you’ve recently been in a car accident, don’t wait for symptoms to appear before seeking medical attention. Early intervention with physical therapy can prevent hidden injuries from becoming lifelong problems. Contact our office today to schedule a comprehensive evaluation and start your recovery journey.

At our Everett clinic, we specialize in physical therapy, chiropractic care, and massage therapy, helping individuals recover from work and car accident injuries. Our team is dedicated to getting you back to a pain-free and active lifestyle with personalized treatment plans designed for long-term wellness. Reach out to us today and take the first step toward your recovery!

Sources:

Mayo Clinic
Johns Hopkins Medicine

When it comes to spring fitness, there are several things to note and consider, along with examples of exercises that are particularly well-suited to the season.

Springtime Fitness and Exercise Tips before you Get Started

Gradual Progression: If you’re returning to outdoor exercise after a winter break, start slowly and gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts to avoid injury.

Hydration: Hydration is always important but it is especially so in warmer temperatures which can lead to increased sweating. Carry a water bottle with you during outdoor workouts and drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after exercise.

Sun Protection: As the sun gets stronger, protect your skin by wearing sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat, and try to exercise during the cooler parts of the day to minimize sun exposure.

Appropriate Clothing: Dress in layers that you can easily remove as you warm up during your workout. Choose moisture-wicking fabrics that help keep you dry and comfortable.

Incorporate Nature: Take advantage of the beautiful spring weather by exercising outdoors in parks, trails, or green spaces. Incorporating nature into your workouts can also improve your mental health.

Variety of Activities: Spring offers a wide range of outdoor activities to enjoy, such as hiking, cycling, jogging, gardening, or playing sports like tennis or soccer. Mix up your routine to keep things interesting and target different muscle groups.

Functional Training: Incorporate exercises that mimic movements you use in everyday life, such as squats, lunges, and pushing or pulling movements. These exercises help improve strength, balance, and coordination.

Interval Training: High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is effective for burning calories and improving cardiovascular fitness. Mix short bursts of intense activity with periods of rest or lower-intensity exercise.

Bodyweight Exercises: A zero-cost way to fitness! No equipment is needed for bodyweight exercises like push-ups, squats, burpees, and planks. These exercises can be done anywhere, making them perfect for outdoor workouts.

Flexibility and Mobility: Don’t forget to include flexibility and mobility exercises in your routine to improve range of motion and prevent injury. Yoga, stretching, and foam rolling are beneficial for maintaining flexibility and reducing muscle stiffness. Here’s an awesome list you can check out.

But What If I Suffer from Back Pain?

For those dealing with back pain, it’s crucial to approach spring fitness with care and consideration for your body’s needs. Start with low-impact exercises that strengthen the core and support the spine, such as swimming, walking, or gentle yoga. Focus on maintaining proper posture during workouts and avoid high-impact activities that may exacerbate discomfort. Incorporating regular stretching and foam rolling sessions to improve flexibility and alleviate tension in the back muscles can also be beneficial. Listen to your body, take breaks when needed, and consult with a healthcare professional or a certified trainer for personalized guidance on managing back pain while staying active during the springtime.

Questions About a Fitness Regimen or Treatment Plan if You Have Chronic Back Pain?

If chronic back pain persists or worsens despite these precautions, seeking professional help from a chiropractor or physical therapist may be necessary. These healthcare professionals can assess your condition, identify underlying issues (bulging disk, spinal stenosis, arthritis of the spine, herniated disk, sciatica, etc) , and develop a personalized treatment plan to address your specific needs. Remember, prioritizing your health and well-being is paramount, and seeking expert guidance can pave the way for a pain-free and fulfilling springtime fitness journey. If you’re in Snohomish County, please visit our Everett Chiro, PT and Massage office for a consultation: 425-347-8614.

Sources:

Health.ucdavis.edu
health.com
Healthline.com
webmd.com
openai.com

A general doctor can diagnose a tear or a break and a surgeon can mend those breaks and tears. But there are a lot of issues between those extremes. Joint and ligament pain or discomfort is a real issue for many, and a chiropractor might just be the best bet for treatment and long-term maintenance.

What does a chiropractor do?

