How Acupuncture Can Help With Accident Injuries

Check out this go-to guide that explains acupuncture for injury recovery after a car accident.

Written by CrashMD staff

Accident injuries are problematic for anyone involved, especially those who suffer injuries. Regardless if it’s a minor scrape or bruise, or a broken bone, or something more severe, the fact or choosing the best treatment option can be daunting. Not to mention, an injured person could already be suffering with previous health or wellness disorders that could complicate their treatment and recovery process. Depending on the extent and severity of the injury, acupuncture for injury recovery could be the best possible treatment option. 

While traditional medical treatments could yield results, there is a great chance that acupuncture could provide needed pain relief. Acupuncture is an alternative treatment option that helps patients more comfortably find relief from pain sensations without having to result in minimally-invasive or invasive options such as surgery.  In fact, acupuncture has proven both a helpful pain relief method and pain relief accelerant for patients who are dealing with injuries from car accidents.  

If you have recently been in a car accident and are considering acupuncture for injury recovery, there’s a great chance it will help provide needed pain relief. The best way to determine if acupuncture is a good option for you is to partner with a pain management specialist who can assess your symptoms and determine if acupuncture is the best option. 

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a medical treatment that involves inserting thin needles (as thin as a human hair) into specific areas of the body with the goal to treat health issues. It originated from traditional Chinese medicine around 2,500 years ago and is considered a form of alternative medicine. In addition to acupuncture being an effective treatment method, it has a very low risk of any side effects. This makes it an attractive option for patients who are suffering from pain and who would like to take advantage of all possible non-invasive options as a first step. 

Acupuncture works truly through the power of the needles, which are manipulated manually or stimulated with the help of small electrical currents. It is believed that the needles rebalance the body’s energy, and encourage the body to release natural chemicals to fight the illness or symptom.The needles have shown to stimulate nerves, increase blood circulation and release endorphins, all of which can help to alleviate pain symptoms. In fact, that’s exactly what acupuncture is used for: pain relief. The main goal is to treat the following symptoms/conditions: 

• General pain
• Migraines and chronic headaches
• Low back pain
• Neck pain
• Knee pain
• Osteoarthritis
• Face pain and nerve discomforts
• Immune system problems
• Repetitive strain disorders

Most patients report feeling a tickle, a tiny prick, or even nothing at all when the needle is inserted. Some patients even fall asleep. Each acupuncture session could take an hour, but this depends on the severity of the issues and the goal of the treatment. 

While risks are extremely low considering this is a pain relief therapy, there are still some risks. These include bruising, soreness, infection at the needle site, or the very rare case of a broken needle injuring a body part. 

Acupuncture is a highly effective and helpful treatment option for patients who are suffering from chronic pain symptoms. It’s important to choose the best acupuncture specialist who can target and treat your specific pain symptoms with the goal to provide as much immediate and long-lasting pain relief as possible. 

Acupuncture for Injury Recovery

Acupuncture is an effective holistic approach for treating pain symptoms, especially those experienced as a result of a car accident. The inserted needles stimulate both the body’s central nervous system and immune system to react to an illness or symptom, rebalance the body, and release natural chemicals that aid the body in healing and pain relief. There are a myriad of benefits for acupuncture for injury recovery, including: 

• Reducing inflammation: inflammation is both the body’s natural response to pain as well as a cause of pain, which is what makes treating it so crucial. Acute inflammation is triggered by injury, infection, or exposure to toxic substances in the body, and could lead a person to feeling symptoms of pain, redness, swelling, loss of function and mobility, as well as heat around the affected area. Acupuncture has proven to almost immediately reduce inflammation, which can help the patient to experience immediate pain relief as well as prolonged pain relief. 
• Pain: acupuncture has shown to reduce both short- and long-term pain sensations. One of the main benefits is that it can reduce pain now, as well as encourage the body to heal itself, which promotes long-term pain relief. 
• Heals whiplash: whiplash is one of the most common pain symptoms a person could experience after a car accident. The good news is that acupuncture is incredibly helpful in treating all whiplash symptoms and is one of the most effective pain treatments out there. This means that the car accident victim can expect to experience immediate pain relief as well as avoid any additional whiplash treatment methods. 
• Improves mobility and function: in addition to increasing circulation and reducing inflammation, acupuncture has shown helpful for relaxing muscles, which helps to improve mobility and function. An added benefit of increased mobility and function now is that it helps the patient to enjoy less labored movements, which means a less chance of suffering from any additional injuries and pain symptoms. 
• Accelerates healing: acupuncture helps to accelerate the body’s natural healing response, which is the most natural way to heal from an injury. For patients who opt for surgical or invasive options, they might send their body into a state of shock with the medications, surgical tools, etc. which could pose additional issues in regard to recovery. By enhancing and encouraging the body’s natural healing responses, the patient has the best chance of recovery with minimal downsides. Another bonus for utilizing acupuncture is that the effects can be further enhanced with massage techniques and other alternative methods that can all work together to provide the best and most effective recovery process, all without intense medical intervention. 
• Reduces stress: post-accident life can be stressful, especially when considering pain symptoms, medical bills, reduced quality of life, and impact on work and daily life. Acupuncture not only helps to treat pain symptoms but also is incredibly helpful for managing stress. We know that stress and associated mental health disorders can lead to an increase of chronic pain symptoms, so managing stress at the same time as managing pain symptoms, all with the same treatment method, is a huge benefit for patients. 
• Avoiding invasive techniques and pain medications: acupuncture is a popular option for patients who would like to avoid taking, or cannot take, pain medications. It can also help patients to find needed pain relief without having to decide on more invasive options that could include surgery. Both pain medications and surgical options have a variety of negative side effects and risks, both of which are avoided when first choosing acupuncture. 

While acupuncture might not be for everyone, it certainly has proven to be a helpful tool for the majority of patients who are dealing with injuries and pain symptoms from a car accident. Acupuncture is a completely customizable option for patients, and treatment can be tailored to each individual’s particular pain symptoms and overall health goals. 

Acupuncture Pain Management After a Car Accident

If you’ve recently been in a car accident and are suffering from pain symptoms, acupuncture could be the best first (and hopefully last!) option for you. Acupuncture not only provides immediate pain relief but also naturally helps the body to heal itself. Yes, it almost sounds too good to be true, but it’s not.

Injuries from car accidents, depending on the severity, can take weeks, months, or even years to heal. If you had whiplash from the car accident that now causes headaches and neck pain, but you didn’t receive proper or any care at all, then you could experience those same symptoms for what could feel like an eternity. But, with the immediate help of an acupuncturist who can specifically tailor a targeted plan for your precise pain symptoms, you could be experiencing pain relief in as few as one or two visits. The point is, there’s no need to wait for the pain to get worse to seek help. 

Oftentimes, car accident victims might not even know they are in pain because their adrenaline is pumping after the accident. So what might feel like a minor ache or bump or bruise the day or night of the accident could turn into something worse in the following days. Even if you believe you aren’t hurt, or you feel your headache is just a normal headache, it’s crucial to see a pain management specialist who can accurately diagnose your pain and recommend you to the best acupuncturist who can help with both pain relief and also improved natural healing. 

If you’ve recently been in a car accident and are feeling pain symptoms, or you were in a car accident a few days ago and are now feeling symptoms, you could definitely benefit from acupuncture. The CrashMD team is able to help expertly diagnose your injuries and symptoms and recommend our partner acupuncturist who can help alleviate your pain immediately. The goal is to provide pain relief utilizing the most minimally-invasive treatment options possible, and the best way to do that is through acupuncture for pain management. Please schedule an appointment today so that we can work toward your pain-free life as quickly as possible!