What causes long-term pain after a car crash?

Of the roughly 2 million rear-end crashes in the United States every year, a substantial number of men and women find themselves troubled with long-term pain and impairment. Some research shows that about 20% of people are still in pain 12 months after a collision.

Dr. John Nowak sees many auto injury patients in our Buffalo office, and we often see patients who have been hurting for many years and have not been able to find relief. Dr. John Nowak has great success in treating these patients.

The Roots of Chronic Pain

During an accident, the ligaments of your neck and back can be sprained or torn. The damaged area becomes swollen and irritated and sends pain signals to the spinal cord and brain.

Pain tells your nervous system that something is wrong, which tells the muscles in the injured area to contract to shield the area from further damage.

If the trauma isn't managed immediately, a negative cycle develops. The hurt area keeps sending pain signals and each time, your nervous system responds. This produces a feedback loop in your nervous system that researchers refer to as "central sensitization." Your nervous system essentially becomes hypersensitive to any kind of stimulation, triggering chronic pain.

Dr. John Nowak is able to help this kind of issue, as chiropractic is a proven way to restore your nervous system's healthy functioning. Research shows that adjustments are successful at relieving pain from auto collisions and shows that chiropractic in fact has positive effects on the pain centers of the brain.

If you live in Buffalo and have been in a collision, you don't have to suffer with chronic pain. Give Dr. John Nowak a call today at (716) 825-4121 for a consultation or appointment.

• Ferrari R. A prospective study of the 1-year incidence of fibromyalgia after acute whiplash injury. Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Disease 2015; doi:10.1136/rmdopen-2014-000007.
• Stone AM, Vicenzino B, Lim EC, Sterling M. Measures of central hyperexcitability in chronic whiplash associated disorder - A systematic review and meta-analysis. Manual Therapy 2012;18(2):111-7.