Acupuncture for Rehabilitation After a Car Accident

Pain, aches, and injuries following car accidents are common. No matter the intensity of the impact or period of time the accident occurred over, muscles and ligaments are typically injured following a motor vehicle accident. Drivers and passengers alike may experience a multitude of painful or disabling symptoms following an accident.

Pain, stiffness, and other injuries caused by a car accident may not appear for days, weeks, or even months after your car accident. If left untreated, they may also pursue you later in life, causing chronic pain or disability that would be more difficult to alleviate.

Acupuncture can be incredibly beneficial to your rehabilitation following a car accident. Acupuncture can be considered a natural pain reliever that helps reduce muscle spasms, anxiety, scar tissue formation, and general chronic pain. It can also help improve your mobility and flexibility while overall decreasing the time needed to heal from injuries.

The earlier you seek acupuncture for car accident injuries, the better the outcome for recovery you may have. We’ve collected information and resources for you to learn how research supports the ability of acupuncture to treat the most common aches, pains, and symptoms patients experience following a car accident.

You can also click here to go to our page on car accident insurance information. We make scheduling easy and handle billing for you to help make your rehabilitation at Love Acupuncture & Wellness as easy and hassle-free as possible.

Back Pain

Research overwhelming supports acupuncture’s ability to relieve back pain, especially chronic low back pain. One study, reported on by AARP, found that 60% of patients who received acupuncture for low back pain reported a significant improvement, compared to the 39% of folks who reported improvement without acupuncture treatment.

Another study performed by Kaiser Permanente researchers found that “acupuncture was more effective than usual care alone for helping people with chronic low back pain feel less bothered by their symptoms and function better in their daily activities.”

Yet another study reported that, “…acupuncture, either used in isolation or as an adjunct to other interventions, has been demonstrated as an effective clinical option for patients with chronic LBP [low back pain] and should be advocated in routing clinical practice.”

Acupuncture, electro acupuncture, cupping, and other East Asian medicine modalities often help alleviate or resolve low back pain, especially when the result of an injury that occurs in a motor vehicle accident.

Headaches & Migraines

Acupuncture can offer relief from headaches and migraines without the dependence on pharmaceuticals that are so often prescribed for these conditions. Studies have found increasingly consistent evidence that acupuncture can treat migraines and headaches with clinically significant efficacy.

One 2020 study found that, “Compared with medication, acupuncture therapy is relatively low-cost and has fewer side effects…” than medications and goes on to report, “…acupuncture demonstrably attenuates and prevents migraine.”

Another study that included almost 5,000 participants found that after acupuncture, “…headache frequency at least halved in 41% of participants receiving acupuncture.”

The efficacy of acupuncture in treating headaches and migraines was perhaps best summed up in an article from Dr. Albrecht Molsberger. He states, “On the basis of the existing evidence, acupuncture should be an option for the first-line treatment of migraine to supplement other non-pharmacologic treatment options. It is at least as effective as prophylactic drug therapy, has longer lasting effects, is safe, seems to be cost-effective and reduces drug intake with possibly severe unwanted effects.”

Neck Pain & Whiplash

Neck pain, strains, sprains, and whiplash are common following car crashes. In fact, about 80% of people involved in motor vehicle accidents report whiplash following the event. Acupuncture can be a safe and incredibly effective treatment for these conditions.

In a 2015 study, researchers found that 70% of participants reported short-term relief from neck pain following a full course of acupuncture treatment, whereas only 40% of participants reported similar relief using pain medication.

That same study reported that in the long-term, 87% of participants treated with acupuncture found long-lasting pain and symptom relief compared with only 68% of participants treated with medication.

Another study, reported on by NPR, found that after three months of treatment, people with chronic neck pain reported 10% less pain than folks who hadn’t received that kind of care.

In Summary

Acupuncture can be a natural pain reliever. Research suggests overwhelming benefits in the treatment of back pain, headaches and migraines, and neck pain and whiplash, among other conditions common following a motor vehicle accident.

Our providers are experienced in treating patients following motor vehicle accidents. Their goal is to help you achieve rehabilitation and get you back to the activities you love pain-free.

You can get acupuncture to treat injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident without a referral from your doctor. With a referral or prescription, you can also get massage therapy. If your claim is still open and PIP coverage is available, your visits will be fully covered at no cost to you.

Getting treatment early is key to an effective recovery. Our front desk staff is happy to work with you and our providers to get you in fast. At least one acupuncture provider will be available for treatments six days a week, and massage therapists are available seven days a week as of May, 2022.

Email us at info@loveacu.net or call our offices at (503) 343 9851 for more information or for help scheduling an appointment. We would love to work with you and help get you on the path to wellness.