Following a car accident, you may experience drastic to less pain, depending on the severity of the collision. Lower back pain, muscle strain, and lower back sprain are some common ailments car accident survivors generally suffer.
The lower back pain normally goes away after six weeks following a car accident. However, once the injured soft tissues heal and the swelling goes down, the discomfort will diminish within some days. An ideal pain management strategy may hasten the healing process.
8 Best Ways To Recover From Lower Back Pain Caused By A Car Accident
Look at the best possible ways that can help you recover from lower back pain caused by a car accident.
1. Get enough rest
You need to get proper rest after a car accident in order to heal your back injury. It is crucial to rest for a while when the pain first strikes. You might get some momentary relief by sleeping in bed, which will also allow your body time to heal the damage.
However, it is critical to avoid sleeping for an excessive amount of time. In general, you must not stay in bed for longer than a few days. If you sit still for an extended period of time, you will probably wind up worsening your discomfort, which leads to further damage.
You need to pay attention to the total time you sit on any surface. Actually, sitting for a long time might strain your back and aggravate the pain. If possible, try not to go on lengthy vehicle trips. It is better to get up from your sitting position to stretch and move around once every 30 minutes. As a result, the proper blood flow will be maintained, promoting quick recovery.
2. Use ice and hot bags
Back pain can be eased with the use of ice and heat packs. You should check to see which works best for you between ice packs and hot water bags. After getting into an auto accident, ice packs are circulated on the affected area for about 15 minutes to minimize swelling. It is better to refrain from using hot bags for a couple of days in the affected region since it may accelerate the bulging and bruising of your skin.
After a few days, you can use heat bags or hot water cloth as it can relax tense muscles that develop while you try to control the discomfort. Since accident survivors would not move the damaged area due to the fear of pain, it leads to stiffness of the muscles. The pain will be reduced by a hot water bag’s ability to enhance blood flow and ease tension.
3. Pain Medications
After a vehicle accident, back discomfort may be treated with painkillers. In order to speed up recovery and provide relief, these drugs are frequently combined with injections and therapies. After an injury, edema and tissue inflammation can be reduced by using anti-inflammatory drugs like Celebrex, ibuprofen, or Mobic.
In order to reduce aberrant nerve activity following a lower back injury, people frequently take nerve painkillers like Lyrica, gabapentin, or Topamax. These drugs can also help with headaches and discomfort from pinched nerves. Pills for muscle spasms like tizanidine, Flexeril, and baclofen can increase the range of motion and assist in improving your sleep.
4. Chiropractic Care
Back pain and many other sorts of motor vehicle traffic injuries are frequently thought to be best treated with chiropractic care. People who have suffered back injuries in auto accidents can benefit from chiropractic care in plenty of ways. The auto accident chiropractor care will help you heal more quickly and safely than conventional therapies.
Instead of only treating the signs of your back issue, chiropractors will treat the underlying cause. Heavy pain medications are not used in chiropractic therapy, so you may relax without worrying about getting addicted to the painkillers.
5. Light And Gentle Exercise
Even though it may seem hard to shift around after surviving a car accident, light activity can aid to ease your lower back pain. It is better to slowly walk around your place for a few minutes every day.
This way, the gentle exercise will maintain the muscle mass and enhance blood flow to stiff and twisted muscles in the injured area. Maintaining muscle strength is crucial, primarily after back injuries. It is because healthy muscles will aid your spine and lessen chronic back discomfort.
6. Massage Therapy
A massage therapist will knead the affected area slowly and show you some basic exercises you can perform daily at home. You can maintain your flexibility and increase your muscle strength to aid the injured region with the help of massage therapy and exercises.
Manual therapy is another form of therapy. It eases stress and increases blood flow to rigid areas. It is better to inform the therapist about the back injuries you may have sustained in a crash before they begin treating you. In order to heal your ailment, they will be able to modify their massage and activities.
7. Acupuncture
Small, thin needles are inserted into precise body areas during the ancient Chinese practice of acupuncture. These needles can aid in rebuilding healthy energy flow, which can lessen discomfort and hasten recovery.
8. Surgery (operation)
In some circumstances, you need to consult a surgeon to decide whether surgical treatment is necessary. When accident victims have structural injury that leads to neurologic impairments, surgeries are frequently necessary. Some alarming signs include loss of feeling and muscle weakness.
If the spine is not structurally healthy and in case of the possibility of harming the spinal cord and nerves, surgery might be the only option. Finally, if the discomfort persists even after various kinds of treatments, an immediate operation is needed.
Bottom Line
After surviving a car crash, you have to be cautious with your body and consult a doctor when you experience any pain. You can opt for the above-listed treatments in order to get relief from lower back pain.