Auto accident injuries are a leading cause of concussions, a type of a brain injury produced by striking your head or body against something hard. Concussions may also occur if something shakes your brain so powerfully that it hits the side of your skull. Your auto accident chiropractor also wants you to know that you can suffer concussions without losing consciousness. This is why it is important to learn and recognize signs of a possible concussion if you were involved in an auto accident. Receiving treatment as soon as possible can help prevent worsening of symptoms or potential medical consequences arising from neglecting to treat post-concussion complications.

What is a Concussion?

If your doctor diagnoses you with a concussion, this means functional , but not structural, changes have been found in your brain through imaging scans. Mild to moderate concussions cause temporary changes that typically resolve themselves while severe concussions may need surgical intervention to relieve pressure in the brain. Although the brain is well-protected by your skull and cerebrospinal fluid, auto accident injuries often force the brain to accelerate and decelerate within the skull, an action that irritates the brain enough to produce an interruption in its normal functioning.

Symptoms of a Concussion

If you experience one or more of these symptoms following an auto accident (even if you were never unconscious), make an appointment with your auto accident chiropractor as soon as possible to determine what kind of post-concussion treatment you need to resolve symptoms:

• Inability to concentrate and/or remember recent information
• Nausea/vomiting
• Nagging headache
• Blurry/fuzzy vision
• Dizziness/lightheadedness/feeling off-balance
• Sensitivity to noise and/or light
• Sleeping more or less than normal
• Insomnia/nighttime waking

Since concussions affect people differently, you may have symptoms not appearing on this list. Less common signs of a concussion include tinnitus (ringing in your ears), slurred speech and extreme mood swings.

Treatment for Concussions

Chiropractors treat persistent, underlying symptoms of a concussion, including muscle sprains, whiplash and back/neck/shoulder pain. Adjustments to the spinal vertebrae help restore normal functioning to the suboccipital and neck region to eliminate neck stiffness and headaches. Adjustments not only eliminate compression of spinal nerves but also reconnects spine and brain signaling to help decrease dizziness, headaches and feelings of spatial unawareness or disconnection.

Physical rehabilitation improves muscle strength while correcting postural changes resulting from auto accident injuries. Your auto accident chiropractor may also recommend cold laser therapy to reduce soft tissue inflammation and encourage your body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Contact Our Local Auto Accident Chiropractor in Everett, WA

If you have been involved in an auto accident or other type of mishap that may have given you a concussion, please schedule an appointment with Dr. Lichfield at Cornerstone Chiropractic by calling 425-379-6301.