Whiplash is a common injury that Millions of people knowingly-unknowingly face on a regular basis. From car accidents to being involved in contact sports, there are a lot of reasons why an individual might be looking forward to a detailed Whiplash Injury Treatment.
In any accident where your body might suffer from a bump, like in a car accident where your head and neck were included in a prompt to and fro jerk, you are susceptible to developing whiplash. Many people develop the symptoms after a few hours while some of them can start experiencing whiplash after several days.
This results in the ligaments and soft tissues of the neck being ruptured. When a person suffers from such kind of pain, it means that they will not be able to perform the tasks in their regular routine. Exercising is one of the major tasks that are affected by whiplash. People are not able to hit the gym as they used to pre-injury.
Whiplash is responsible for reducing the normal range of motion in a persons’ upper body. Initially, the doctors advise the patients to take complete bed rest and not indulge in any form of activity until the neck starts recovering.
Common Symptoms of Whiplash
While the symptoms completely depend upon the health of a person, the extent of the injury, and severity of the contact accident, here are a few common symptoms that every other victim of whiplash is bound to suffer:
- Neck pain
- Stiffness in the neck
- Restricted range of motion
- Movement of the neck and head is extremely uncomfortable and painful
- Constant headaches
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Nausea
You can experience all of the symptoms at once of some of them when the injury is fresh. After taking proper medication and treatment, you will start to feel that your body is loosening up and you are becoming quite comfortable with yourself again.
Treatment of Whiplash
Sleep is absolutely crucial shortly following the injury. Pain is particularly noticeable for the very first three days of the accident and gradually starts to abate. Cold and hot compression can be soothing alongside proper bed rest. Many doctors also recommend pain relief as well as over-the-counter medications.
While medications will help you in concealing the pain, your chiropractor will also be able to prescribe different types of therapy that may assist with improvement in the neck damage. Chiropractic modification, recovery, and healing can be used to alleviate discomfort and recover a wide variety of relaxed movements in the neck and back.
Exercising and Whiplash Injury Treatment
As we have elaborated above that exercising comes to a complete halt when you are suffering from injuries like whiplash. As soon as you discover the issue, exercising for the first 24 to 48 hours is a complete no-no.
However, when you start to heal and your body starts getting flexible and more prone to the regular movements, you can slowly add exercise in your daily routine. There are a lot of low-impact back and neck exercises available on the internet that allow you to move your neck and shoulders in what that can ease the tension between the muscles.
For example: moving your neck side to side or up and down.
As you start recovering you will feel your body easing up and you will feel less and less pain. This is an indicator that you may add more exercises in your routine and increase its overall intensity.
It is important that you avoid exercises and sports that have a constant risk of putting your health in more danger instead of making it stronger.
Some contact sports like football or karate and high-impact exercises like barbell lifting and HIIT cardio are not a perfect choice for your regular routine during the recovery phase.
Instead of these vigorous activities, put your focus on easier activities like balancing yoga and brisk walking. These will keep your stamina updated and will also help you in the recovery process. There are a lot of yoga movements that assist in the recovery of the spine as well as the neck.
Performing meditating exercises like yoga can also help you in improving your overall focus as well as the ability to be more patient and endure pain with confidence.
Chiropractic Treatment and Whiplash
The chiropractor examines the back overall. No matter what you do. Even if you’re visiting a chiropractor and explaining to him the pain that you have suffered in the neck after an injury. He or she will conduct an overall examination of the spin. The reason for doing this is that there might be other areas of the body apart from the neck that might be affected due to the accident. Â
They are able to recognize all regions of limited joint mobility like the:
- intervertebral disc damage
- muscle spasm
- ligament injury
They use a common technique that is otherwise known as the motion and static palpation. There are also multiple diagnostic techniques. These techniques involve touching the affected area. Your chiropractor will ask you about the sensitive body parts after the whiplash and feel the tenderness and sensitivity of each region. This also involves testing the movement of spinal joints.
Treatment Process by a Chiropractor
Your recovery plan will focus on the seriousness of the whiplash injury. Spinal therapy is the most effective chiropractic procedure. There are also certain spinal manipulation techniques that are used in the treatment process.Â
Some of the most popular spinal manipulation techniques are:
- Flexion-distraction
- Manipulation using instruments
- Specific spinal manipulation
Conclusion
When you suffer from a car accident, it is highly likely that you might face some form of internal injuries. Whiplash is one of the most common injuries that any accident victim is bound to face.
General whiplash injury treatment comprises many different techniques but seeking chiropractic care is the best alternative treatment. Not only does it help you with completely relieving the pain, but it will also allow you to eliminate all possible symptoms.
Make sure that you do not exercise for the first few days and only perform low-impact exercises like walking and yoga until complete recovery.
