If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you’ll do anything to find pain relief. Two of the treatments you may be considering could be chiropractic care and acupressure. What is the difference between spinal manipulation and acupressure? Which one is better after an auto accident?

Here’s what you should know about chiropractic care vs acupressure.

What Is Acupressure?

Acupressure involves applying manual pressure (usually with the fingertips) to specific places on the body. It’s a type of traditional Chinese medicine similar to acupuncture that believes invisible pathways of energy flow within the body. At least 14 of these pathways (meridians) are thought to connect our organs with other parts of the body. Practitioners believe if this flow of energy (called qi or chi) is blocked, it may cause symptoms anywhere on the meridian.

While research is limited, acupressure may help reduce some types of pain. Acupressure may work best alongside other treatments rather than as a replacement for other types of treatment.

What Is Spinal Manipulation?

Sometimes called “cracking your back,” spinal manipulation is a type of chiropractic care that involves moving the joints in your spine back into correct alignment. It’s frequently combined with massage, physical therapy, or exercise to maintain good spinal alignment.

Benefits of Chiropractic Care

Spinal manipulation and other types of chiropractic care can help relieve pain that affects your bones, muscles, joints, cartilage, and connective tissue. Benefits of chiropractic care include:

• Less or no need for painkillers
• Reduce levels of pain, especially in the neck or back
• High levels of satisfaction with treatment
• More affordable than some other treatments, especially for those who are uninsured
• Improved posture
• Relieves some types of headaches

Which Is Better After an Auto Accident: Chiropractic Care Vs Acupressure?

Car accidents as slow as 5 mph can cause the bones in your spine to shift out of place, resulting in neck or back pain. This shifting can cause a variety of problems, including disk herniation, pinched nerves, whiplash, and more.

Acupressure may or may not help reduce the pain caused by this shifting. On the other hand, chiropractic care actually shifts the bones back into place, leading to long-term pain relief rather than any short-term benefits acupressure may provide.

One benefit of acupressure is that it can be used alongside other types of treatment, including chiropractic care. You may experience better pain relief doing both treatments. However, if you choose one over the other, chiropractic care is more likely to offer long-term relief since it addresses the actual cause of your pain.

Chiropractic Treatment for Car Accident Victims Across South Florida

Wondering what your first appointment at County Line Chiropractic will be like after you were in an auto accident?

1. First, we’ll discuss your accident, pain, and other symptoms.
2. Next, we’ll do an x-ray, MRI, or other imaging to determine what’s causing your pain.
3. Finally, we will create a customized care plan that will treat the cause of your pain and set you on a journey toward long-term healing.

Your treatment plan may include some combination of spinal manipulation, massage, physical therapy, ultrasound, electrical muscle stimulation, and Kinesio taping.

Schedule an Appointment Today

If you’ve been in a car accident and have neck or back pain, you can begin your path to recovery with natural healing from County Line Chiropractic Medical & Rehab Center. We have 6 South Florida locations to start your journey: North Miami Beach, Miami Gardens, Pembroke Pines, East Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, and Plantation.

Since we know you may not have a vehicle after your auto accident, we offer transportation services to all our car accident patients. Don’t let a lack of transportation keep you from recovering.

While we do accept walk-ins, we recommend making an appointment at your nearest County Line Chiropractic location.