Chiropractic care can be a little unclear, especially for those who haven’t been through treatment before. Chiropractors have both a limited and wide-reaching scope of their specialty.

Chiropractors focus on a patient’s neuromusculoskeletal health – including bones, nerves, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Back and neck pain is some of the most common complaints brought to chiropractors. This kind of pain often comes from the misalignment of bones and/or tendons and ligaments. Realigning these elements through spinal adjustment can improve the overall function of a body and improve the body’s ability to self-heal.

Additionally, treatment through a chiropractor can also include elements of nutrition and fitness. The kind of treatment and length of treatment depends greatly on the patient. The scope of treatment often includes a health and functional review, an examination, a treatment plan, and monitoring progress.

How do chiropractors help?

The biggest reason people see, and continue seeing, a chiropractor is for pain management. An adjustment from the chiropractor can do much more than lessening that low back pain. Chiropractors are pros when it comes to treating and limiting pain without traditional medications

The truth is, however, that chiropractic treatment has other a chiropractor. The power of a good chiropractor can impact many parts of your life for years to come.

Top Benefits for Seeing a Chiropractor

Chiropractors may treat many root causes of chronic and episodic pain. Based on a number of different studies, chiropractors are one of the leaders in treating both back and neck pain. In fact, people who consistently see a chiropractor report less pain after just six weeks in research published in 2018.

Chronic pain in other parts of the body is just as responsive to chiropractic treatment. Chronic pain is often caused by elements of inflammation and tense muscles. Chiropractors may be able to target these issues to help reduce pain.

Many high-performance athletes use and swear by chiropractors. Regular adjustments can mean better alignment and a higher level of performance. Not everyone is a world-class athlete, but we can all stand to move a little better. Treatment with a chiropractor may also help increase energy levels.

Chiropractors are known for their ability to relieve pain and improve quality of life. People flock to the closest office when back or neck pain rears its head. Even if you aren’t feeling those tell-tell signs of pain or discomfort, it can still be time to visit the local chiropractor.

An Everett Chiropractor Near You

Those who are living in Snohomish County and surrounding areas can feel at ease knowing skilled professionals are available to assist you with pain management, whether that is through chiropractic care or physical therapy at Everett Spine and Rehab. Please call us to schedule your appointment: (425)347-8614.

What Is a Herniated Disc or Slipped Disk?

Your spine consists of 24 vertebrae, cushioned by soft discs between them. When one of these jelly-like discs slip out of place, it inflames and irritates the nerves in your spine, which is known as a herniated disc. In most cases, this causes serious pain in your back.

What causes a herniated disk?

Most of the time this is due to aging. As we age, our spines sustain wear and tear, also known as disc degeneration. Over time, discs become more rigid and less flexible, making them more likely to tear or rupture. So, even simple movements or small injuries like a strain can cause herniated discs.

However, improper heavy lifting (e.g. using back muscles instead of leg muscles to lift heavy weights) can cause this injury as well. Although rare, an injury like a fall or a hit in the back can cause discs to slip as well.

Several risk factors increase the likelihood of a herniated disc.

• Weight – Being overweight can cause strain on your lower back.
• Your Job – Jobs that require a lot of physical activity, especially repeated or heavy lifting, can also increase your chances of a slipped disc..
• Genetics– As is the case with most medical conditions, genetics can predispose you to back issues.
• Smoking – It’s common knowledge now that smoking is harmful to our health. In this case, smokers experience a decrease of oxygen in their spine, which can cause discs to degenerate faster.

How can I tell if I have a herniated disk?

While not everyone experiences pain or discomfort with a herniated disc, some of the common symptoms are listed below.

• Experiencing pain, numbness, burning, aching, or tingling on one side of your body
• Pain that shoots down your arms or legs
• Pain that gets worse at night or when you move around
• Pain when you are sitting or standing
• Pain when you are walking short distances
• Muscles that feel weaker for no apparent reason

When should I visit a doctor?

The symptoms listed above can be quite worrying. If you have any of the above or similar symptoms that interfere with your everyday life, it may be time to see a doctor, who can quickly diagnose your problem, with a physical exam and/or an X-ray. The best news is that there are many effective treatments for herniated discs which include chiropractic treatment.

