Life is unexpected and you never know when you experience a sudden injury. Well, whiplash is certainly one of them. When your head abruptly moves forward and backward because of trauma such as a car accident, you will experience neck pain limiting the movement of your neck. A chiropractor undertakes a detailed physical examination of the spine to figure out any misalignment or tissue damage. Apart from the neck, they evaluate multiple regions of the spine. They precisely identify if there is any restricted joint movement, muscle spasm, or ligament injury using one or more diagnostic techniques. Here are a few conditions you may experience:
- The muscles and ligaments of the spine are either damaged or over-stretched
- The vertebrae discs may rupture or tear
- The nerve roots and spinal cord get strained or clogged
Whiplash Treatment
When you consult a chiropractor or whiplash doctor, they use different therapy modalities to find out the intensity of neck inflammation along with the best-suited treatment options. They commonly use moderate stretching and manual therapy practices such as muscle energy therapy. Further, they may recommend you the ice pack application or lighter neck support to help you with pain. Once there is improvement in the neck pain, they may go with gentle spinal manipulation along with other effective chiropractic techniques to recover the normal range of movement.
Muscle Relaxation
One of the primary chiropractic care and treatment focuses on muscle relaxation. The technique comprises gentle stretches especially on the muscles with restricted movement or has repeated contractions. In case the muscles are very tight, the chiropractor is more likely to apply a forceful stretch. On the other hand, mild finger pressure practices can help in easing tight muscles supporting the neck and spine.
McKenzie Exercises
Chiropractors are more likely to recommend varied types of exercises including the sensorimotor and McKenzie exercises to treat whiplash injuries. These specialized exercises are exclusively designed to minimize disc misalignment primarily depending on the intensity of your injury. It comprises simple movements that can be performed both at the clinic and at home. Further, these exercises keep you active and speed up the recovery process.
Ergonomic and Lifestyle Changes
An important part of whiplash treatment is to focus on routine activities to improve your health condition. A chiropractor will advise you on routine work and other recreational activities that can reduce the dysfunctions as a result of a whiplash accident. These ergonomic and lifestyle modifications can get you back to normal health.
Flexion-Distraction
When you visit a chiropractic clinic, spine care specialized professionals use stress reduction techniques to help you with whiplash concerns. The treatment begins with the execution of spinal manipulation techniques. A certain degree of force or pressure is applied to the affected areas of the spine that require re-alignment and relief from pain. Some of the most common techniques includes flexion-distraction technique, specific spinal manipulation, and instrument-assisted manipulation. These are relatively gentle techniques to treat pain following a whiplash injury. Instead of direct force application, they use a less intense and slow force to be applied on the discs.
Therapeutic Chiropractic Treatment
Additional effective therapies that can be used to treat neck and back injuries commonly include interferential electrical stimulation and ultrasound therapy. The therapy helps in healing muscle spasms and pain along with other tension-related concerns. In this technique, sound waves penetrate the tissues with the application of slight heat. This required warmth improves circulation and boosts the overall natural healing process. On the other hand, interferential electrical stimulation stimulates muscles using safe and gentle electric current.
A neck adjustment or alignment helps in improving spine mobility to increase the range of movement. At the same time, it improves adjoining muscle mobility. The treatment gradually reduces pain and stiffness and lets you move your head without any pain. In addition to these manipulations, rehabilitation exercises and massage therapy can further speed up the recovery process. For instance, they may follow a cervical rehab procedure as soon as the initial pain and inflammation are improved. Also, you can expect gym ball exercises, resistance exercises, and vibration therapy.
Every individual is different from another and therefore the ability to heal from injuries also varies. A chiropractor will come up with a personalized treatment including chiropractic manipulation, soft tissue therapy, and other progressive rehabilitative exercises. It will help you one way or another.
If you are looking forward to more information about the whiplash condition, here we have listed a few facts you may want to take a look at.
- If you are positioning the car headrest somewhat low or about 2 inches away from the head, it will increase the likelihood of severe whiplash injury.
- You are already experiencing existing health problems such as arthritis contributing to the severity of the injury.
- Positioning a seat reclined far can result in poor body posture.
- ● It is found that women and children are more likely to be seriously injured in comparison to men. If they are very close to the steering wheel or airbag or have inappropriately secured the seat belt, chances are they are more prone to whiplash.
- Whether the injury is a minor or major one, age plays an important role. As you get older, your body becomes weaker and less flexible limiting the range of mobility.
Schedule an Appointment
As soon as you set up an appointment with a chiropractor in Snellville ga, be prepared before you go. They are more likely to ask you about specific symptoms, situations, and the intensity of the injury. Following the initial diagnosis, they will further evaluate your condition and design a personalized treatment plan for pain relief and let you go back to normal life again. The symptoms of whiplash may not appear immediately, at times it may take a couple of few weeks or even months. Any delay in the treatment may worsen your condition.
Wrapping Up
Unfortunately, if you are experiencing whiplash pain visiting a chiropractor can help. They will carry out a detailed examination of your body and treat it as a whole. The customized chiropractic care & treatment plan will help you with pain relief. The plan is designed primarily depending on the severity of the injury. Further, they will guide you on prevention and self-care techniques that you can follow from the comfort of your home. This allows both short and long-term pain relief. The comprehensive treatment plan can reduce pain and restore the range of required mobility. It won’t be exaggerating to say that even the simplest activities can help.
From therapeutic massages to flexion-distraction techniques, a chiropractor can get you back to health and you can re-continue the pre-accident level of activities. Enjoy pain-free evenings, quality sleep, sports, and much more. Get back to the productive workdays and relaxing driving experiences. When it comes to your health, do not settle for less. For any queries regarding whiplash and other associated injuries, feel free to write to us in the comment section below. We will get back to your shortly.
