In the US alone, more than six million people get into an auto accident each year. Count to fourteen seconds — during that time, one person was injured in an auto collision. While it’s grim to think about and we all hope it never happens to us, some crashes are inevitable. And the best thing you can do is help your body recover in any way possible. At the Integrated Health & Injury Center, serving Decatur, Atlanta, and the neighboring communities, we have a few tips to optimize healing.
Don’t Delay Getting Examined
You don’t always have symptoms of an issue immediately after an injury. For instance, signs of whiplash can take up to 72 hours to manifest, or even longer in some cases. Therefore, if you were recently in an accident within the last day or so and feel fine, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem.
Ideally, you should contact one of the chiropractors in Atlanta, Georgia, or Decatur as soon as possible. During your appointment, the practitioner will conduct imaging and a physical examination to determine if you have any injuries that haven’t surfaced yet. By intervening before symptoms, you can better manage the issue and promote healing sooner.
Keep in mind that you may worsen some injuries if you continue to live your life normally without treatment. Sometimes, the effects can be permanent. Not to mention, without treatment, you can delay the healing process.
Listen to Your Practitioner Carefully
Once you receive a diagnosis, listen to your practitioner, whether you visit a chiropractor in Decatur or Atlanta, they thoroughly understand the musculoskeletal system and what it takes to heal an injury naturally without the use of an invasive procedure or masking the discomfort with medications. Therefore, following your chiropractor’s instructions to a T is essential.
Ask Your Practitioner Questions
While your chiropractor is vital in the healing process, recovery depends greatly on you. As a result, you should ask questions, such as when you can resume your usual daily tasks and which at-home exercises are most beneficial to you. When you fully know how to take care of yourself, you enhance your treatment.
Perform Exercises At-Home
Take time every day to perform the recommended exercises to enhance your healing. Make sure you properly perform them to receive the most benefit from it.
Listen to Your Body
If you’re experiencing pain, especially initially, you should take it easy. Pain is basically the check engine light of your body. The pain is alerting you there’s a problem, and you need to take action. In this case, your body is telling you to slow down, and whatever motion you were performing is too stressful at the moment.
Stay Hydrated
If you’re injured and neglect to remain hydrated, you could suffer from serious dehydration in addition to your injury. Additionally, water plays a role in keeping your blood thin so that it can flow freely. This is vital since your blood transports nutrients throughout your body, and these vitamins and minerals are necessary for healing.
Get Enough Sleep
Your body, including your muscles, recuperates while you’re sleeping. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep each night. As a general rule, sleep between seven and nine hours each night in general but especially as you heal.
Eat Right
When you ingest fruits, vegetables, and other foods rich in nutrients, you take in vitamins and minerals that your body uses to heal. If you feel like you don’t get enough vitamins and minerals, ask your chiropractor if you should supplement.
Often, chiropractors in Atlanta, Georgia, and Decatur, Georgia, specialize in automobile injury care. These professionals can speed up your recovery and ease the pain you experience. Additionally, a chiropractor in Decatur or Atlanta has the potential to optimize your treatment.
Contact Integrated Health & injury, serving Atlanta and Decatur, Georgia, to schedule an appointment. Use our contact form, or dial one of these numbers:
Decatur – 404-288-9000
Atlanta – 404-691-4822