Balance Problems After Auto Accidents

Car crashes result in a variety of injuries.  In addition to pain and tightness you may be experiencing, if the injuries are severe enough, you may notice problems with balance you didn’t have before.  The ability to know where your body is positioned without looking is called proprioception.  Proprioception requires coordination of many sensory structures in the muscles, ligaments, and joints of your body.  Sprains and strains after an auto collision can affect the function of these sensory structures.

Over time your nervous system learns where your body is positioned relative to feedback received from the sensory structures.  When the muscles and ligaments are stretched, they will provide feedback that is different from before they were stretched.  This can lead to slow reactions to joint movements.  For instance, in an ankle sprain, your ankle may buckle with an unguarded step if your muscles are activated too late when walking to strongly prevent excessive joint movement. 

This issue occurs in your neck and back as well.  However, as there are many joints in your spine that can be injured in a motor vehicle accident, this issue can be compounded. 

Exercises are a good way to improve this problem.  Joint movement helps to retrain and recalibrate your nervous system as to where your joints are positioned.  A few light exercises that can help with improving proprioception include walking, pelvic clocking on a ball or stability disc, or standing and balancing on one foot. 

Balance problems can present with injuries to areas other than the spine and joints as well.  Visit a chiropractic clinic if you are having pain or balance problems after an auto accident.  A chiropractor can treat the causes of auto injury symptoms.