PTSD Symptoms After an Auto Accident

Approximately more than 6 million automobile accidents occur in the United States each year. Being involved in a car crash is an undesirable and unexpected circumstance where a majority of individuals can suffer a variety of both physical and emotional harm. Whiplash and back complications are common injuries during auto accidents, and the uneasy feelings which result from the aftermath can often be overwhelming. However, these feelings can occasionally be so strong; they can keep an individual from living a normal life after the incident. This can be a sign of PTSD symptoms.

Understanding PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder also referred to as PTSD, is a psychological or mental health condition that develops in people who have experienced a traumatic, horrifying event. PTSD primarily associated with soldiers returning from combat, although, this emotional ailment is not limited to military combat situations. Automobile accidents are one of the leading causes of post-traumatic stress disorder nationwide.

For most people involved in an auto collision, the feelings of shock and fear may be difficult to deal with at first, but with time, patience, and plenty of self-care, their emotional health will generally restore on its own. But, if the symptoms worsen or they last for months or even years without improvement, and these begin to interfere with the individual’s everyday functioning, they could have developed PTSD.

The most challenging feature about identifying PTSD, and therefore treating it, involves the numerous, different ways the condition may arise for each person. While several people can experience the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder as bad dreams or nightmares, other can experience them as anxiety in crowded places.

PTSD Symptoms

Even though the symptoms of this mental health condition can vary regarding how they surface, PTSD characterized by four primary types of symptoms: intrusion, numbing, avoidance and arousal.

PTSD Symptoms of intrusion identified when the individual experiences recurrent, distressing recollections of the traumatic event in the form of flashbacks. These can also appear as upsetting dreams relating to the incident, or the person may encounter emotional distress when something reminds them of the event. Numbing symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress disorder primarily involve negative feelings about oneself through an inability to experience positive emotions or feeling emotionally numb. Symptoms of avoidance include both avoiding to think or talk about the traumatic incident and avoiding places, activities or people which remind them of the event. And last but not least, arousal symptoms or changes in emotional reactions, for individuals with the mental health condition involve irritability, angry outburst or aggressive behavior, paranoia and constant alertness, trouble concentrating, sleeping and being easily startled or frightened.

If you believe you may have PTSD, it’s essential to make an appointment with your healthcare provider to accurately diagnose the cause of your symptoms and formulate the correct form of treatment to begin the rehabilitation process as soon as possible. Additionally, it’s also essential to determine the presence of physical injuries resulting from the automobile accident and follow through with treatment as well.

Research has shown that whiplash-associated injuries and its symptoms could worsen with post-traumatic stress disorder. While it is still unclear how psychological symptoms can impact an individual’s experience with pain and disability, earlier research demonstrated that PTSD and hypersensitivity to pain might increase the likelihood of developing chronic whiplash, ultimately making dealing with the emotional condition much more difficult. Chiropractic care is a practical, alternative treatment option utilized for a variety of injuries and conditions, including whiplash and back injuries caused by an auto collision. A doctor of chiropractic, or DC, commonly uses a series of spinal manipulations and manual adjustments to gradually restore the natural realignment of the spine, helping the individual recover the flexibility, strength, and overall health of their body as well as reducing the symptoms.

Recovering from Auto Injuries

After treating your physical injuries, finding treatment for your post-traumatic disorder can help you regain a sense of control over your life. Several types of talk therapy medically referred to as psychotherapy, are commonly known treatments for children and adults with the mental health condition while some types of medications have also been previously used to treat the symptoms. Getting treatment and support from others can help individuals recover from PTSD.

Being involved in a traumatic event such as an automobile accident can have undesirable physical and emotional effects on the human body. Although these can often be unpredictable, timely treatment of any medical conditions can help avoid complications in the future.

For more information, please feel free to ask Dr. Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.

Overcoming Challenges with Fitness and Health: A Client’s Story

Dr. Alex Jimenez’s clinic and Push-as-Rx system have helped many individuals facing challenging situations, aiding them to achieve their goals through fitness and health. Pattie Valenzuela’s experience at Push-as-Rx ®™ has been incredibly life-changing. Her biggest drive was to lose weight, and after trying many methods, such as kickboxing, she felt genuinely challenged at Push as Rx. Coming to Push has helped her feel better about herself as well as feel stronger, continually being encouraged and motivated by the trainers. Pattie Valenzuela feels the best she could ever be.

Injury Medical Clinic: 

PUSH-as-Rx ®™ is leading the field with laser focus supporting our youth sports programs.  The PUSH-as-Rx ®™ System is a sport specific athletic program designed by a strength-agility coach and physiology doctor with a combined 40 years of experience working with extreme athletes. At its core, the program is the multidisciplinary study of reactive agility, body mechanics and extreme motion dynamics. Through continuous and detailed assessments of the athletes in motion and while under directly supervised stress loads, a clear quantitative picture of body dynamics emerges. Exposure to the biomechanical vulnerabilities presented to our team.  Immediately, we adjust our methods for our athletes to optimize performance.  This highly adaptive system with frequent dynamic adjustments has helped many of our athletes come back faster, stronger, and ready post-injury while safely minimizing recovery times. Results demonstrate improved agility, speed, decreased reaction time with much improved postural-torque mechanics.  PUSH-as-Rx ®™ offers specific extreme performance enhancements to our athletes no matter the age.

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By Dr. Alex Jimenez