Provide These Details To Your Chiropractor After A Car Accident

After you deal with your insurance provider, one of your first priorities upon being in a car accident is setting up an appointment with a chiropractor. Whether you're extremely sore or you're just a little stiff, this health expert can diagnose any misalignments in your back or neck as a result of the accident and work on them to reduce your pain, as well as prevent any long-term issues from the accident. In order to treat you properly, your chiropractor will first perform a thorough assessment on your body. To help the process, it's a good idea to share as much information about the accident as possible, including these details.

Direction Of Impact

The direction of the impact during your accident is important to discuss with your chiropractor because it can help to reveal how your back or neck was impacted in the accident. For example, if you were hit from behind by another motorist, you'll have a different type of injury than if you were impacted on the driver's side of the vehicle. While each of these injuries may technically be characterized as whiplash injuries, being hit from a certain direction can put your spine out of balance in a specific way that is important for the chiropractor to know.

Side Of Vehicle You Were On

It's also important to relay the side of the vehicle you were sitting on at the time of your accident. This is because the way your seatbelt sits across one shoulder can contribute to your injury. For example, if you were in the passenger's side of the vehicle with your seatbelt running from your right shoulder to your left hip, the belt could have held your right shoulder firm during the impact but allowed the left shoulder to roll forward just a bit. This twisting action can easily contribute to back pain, so your chiropractor will need to know this information to treat you correctly.

Extenuating Circumstances

The more information you can provide about your accident to your chiropractor, the better idea he or she will have about your injury so that you can be treated properly. Think about any extenuating circumstances in the accident; for example, perhaps you were T-boned at an intersection, pushed across the road and then into a light post. This means there were two separate impacts, which likely would have contorted your body in two directions. This could mean there are multiple issues in your back or neck to treat, rather than just one.

To learn more, contact a chiropractor like Charles C Gerleman Chiropractic Clinic.