Significance of Visiting a Chiropractor for Whiplash

Whiplash is a common injury that frequently occurs after car accident and may result in chronic neck pain and rigidity. Since these symptoms are not apparent after an accident, many people still wait for several days and the condition gets worse. Therefore, most chiropractors recommend visiting the clinic immediately after an accident whether you are experiencing any symptoms or not.

By visiting a chiropractor, you can figure out in case you have whiplash and receive treatment right away. On the other hand, you must seek chiropractor care if you experience any headaches, shoulder pain, neck pain, and stiffness. Without undergoing any treatment, the pain linked with whiplash can last for several upcoming months and years. Initial treatment for whiplash can considerably minimize the risk of long-term complications.

What Is Whiplash?

Before we jump into how a chiropractor can help you, let’s go through what whiplash is. It’s a common traumatic neck injury that often occurs when the head is suddenly forced forward or backward and abruptly whipped in the opposite direction. Under these circumstances, the muscles and ligaments in your neck stretch beyond the normal range of motion. Consequently, this can result in a soft tissue sprain or tear, eventually causing pain and discomfort. A few common symptoms of whiplash are the following:

• Neck pain and rigidity
• Pain in arms, back, and shoulders
• Poor vision
• Headaches specifically at the back of the head
• Faintness
• Extreme exhaustion
• Trouble in concentration

Most symptoms appear in a day or two following the trauma. In some cases, it can take up to a week or even more for symptoms to become obvious. Slight to moderate cases of whiplash typically get better over time with rest, over-the-counter pain relievers and use of ice. Some natural treatments such as physical therapy or massage can significantly help in releasing tension to assist you in restoring range of motion. Though one of the most common treatments for a whiplash injury is chiropractic care. A chiropractor uses a range of natural remedies to ease your discomfort and help your body get comfortable at the earliest.

Your Body as a Whole

Even if you are experiencing pain in your neck, remember that other parts of your body, specifically the spine may also get affected. Considering this fact, a chiropractor evaluates and treats your body for awhile. Instead of merely focusing on obvious symptoms, they carefully look for the underlying cause of the pain. A chiropractor analyzes and identifies the areas of limited movement, muscle spasm, disc or ligament injury. They examine the way you sit, walk and move to comprehensively understand your body mechanics and spinal alignment. Instead of providing one size fits all treatment, they formulate a customized treatment plan for your individual needs. Further, they focus on preventive measures and self-care as an important key to keep you healthy in the long-term.

Chiropractic Whiplash Treatments

Your treatment plan primarily depends on the critical nature of your whiplash injury. One of the most common chiropractic techniques is spinal manipulation. A few spinal manipulation practices involved are the following:

Flexion-distraction technique: This hands-on practice is a non-thrusting and mild type of spinal manipulation to help heal herniated discs with or without arm pain. Whiplash injury is more likely to worsen a herniated disc. The chiropractor frequently uses a slow pumping action on the disc rather than using direct force on the spine.

Instrument-assisted manipulation: This is another commonly used non-thrusting technique. Using a focused hand-held instrument, the chiropractor applies force without pushing into the spine. This certain type of manipulation is particularly helpful for older patients who may have degenerative joint syndrome.

Specific spinal manipulation: The chiropractor detects spinal joints that have limited or any abnormal motion often referred to as subluxations. Using this specific technique, they will help restore the movement of the joint with a smooth and mild thrusting technique. This tender thrusting stretches soft tissues and assist the nervous system to return normal motion to the spine.

Soft Tissue Therapies

Since whiplash involves soft tissue injury, a Tucker whiplash chiropractor is more likely to treat you with one or more soft tissue therapies. The ultimate objective of the treatment plan is to restore proper muscle function. This predominantly involves applying pressure to muscles or stretching as we have discussed above. Therapeutic massage is a common therapy frequently used in easing muscle tension. Besides, trigger point therapy includes identifying painful joints in a muscle and exerting direct pressure on these specific points. Similar to other techniques, the goal is to ease muscle tension and pain. Mainly depending on the intensity of your injury, the chiropractor may also apply muscle energy therapy or multiple stretches and resistance techniques. They may also use an activator or a relevant instrument to treat any of the affected areas.

Other Natural Therapies

Though most of the rehabilitations performed in a chiropractic treatment center are hands-on, there are other options available as well. One common therapy includes the use of an interferential electrical stimulation machine. The machine uses a low-frequency electric current to stimulate wounded muscles. The process results in minimizing pain and tenderness. If you are suffering from any serious muscle spasms, your chiropractor may prefer using ultrasound. The ultrasound machine transfer waves deep into your muscle tissues that encourage muscle relaxation and improved blood flow.

Conclusion:

Though whiplash frequently occurs after a car accident, you may also suffer from it after high-impact sports, a sudden fall or even amusement park rides. When you are suffering from whiplash, there are several ways to minimize your pain without injecting any medication. Don’t assume your pain will get better with time. It can even get worse, affecting both your physical and psychological health.

With chiropractic care, you can get back to normal activities. Chiropractors carry out diverse exercises and therapies to combat any mechanical and neurological symptoms of whiplash. The best part is the treatment will be performed without using any dangerous pharmaceuticals or surgery.

Whiplash can be devastating, and here chiropractor care can significantly help ease your symptoms as your body restores.

This is a guest blog entry.