Whiplash Symptoms and Treatment
While some people can walk away from car accidents unscathed, some aren't as lucky. Car accidents, specifically rear-end car accidents, have enough force to cause an injury called whiplash. According to Mayo Clinic, “whiplash is a neck injury due to forceful, rapid back-and-forth movement of the neck, like the cracking of a whip.” When a part of the body is whipped back and then forward beyond its normal range of motion, micro-tears form in the surrounding ligaments. Usually, it’s when the micro-tears start to swell that the symptoms begin. Whiplash happens to be the most common injury when it comes to car accidents, however, a person can get whiplash by also experiencing physical abuse, like during contact sports.
Wondering what whiplash actually feels like? Here are a few symptoms to help you decipher whether or not you are experiencing whiplash:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Lower back pain
- Memory loss
- Blurred vision
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Headaches
- Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- Dizziness
- Trouble sleeping
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Tenderness or pain in the shoulder
- Worsening pain or limited range of motion of the neck
- Tingling or numbness in the arms
Chiropractic care not only treats these symptoms but corrects the root of the problem as well. A chiropractor takes a more holistic approach to treatment and avoids using drugs that only treat symptomatically. We help relieve pain, restore mobility, and support long-term healing with a variety of techniques.
We recommend that you check in with one of our experienced chiropractors if you are experiencing continued neck pain or other worsening symptoms of whiplash. Failure to resolve your whiplash may cause lasting damage to the bones in your spine, disks between your bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and other tissues of your neck. You don’t have to deal with this pain for the rest of your life. Our chiropractic office can help you onto the road to recovery, and ultimately back to your pain-free life. We are experienced in finding the right treatment plan unique to a patient’s problem. Contact us today!