Leg pain is a common complaint after a crash. If your leg pain is severe, causes mobility issues, or persists for more than a few days, you should seek medical attention to better understand your injury and options for treatment.
When you see a chiropractor for car accident injuries, your options will include drug-free pain management and noninvasive treatments. Chiropractors can assess, diagnose, and treat many types of leg injuries and other causes of pain after a crash.
Causes of Leg Pain After a Car Accident
Chiropractors can treat many musculoskeletal injuries following a collision. Some of the most common injuries that could cause leg pain include:
- Muscle Strains: When muscles and other soft tissues experience stretching beyond their usual range of motion, pain and stiffness are common.
- Ligament Sprains: Knee pain after a car accident could occur due to a ligament injury. This injury can cause significant swelling and pain. Ligament sprains are also common in the ankles.
- Contusions: Contusions are bruises that can cause pain. Some are deep and could affect muscles and other soft tissues. They commonly occur from hitting objects inside the vehicle.
- Sciatica: Sciatica occurs when there is compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve in the lower back. This injury causes shooting leg pain, burning, numbness, and other symptoms.
- Post-Traumatic Arthritis: If your accident occurred a while ago but you still suffer pain and inflammation in the affected leg, you could have arthritis in the hip, knee, or ankle.
Some leg injuries will require more intensive treatment. Surgeons and specialists can provide front-line treatment for these injuries, but we can offer support and complementary therapies to manage pain and rehabilitate the injured leg. If you believe you have these injuries, you should go to the nearest emergency department as soon as possible. Such injuries requiring immediate medical attention include:
- Bone Fractures: Fractures of the femur, tibia, or fibula are common in collisions. If you have a broken leg, you will likely experience sharp pain, swelling, and possibly a notable deformity in your leg.
- Knee Injuries: Some injuries require surgical repair before our team can provide physical therapy and rehabilitation. This includes certain knee injuries, such as a torn meniscus, torn ACL or MCL, or a dislocation.
- Hip Injuries: Hip dislocations and fractures also require a hospital visit and often surgical repair. These injuries usually cause intense pain and immediate loss of mobility.
What Happens if I See a Chiropractor for Leg Pain?
When you see a chiropractor for car accident leg pain, you will undergo an initial intake examination that identifies and diagnoses your injuries. This initial examination will include a physical exam, X-rays and other medical imaging, and other tests as necessary.
Using what they learn during this appointment, your chiropractor will prescribe a personalized plan that includes both chiropractic care and physical therapy. This plan will manage your symptoms, treat your injuries, and rebuild strength and flexibility.
You will likely begin treatment the same day. How long treatment lasts and how frequently you need to revisit the clinic depends on your injuries, prescribed treatments, and progress.
Chiropractors Treat a Wide Range of Car Accident Injuries
When someone goes to a chiropractor after a car accident, the practitioner will assess their condition and diagnose any injuries. This assessment will include the cause of your leg pain and any other symptoms. The aim is to help patients manage their injuries, recover as fully as possible, and prevent future injuries. Some of the common car accident injuries chiropractors treat include:
- Neck injuries
- Hand and arm injuries
- Back injuries
- Shoulder injuries
We also frequently see patients recovering from traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations, serious fractures, ligament tears, and more. We can help you manage your pain without resorting to prescription painkillers while rehabilitating from your injuries.
How Can a Chiropractor Help With Leg Pain? Prescribed Treatments and Therapies
When you see a chiropractor for leg pain after a collision, they will diagnose your underlying injury and provide a personalized plan to treat your injury and address your symptoms. The prescribed chiropractic treatments will depend on your specific injuries. Some common treatment plans available at chiropractic clinics include:
Spinal Adjustments
Chiropractors use spinal manipulation, known as adjustments, to realign the spine and reduce pressure on nerves. These chiropractic adjustments can greatly reduce leg pain and other symptoms caused by a herniated disc or sciatica.
Joint Manipulation and Mobilization
Chiropractors use joint manipulation or mobilization techniques to relieve joint pain and improve range of motion. These techniques are commonly done alongside other treatments that help you manage symptoms while the joint heals.
Soft Tissue Therapy
When you injure muscles, ligaments, and tendons in an accident, it usually just takes time for them to heal. A chiropractor can help reduce inflammation and manage pain by prescribing and performing therapies that relax the affected area, including myofascial release, trigger point therapy, and massage.
Physiotherapy Exercises
Most chiropractic plans include physical therapy. Your doctor will prescribe specific exercises that will help rebuild muscle, stabilize joints, and regain range of motion. You can expect your therapist to walk you through stretching and resistance exercises as a part of your physiotherapy.
Complementary Therapies
Chiropractors can provide a wide range of supportive and complementary therapies that help you alleviate pain, reduce inflammation, and encourage healing. These therapies could include ultrasound therapy, electrical stimulation (ESTIM), cold laser therapy, heat/ice therapy, or kinesiology taping.
Rehabilitation Programs
Chiropractors want to treat your underlying injury and ensure you have a full recovery when possible. To this end, they prescribe a personalized rehabilitation program that will help you regain full function, strength, and flexibility. You could leave the program stronger than you were before the accident and much less likely to suffer future re-injury.
Call the Naples Community Injury Center for Your Initial Intake Exam
The Naples Community Injury Center is currently accepting new patients at our three Florida locations: Naples, Marco Island, and Estero. With more than 60 years of combined experience, our Naples Community Injury Center team can help you understand the causes of your leg pain and prescribe an effective plan to address them.
Contact us now for your new patient appointment.
