What is whiplash? How can a neck pain chiropractor help deal with symptoms? Often, patients who had suffered from a serious neck injury from an accident often ask these two questions. Let’s tackle these two topics to help you find long-term relief from your condition.
In general, people commonly hear that whiplash injury is due to car accidents. However, this is not entirely accurate. Whiplash is a neck injury due to an unexpected forward, sideways, or backward movement of your head. Therefore, any incident that makes your neck jerk suddenly, similar to how a whip moves when it strikes, can cause whiplash.
Injuries occur when ligaments, joints, and muscles of the neck and upper back become overstretched too far. Whiplash can happen even if you are not involved in a car accident. Any blows to the head can cause a whiplash injury. Here are some incidents that may lead to whiplash:
Patients who had these accidents should consult with a neck pain chiropractor for whiplash or a doctor for care and relief. It’s essential to have the symptoms and injury checked right away to ensure faster recovery.
You’d know you have a whiplash injury if you begin to experience these signs and symptoms:
Whiplash symptoms after various sports-related or car accident-related injuries can be mild in the beginning. Many people don’t even realize that they have an injury. Therefore, it is an excellent idea to have your neck examined by a neck pain chiropractor for whiplash. Have a check-up even when you feel relatively okay after experiencing an accident. Some symptoms may take days, weeks, months, and even years before they show up.
Some severe conditions frequently result from neck or head traumas and injuries. Sometimes these would show up many years later. These conditions may be related to your immune system, pain, and neurological problems, such as:
The healing period for whiplash injuries varies significantly from person to person. Many people who experience whiplash injuries can recover and heal within six months after the incident. However, there is at least one-third of people who report experiencing neck pain constantly for over ten years. Unfortunately, some individuals suffer from whiplash symptoms for as long as they live or until the underlying cause of their symptoms is corrected or fixed.
Most rear or side-impact car accidents happen at speeds of 6 to 12 mph. Tests of low-speed and rear-impact collisions reveal that a person can become injured even at five mph speeds. At these low speeds, it is enough to cause neck trauma or injury to a person.
Did you know that at least two million people experience whiplash injuries through auto accidents in the United States every year? It’s also one of the leading reasons why people come to a neck pain chiropractor.
Besides accidents, aging can also increase the risk of getting a whiplash injury. Older people, especially those with neck problems or arthritis, can also experience more intense or severe whiplash than younger individuals.
Whiplash injuries can also happen due to:
Also, when the ligaments that support your neck become overstretched or torn due to a sudden, fast head movement, then it would also likely cause a misalignment in the top vertebrae of the upper cervical spine. The bones would move out of their regular positions, causing various health problems to occur.
Get a spinal examination and relevant check-ups done. Also, as soon as the doctor recommends that you return to your everyday routines, you should do so. In many cases, people receive prescribed physical therapy, exercise routines, and ways to recondition their muscles.
However, most people choose to rest a lot, believing that it will be best for their health after whiplash. Unfortunately, resting too much can harm you. Sleeping and relaxing for more than a few days can make the muscles in your back, neck, and shoulders become weak and stiff. Thus, it can prolong your pain. Therefore, it is critical to do gentle exercises and start getting back on track with your regular activities as soon as possible. You don’t have to let the pain stop you from moving forward and recovering correctly.
Also, it would help if you consult with a neck pain chiropractor. By fixing potential neck structure problems, you may be able to experience relief from your symptoms.
If an individual of any age experiences an accident, it is best to have a proper spinal examination done as soon as possible. It is essential to get the neck and the spine assessed if there is an injury or misalignment in the neck. A neck pain chiropractor can do the job of taking care of your spine and neck.
A NUCCA neck pain chiropractor focuses on correcting misalignments in the spine following accidents and injuries such as whiplash. Using X-rays of the neck (upper cervical spine), they examine if the upper neck has an injury. If there is one detected, then an adjustment by hand will be applied. NUCCA is a safe, precise, and very gentle procedure that will correct the misalignment to begin the healing process.
Once a neck pain chiropractor corrects the structure, it can reverse the previous damage. Also, as a neck pain chiropractor patient, you can also potentially experience great improvement in your health. With less pain and fewer whiplash symptoms, you may be able to enjoy living more comfortably.
Use the search function on this website to locate a certified NUCCA practitioner or a neck pain chiropractor for whiplash today.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][blog-button]
[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
