4 Reasons Why Chiropractors Use EMS Therapy to Treat Car Accident Injuries

What is EMS

Sometimes car accident chiropractors use specific techniques to provide therapy to injuries along with the traditional spinal adjustments and physical therapy. Electric Muscle Stimulation (EMS) is one such adjunctive modality therapy.

EMS is a rehab treatment that chiropractors use to support the injury recovery process. When using EMS, your chiropractor can use any of the following physical agents to produce therapeutic changes — light, thermal, acoustic, mechanical, or electric energy. EMS helps stimulate specific muscles. Its application builds muscle strength and prevents them from becoming atrophic.

How It Works

EMS delivers mild electrical impulses to specific muscles that require stimulation. Electrodes are attached to the skin and placed on the target muscle group to stimulate them. Similarly, to relieve pain in the nerves, the electrodes target the injured nerves and block the transmission of pain signals. How does this happen?

Well, the electrical pulses delivered through the electrodes actually imitate the signals sent by the brain. The body reads these electrical impulses as being sent by the brain and responds naturally by treating the pain. Endorphins that are the body's natural pain relievers, also get overproduced due to EMS. This then leads to decrease in pain and inflammation at the injury site.

Types of EMS

Depending on the type of injury, accident doctors and car accident chiropractors use different types of EMS.

The following are some common types of EMS they employ to maintain or regain muscle strength and help treat pain following an injury or spasm:

• Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES)

• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

• Interferential current (IFC) electrical stimulation

• Iontophoresis

• Russian Stimulation

• High Voltage Stimulation

Why Chiropractors Use EMS For Car Accident Injury

After a car crash, the road to recovery for many car accident victims becomes long and challenging. Accident chiropractors help guide such patients on their recovery journey.

During rehab and recovery after a car accident injury, chiropractors use a number of therapeutic methods, one of which is EMS. Back and neck injuries, muscular trauma, nerve inflammation, spinal cord injury, tendonitis, and muscle weakness or atrophy respond well to EMS.

Instead of treating these car accident injuries with pain killers or opting for invasive procedures, choosing chiropractic care that includes EMS is not only safe but also holistic, and it does not even cause any side effects.

Benefits of EMS

1. Improves Muscle Strength

Injured muscles are treated and strengthened using EMS. The electric currents that are sent through the muscles make them contract. This aids in the injury rehabilitation process. When the muscles contract they help relieve pain in the back, neck, legs, or arms. The stimulation helps reduce swelling and promotes overall muscle toning. EMS also helps you heal better and faster during the recovery process.

2. Prevents Muscle Atrophy

After a car accident injury, due to the inactivity or some medical condition, your muscle mass may begin to decrease. This decrease is also called muscle atrophy. Chiropractors use EMS to literally "wake up" the atrophied muscles. The constant stimulation and muscle contraction helps the weakened muscles to regain strength and remain active.

3. Relaxes and Releases Tension

Just like massage therapy, EMS too is very relaxing. The electric currents stimulate the muscles and release tension from them. This stimulation also boosts blood flow to the injury site and speeds up healing. Sore and aching muscles respond well to EMS.

4. Long-term Care

EMS helps keep muscles active especially in the case of car accident victims who have sustained an injury to the spinal cord or have been paralyzed due to physical trauma. Chiropractors and physical therapists also use EMS to stimulate and maintain muscle tone of immobilized car accident victims.

No, It Is Not Painful

It is possible that the thought of taking EMS sessions may make you a bit anxious or wary, but we can assure you that it is not at all uncomfortable as it sounds. Therapy sessions are short but the effects are long-lasting. If you feel pain at any point during the therapy session immediately inform your chiropractor because EMS should never be painful.

To know more about EMS therapy or to schedule a consultation you can visit a car accident chiropractor near you today. You can also call our accident clinic in Miami at 305-928-2828 to speak to our chiropractic experts for more details regarding EMS therapy.