Sooooooooooooooooo I totally jinxed myself.
Last Friday I published a post titled “I Wish I Was In The Hospital”. . .
And guess what, the next day I LANDED IN THE HOSPITAL!
Ayyyyyyyyyeeeeee.
I was in a car accident Friday evening, annnnddddd my little Volkswagen Eos was totaled. Some idiot 2 cars in front of me stopped to let an asshole make an ILLEGAL left turn. The pick up truck in front of me stopped in time, but I plowed right into the back of the pickup truck. He ended up on a stretcher and left the scene in an ambulance (his car was able to be driven away from the scene), but I didn’t end up in the hospital until the next day.
I was really sore and really shook up the night of the accident, but the next day I woke up in a whole lot of pain. Since I have a high tolerance for pain, I wanted to get checked out just to be sure there was nothing seriously wrong with me.
A physical exam and CT scan showed nothing was wrong except lots of inflammation and muscle spasms. I was given anti-inflammatories and pain killers, but the best medicine I’ve found actually isn’t “medicine” per say.
These are the top 5 ways (plus a bonus!) that I’ve been recovering from my car accident:
5. Baths, Essential Oils & Mantra
I’ve been soaking in my parents large, jet tub. I add some lavender (or serenity blend oil) to the water and lay and relax in the water. The oils help my muscles relax and just create a calming environment. While I’m in the water, I’ll repeat the mantra ‘I’m healing from the inside out’ over and over. I picked this mantra up from my acupuncturist. She mentioned it once during one of my visits and I absolutely loved it. I am love and I’m healing from the inside out are my two go to mantras. After my bath I slather deep blue all over my neck and back.
4. Heat and Ice
I’ve been alternating between heat and ice. It’s said that when you have inflammation you should use ice to help calm down the area and when you need to warm up and get an area moving you use heat. So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. In the mornings or before yoga, I use my heating pad for about 10-15 minutes. And before I go to bed, I lay on some ice packs for 10-15 minutes. Temperature therapy can do wonders for our bodies!
3. Massage & Chiropractor
My chiropractor told me that even in the simplest of car accidents, it can take an average of 39 medical visits to get a patient back to where they were pre-accident. That blew my mind! Sure, I’m sore and my head has been throbbing, but 39 medical visits! That sore neck or back isn’t anything to play around with. When these muscles are stretched out from an accident, scar tissue will form. This scar tissue build up with then create problems from the rest of our lives in an area that we never had problems to being with! He explained that the only form of therapy that can help prevent and get rid of scar tissue is massage and ultrasound therapy. So I’ve decided upon a therapy plan with him of getting adjusted and getting a half hour massage 2 times a week. The massage hurts so good. It’s sore when she does it, but I can feel her working out all the kinks and knots.
2. Meditation
Before I had a steady meditation practice I always thought it was hippie, crazy stuff. But honestly, it can help so much with pain relief. I was even talking to a pregnant friend the other day who said she’s been using meditation and hypnosis to get ready for her natural child-birth! It really can do amazing things. What I’ll do is I’ll sit and follow along with a guided meditation OR I’ll sit and concentrate on the area that is bothering me.
So let’s take my neck for instance. I imagine that every breath I take fills up the area that is bothering me. When I exhale I imagine that my breath is melting away the stress, tension and pain. So inhale my breath is filling up my neck and upper back. Exhale the breath is leaving my body and taking the tension and pain along with it!
It can take a bit of getting used to, but once you start using this visualization practice I guarantee you’ll be using it on the reg. Last night I was on a bus ride home from Penn State and my stomach was really bothering me. I took 10 minutes and used this technique on my stomach and I can definitely say it had me feeling a bit better!
1. Yoga
There’s nothing like a gentle forward fold to help you stretch out your tight upper back muscles. Aaaaaahhhhh I’ve seriously seen a HUGE improvement in my pain after getting on my mat. All the stretches and poses I’ve been doing are easy and restorative and aren’t pushing my body, but rather helping facilitate healing and help relax the muscles that are spasm-ing. Here is a great article that shows 8 yoga poses that are good when dealing with a car accident or whiplash.
BONUS: Using Food As Medicine
I took the anti-inflammatories the first few days after my accident, but they’re so harsh on my stomach that I didn’t want to continue to take them. So instead, I’ve been supplementing with anti-inflammatory foods. I’ve been juicing veggies to make sure I’m getting the nutrients I need, I’ve been making sure to eat a lot of Omega 3’s and have been steering clear of anything that could promote MORE inflammation!
I’m definitely on the right track and know that I’m healing well. I still have some kinks and knots to work out, but I know I’m well on my way to getting rid of all my symptoms. Now, if only the car insurance company would get on figuring out my car situation 😉
Wishing You A Pain Free Day!
