If you think you may have a whiplash injury, it’s essential to seek chiropractic care as soon as possible. Chiropractors are specially trained to treat whiplash and other soft tissue injuries. Their whiplash treatment will work towards returning you to total health as soon as possible.
How does a chiropractor treat whiplash?
Muscle stimulations or relaxation as whiplash treatments: The primary whiplash treatment used by chiropractors for related muscle dysfunction is muscle stimulation and/or relaxation. That includes gentle stretches to the muscles experiencing excessive tension and repeated contractions of the muscle that is restricted.
How long does it take a chiropractor to fix whiplash?
Average recovery from whiplash can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months, with periodic visits to a chiropractor throughout that time.
What is the best treatment after whiplash?
Either heat or cold applied to the neck for 15 minutes every three hours or so can help you feel better. Over-the-counter pain medications. Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others), often can control mild to moderate whiplash pain.
Should you go to a chiropractor for whiplash Related Questions
Is whiplash lifelong?
Doctors now know that whiplash pain can mean lifelong pain and disability if the associated injuries are not properly cared for when they occur.
Is it OK to massage whiplash?
Is It OK to Get a Massage After Whiplash? Yes, but the general advice is to proceed slowly. Massage and bodywork can address the discomfort that accompanies whiplash, but it is recommended to wait a few days and undergo a thorough assessment.
What makes whiplash worse?
When it comes to whiplash, rest equals rust. You may not want to move around after a whiplash injury for fear of making the pain worse. But resting for more than a few days can cause the muscles in your neck, shoulders and back to get stiff and weak — and actually prolong the pain.
Will whiplash heal on its own?
Here’s the good news: given time, whiplash should heal on its own. To help with recovery, you should: Ice your neck to reduce pain and swelling as soon as you can after the injury.
What is the longest whiplash can last?
Moderate cases of whiplash can last up to six months. Severe cases of whiplash can last for a year or be considered semi-permanent because it will not go fully away until the appropriate treatments are administered. Whiplash symptoms that last the longest tend to be migraines and seemingly random neck pains.
What should you avoid with whiplash?
Avoid lifting, sports, or other activities that might strain your neck. Try sleeping on a special neck pillow. Place it under your neck, not under your head. Placing a tightly rolled-up towel under your neck while you sleep will also work.
Can whiplash pain be permanent?
Permanent or Long-term Effects. From the impact, whiplash can damage the soft tissues of the back, neck joints, disc, and ligaments. Depending on the severity of the impact, an individual can experience permanent or long-term effects. In such a case, the pain can last for six months or longer.
Does whiplash show up on xray?
The difficulty with diagnosing whiplash is that it does not really show up on an X-ray, CT scan or an MRI scan. The diagnosis is usually made by asking the patient how they feel and then proceeding from there. People usually have pain in the back of their neck and they find that the pain is worse when they move.
What happens if whiplash goes untreated?
Because a whiplash injury is a strain on your neck muscles as well as the tendons and ligaments in your neck, untreated whiplash can lead to spinal misalignment. When your spine is out of alignment, you can experience chronic structural problems, literally from your head to your feet.
What muscles are affected by whiplash?
Shoulder muscles are often affected by whiplash too. You may feel pain between shoulder blades or along the shoulder muscles, depending on the accident. Finally, back muscles can be affected as well. Even muscles in the low back could tense up as a result of the auto accident.
Is whiplash back or neck?
What is a whiplash? Whiplash is an injury to your neck. It is caused by your neck bending forcibly forward and then backward, or vice versa. The injury, which is poorly understood, usually involves the muscles, discs, nerves, and tendons in your neck.
Is whiplash a big deal?
If you suffered a soft tissue injury to your neck from a car accident or some other event, you might wonder how dangerous whiplash is. A whiplash injury (or something that initially feels like a whiplash) could be the first symptom of a potentially paralyzing or fatal neck fracture.
Why does whiplash take so long to heal?
Some injuries take time to develop Unlike a broken bone, though, soft tissue damage ‚Äî especially whiplash ‚Äî develops because of swelling and inflammation. These responses to trauma don’t happen instantaneously. Similarly, if you have a damaged disc, it moves out of position, applying pressure on surrounding nerves.
What position should I sleep in after whiplash?
Sleep on your back or side ‚Äù Don’t sleep on your stomach while recovering from whiplash, as it creates an arch in your spine and places pressure on your neck. Sleeping on your back or side keeps your neck and spine aligned and supports your head.
Can exercise worsen whiplash?
Most whiplash experts agree that exercise is safe and helpful for whiplash, and for neck aches generally. Just in case, talk with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you.
Do you sleep a lot with whiplash?
Whiplash Symptom #7: Exhaustion When you get a bad bout of whiplash, your body works hard to get rid of your pain. As a result, you may feel extra tired, even if you’re sleeping often.