How Serious is Whiplash?
If you or a friend have recently been in an accident, it is important to be evaluated as soon as possible to determine if there is soft tissue damage or a nerve injury that the hospital may have overlooked.
** Note - Florida Law Requires Your Insurance Company to help pay for most, if not all, of your health care related expenses as a result of an accident...
Whether the accident was your fault or not!
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Whiplash Symptoms
During a rear end collision, a tremendous strain is placed on the joints of the spine. These strains can result in ligament and disc injury and chronic pain. In this video, we show what happens to your neck during a crash, and how chiropractic can help you recover.Injury to the body is caused when one part of the body moves too quickly in relation to another part of the body. In whiplash, the head and torso are moving in different directions, resulting in damage to the tissues of the neck.
The neck is a very complex structure, though, and there are many important nerves and blood vessels that travel through the neck to other parts of the body. Damage to these tissues can cause a complex set of symptoms that can be difficult to diagnose. In addition, other parts of the body—such as the shoulder and lower back—can be subjected to dramatic forces, as well. This can result in pain in different parts of the body.
Tips for a Quick Recovery After Whiplash
A car crash—even a "minor" one—can be a huge disruption in your life and can cause months of pain and disability. With proper treatment, however, you can be back to your normal activities much faster and reduce the chances of chronic problems.
Staying Active
One of the first things to remember after an auto injury is to stay active. When injured, the body tenses the muscles and creates inflammation around the injured area to "guard" the injury from further harm. Unfortunately, this protective mechanism can cause problems down the road. If left untreated, the "guarded" area will lose motion and flexibility. This can result in reduced function and premature degeneration of the discs in your neck and back.
The effects of early intervention are dramatic. A study1 conducted in Sweden compared patients who were treated within four days of their auto injury to those who waited two weeks. The authors found that patients who received prompt treatment that used gentle neck exercises early after the injury had much improved functioning three years after the collision.
There are many reasons why active, early care helps after whiplash:
- Staying mobile helps overcome your fear of motion or re-injury.
- Activity increases blood flow to the injury and improves healing.
- Movement prevents the formation of scar tissue at the injury site.
Chiropractic Care
Chiropractic also serves the same function, by carefully targeting the injured segments of your spine and increasing mobility in those areas. By combining chiropractic with home exercises, we can get you back on the road to health!
If you have been in a car crash, call us for an appointment.
Rosenfeld M, Seferiadis A, Carlsson J, Gunnarsson R. Active intervention in patients with whiplash-associated disorders improves long-term prognosis. Spine 2003;28(22):2491-2498.