Whiplash is an injury that occurs after a sudden back and forth movement of the neck.
It commonly occurs during car accidents, especially rear-end collisions.
Here's how to prove a whiplash injury in Athens.
Our Athens Whiplash Injury Chiropractor is an expert at treating this condition.
If you ever suffer a whiplash injury in Athens, GA, what's the best way to treat your injury?
We'll take a look at that question below.
Table of Contents
- What Is Whiplash
- Managing The Pain From Whiplash
- Whiplash and Chiropractic Care
- Contact The Arrowhead Clinic In Athens, GA
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a type of neck strain.
When your neck suddenly stops, jerks, or turns due to an impact or a collision, the result could be a strain to the neck.
The sudden force applied on the neck and head can result in stretches, tears, and injuries to the muscles and tendons in your neck.
Common symptoms of a whiplash injury include
- Pain moving your head or neck
- Decreased range of motion
- Tightness or tenderness in your neck
- Headaches, typically at the base of the skull that could radiate up towards the forehead
Whiplash can be an excruciating injury, but symptoms do not always appear immediately.
The stress of the situation and an adrenaline rush can mask the symptoms of whiplash, making you think you escaped without injury.
However, pain can sometimes appear hours or even days after an accident.
That's why you should seek medical treatment after a car accident right away, even if you feel fine.
Managing The Pain From Whiplash
After sustaining a whiplash injury, there are a few remedies you can do at home to relieve your pain.
Rest can help the first 24-48 hours after your injury, but too much rest will likely delay your recovery.
You can also apply heat or cold applied to your neck for 15 minutes every three or so hours to relieve pain.
Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen or prescription painkillers are a good short-term option for pain relief.
Just keep in mind that pain medications just mask your symptoms without treating the issue.
Short-term use of muscle relaxants can help loosen tight muscles and ease the pain.
If your pain is severe, an injection of lidocaine, which is a numbing medicine, into the painful areas may be used to reduce your pain so you can do physical therapy.
Your doctor may also prescribe a stretching and movement exercises you can do at home.
The exercises will help restore your range of motion and return you to your normal activities.
Exercises you can perform may include:
- Neck rotations
- Tilting your head side to side
- Bending your neck toward your chest
- Rolling your shoulders
Whiplash and Chiropractic Care
Chiropractors can use different techniques to help ease the pain of whiplash and treat the problem at its core.
Spinal manipulation or chiropractic adjustments identify the neck joints that are misaligned and position them back into their proper place.
This is done by gently moving the affected joint into the direction it is constrained.
Sometimes the chiropractor may apply swift but gentle thrusts, or they could apply a slow mobilizing movement.
Whiplash injuries have also been know to aggravate a herniated or bulging disc.
If this happens to you, your chiropractor will use the flexion-distraction technique.
The flexion-distraction technique is a hands-on, gentle, non-thrusting spinal manipulation to ease herniated discs.
Chiropractors can also include soft tissue therapies in your treatment plan.
Soft tissue therapies will restore proper muscle function by applying pressure or stretching the muscles in your neck that have excessive tension.
Therapeutic massage is a common soft tissue therapy used to relieve muscle tension.
Your chiropractor may include muscle energy therapy or different stretch-and-resist techniques.
Contact Arrowhead Clinic In Athens, GA
If you are experiencing whiplash pain, a chiropractor with Arrowhead Clinic in Athens can treat your whiplash at the source.
Your chiropractor will examine the underlying cause of your whiplash injury and develop a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
Arrowhead Clinic also believe that an emphasis on prevention and self-care is the key to maintain your well-being.
To schedule your Free Consultation with Arrowhead Clinic, click the button below.
