Of the roughly 2 million rear-end crashes in the US every year, a significant number of men and women end up dealing with long-term pain and disability. Some studies have shown that 18% of people are still in pain a year after an accident.

Dr. Dahlager sees many auto injury cases in our Noblesville location, and we frequently see patients who have been struggling for many years and have not been able to find relief. Dr. Dahlager has great success in helping these patients.

The Roots of Chronic Pain

During a crash, the structures of your neck and back can be sprained or torn. The injured area becomes swollen and irritated and sends pain signals to the spine and brain.

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

If the damage isn't treated immediately, a negative cycle develops. The injured tissues keep sending pain signals and each time, your nervous system reacts. This brings about a feedback loop in your nervous system that experts refer to as "central sensitization." Your nervous system essentially becomes hypersensitive to any kind of stimulation, causing chronic pain.

Dr. Dahlager is able to help this kind of problem, as chiropractic care is a proven way to restore your nervous system's healthy functioning. Research shows that chiropractic is successful at reducing pain from auto injuries and shows that chiropractic actually has positive effects on the pain centers of the brain.

If you live in Noblesville and have been in a crash, you don't have to suffer with chronic pain. Give Dr. Dahlager a call today at (317) 214-7218 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.