If you are located in Snohomish County, please come see Dr. Gill from Everett Spine & Rehab. If you believe you have a slipped disc, it’s important to get it checked out by a professional.

I’d like to talk to you about sciatica, what causes it and what can be done about it.

There are several causes of sciatica. The sciatic nerve is about as big as your pinky and runs all the way down from your low back down your leg, to your toes. When this nerve is pinched or being impeding some way, the pain it causes is called sciatica.

The sciatic nerve can be pinched or impeded in several different areas along that route to your foot. The first area where it can be pinched is in the lower back itself. This can happen because of degeneration of the spine or the discs–remember, they’re the shock absorbers of your spine start to wear out. As they get thinner and thinner, there’s less space for the nerves to exit out. If they run out of space, those nerves can be pinched and can cause pain running down both legs, not just one side or the other. Also if the vertebra in the area are misaligned, or if there’s an accident that cause a lot of inflammation, this can also cause pain that runs down the leg. So sciatica can come from degeneration in the spine or disc herniation which is similar to rupture.

The other area sciatica can come from is from your piriformis muscle. Some of you may have heard of this muscle. It goes from your hip to your tailbone and it connects those two bones. It also helps when turning your foot in and out. The piriformis muscle can go into spams for various reasons. Sometimes it starts to go into spasm because it’s trying to compensate for weak muscles surrounding it. If the muscles have become weakened due to lack of use in the butt area, the piriformis muscle starts to tighten up. The sciatic nerve passes either directly below or sometimes through the piriformis muscles so when piriformis muscle the tightens up, it goes into spasms, it can pinch the sciatic nerve in that spot and cause pain all the way down the leg. Sciatic nerve pain can be completely debilitating to the point where someone can’t walk, can’t think, can’t concentrate–it can be very, very painful and can stop a person doing their activities at work, at home, at school, or wherever they may be.

When somebody comes to us with sciatica we do a very thorough examination and diagnostic test to find out what is causing it. We can’t treat someone or tell someone we can fix their problem until we know where the pain is coming from.

Once we know what’s causing it, we can offer appropriate recommendations. Our recommendations might include physical therapy to stretch that muscle and strengthen the ones around it, it might also include a trigger point injection right into that muscle to get it to relax–that provides some immediate relief. And we might recommend decompression for the spine as we separate those discs and vertebrae, to open up that space it’s going to take that pressure off that nerve and the patient will feel a lot better and it’s also going to help rehydrate those discs.

Everett Chiropractic Adjustments, Snohomish County

We also may probably recommend chiropractic adjustment, just to make sure the bones and joints are moving properly and freely like they should. There are a lot of other treatments we can do such as cold laser, Graston Techniques, ultrasound, muscle therapy, like massage and other types of injections. But we don’t know what’s going to be the best for our patient until we are able to properly evaluate them. Please contact us at 425-347-8614 to schedule an appointment today. We are located in Everett, nearby Mukilteo, Marysville and Lynnwood.

These statistics are eye-opening. It’s no wonder we often see patients who have suffered from car accident injuries and are who are seeking pain treatment and rehabilitation. One of the most common types of car accidents is the rear-end collision (“fender bender”). Common injuries that result from rear-end accidents include:

• Whiplash: this occurs when your neck and head experience a sudden, rapid, back-and-forth movement. Symptoms usually involve neck pain and stiffness, headaches, fatigue, pain the the shoulder and arms, decreased range of motion, and muscle spasms
• Herniated discs (bulging/slipped/ruptured disc): this occurs when one of the discs that sits between two vertebrae slips out of place which can cause extreme pain as it can irritate the surrounding nerves.
• Lower back pain: you don’t have to have a herniated disc to experience back pain after an auto accident. You may have suffered lumbar sprains (when ligaments of the back or torn or stretched) or spinal stenosis (when the spinal canal compresses, affecting the spinal cord and nerve roots).

Our chiropractic clinic utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach in order to create the best treatment plan for those affected by car accident injuries. Are you experiencing back or neck pain from a recent car accident? We’re here to help! Please call us at 425-347-8614.