Whiplash is sometimes joked about. People will say, “Wow, you almost gave me whiplash,” when someone sprags on the brakes too hard. However, for people who suffer from whiplash, this issue isn’t a joke. It can cause a great deal of pain, along with a number of other symptoms. Let our Bessemer, AL, chiropractic practice explain everything you need to know about this problem.
General Information
Whiplash is a neck injury that usually stems from a rear-end car accident. However, any accident that causes your neck to propel forward, backward, and then forward again rapidly can lead to it, such as physical assault.
What this particular injury, the soft tissue in your neck is damaged. Sometimes, you’ll hear your practitioner refer to it as a neck sprain.
With whiplash, you may experience pain, especially when you try to move your neck. If it affects the nerves, you may notice tingling, numbness, or burning in your neck that could extend down one or both arms. Whiplash can limit your range of motion as well.
For some people, the symptoms extend beyond that, including the following:
- Headaches or migraines
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Depression
- Memory problems
- Ringing in your ears (tinnitus)
- Irritability
- Sleep disturbances
Getting Diagnosed
While some people notice symptoms as soon as the accident happens, this isn’t the case for every patient. For some people, the symptoms don’t begin appearing until about 24 hours after the accident. It’s even possible for it to take a few days before you have any signs of whiplash.
Therefore, it’s beneficial to get examined by a chiropractor or doctor as soon as you can after your accident. You can then receive a diagnosis sooner and start your treatment early, which will ultimately lead to optimal healing.
If you opt for our Bessemer chiropractic practice, the first step our chiropractor will take to determine if you have whiplash is to assess your range of motion. Our practitioner will ask you to move your head as far as you possibly can. During your assessment, you’ll also be asked to move your shoulders. Our chiropractor will gently press on your neck to check for tenderness in your back, neck, and shoulders. You’ll also be asked questions about any symptoms you’re currently experiencing.
Imaging can’t help our practitioner diagnose whiplash, so you may not receive an order for an X-ray. However, if we suspect any other problems could be occurring, we may recommend it.
Treating Whiplash
After we determine you have whiplash, we’ll plan a course of action to help you recover. Sometimes, it’ll consist of spinal alignments to optimize your nervous system function and correct any subluxations caused by the impact. Ultimately, this treatment helps with any pain while promoting a solid recovery.
Another treatment we may recommend is exercise therapy. With this treatment, our practitioner will guide you through exercises that slowly work your neck, never pushing you past your limits. Gradually, the stretches will increase in difficulty, helping you regain as much of your range of motion in your neck as possible.
Lifestyle advice is typically part of your treatment as well. At this time, we’ll educate you about what you should do to ease your pain and optimize your recovery.
At Premier Chiropractic Center, serving Bessemer, AL, and the nearby region, our practitioner has seen whiplash countless times and is ready to take on your case. Through a thorough diagnostic process and all-natural treatments, we get you back to feeling like yourself after a neck injury as soon as possible while helping ease your symptoms in between, never masking the problem.
Contact us for an appointment if you recently had an accident or serious injury that could have impacted your neck. You may call us at 205-519-4024, or use our online form.
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