Whiplash occurs when forces jerk your head suddenly forward, then snap it violently back. Think of a whip-cracking motion—the action this condition was named after. The violent acceleration then deceleration results in your neck changing from its normal curve to a straight line.
Many people in Naples, FL consider whiplash a minor condition and don’t seek auto injury treatment, hoping symptoms go away soon. It’s just a little pain in the neck, right? That might be the case right now, but whiplash also has long term effects and won’t get better without intervention. In fact, it’ll only get worse the longer it’s left untreated.
Here’s a quick overview on whiplash and how combining medical and chiropractic treatment can help mitigate symptoms and ensure a healthier future for sufferers.
Whiplash Symptoms to be Aware of
Car accidents are the most common cause of whiplash. Being belted into your seat causes your body to remain stationary while your head and neck keep moving. This causes the “snapping” movement that forces your head and neck into forward flexion, then hyperextension, followed by hyperflexion. This sequence of events results in the following symptoms:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Shoulder pain and stiffness
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Jaw Pain
- Arm pain and weakness
You may also experience secondary symptoms, especially if you do not address your pain issues. These include anxiety and stress, frustration, insomnia and depression.
Your symptoms may not be apparent right away. You may feel fine on the day of an accident and be in horrible pain the next day. If you fail to treat whiplash, you may even feel symptoms years later because the underlying soft tissue damage was not addressed. That’s why, if you are in an auto accident or sustain neck pain playing sports, it’s a good idea to see your doctor or chiropractor as soon as possible after a whiplash incident.
Treatment and Recovery for Whiplash
Pain management is first on the list of whiplash issues to address. This can include over-the-counter medication and icing your neck to reduce swelling. For severe pain, you may need to wear a neck collar or explore exercises and motions that help reduce pain.
Bodywork, including massage and chiropractic adjustments, is also helpful. It can help realign your spine and relax your stiff muscles. Another option is physical therapy, where a therapist helps you work and stretch your muscles to reduce stiffness and regain strength. These treatments make the healing process much more bearable and reduce the chances of symptoms returning.
At our clinic in Naples, FL, Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology uses Digital Motion X-Ray to view the neck and back in motion. Since pain often doesn’t occur until you move, this allows us to better assess where it comes from. This technology x-rays the spine at 30 frames per second to help us see the underlying damage. From there, we can design a rehabilitation plan for you so you can return to your normal routines.
Once you start treatment, recovery may take a few days to several months. It all depends on the extent of your injury. While we can estimate your treatment time, your circumstances may vary.
Whiplash Demands Targeted Treatment
Make no mistake, whiplash is a serious condition that requires a targeted approach to address. Left untreated or under-treated, you could end up living with lasting side effects for the rest of your life.
Feel Amazing Institute/ Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology offers auto injury treatment focused on whiplash. Our state-of-the-art clinic includes the latest treatment techniques and chiropractic and medical professionals to ensure your recovery. Call us as soon as possible after a whiplash incident to schedule an appointment.
Accidents often happen in a flash. In the moments after the collision, most people find themselves scanning their bodies to determine whether they’ve been injured. If everything seems to be in good working order, they’re good to go, right?
Unfortunately, our first impressions after an auto accident are clouded by the adrenaline rush. Your body produces adrenaline as part of a fight-or-flight response. One of the things that adrenaline does is increase our pain threshold, so something that would normally be excruciating now barely registers. This is an evolutionary survival mechanism, but it can also mask severe injuries. Adrenaline can take hours and even days to fully wear off—and in the meantime, you might not realize how badly you’ve been hurt. That’s why attorneys always caution you not to tell the other driver that you’re uninjured—you might find out differently in a few hours.
Car accidents can lead to whiplash and other painful back and neck injuries. Chiropractic care can provide the auto injury treatment you need in Naples, FL. Read on to learn more.
What happens to your back and neck during a car accident
Your seatbelt performs an important function by keeping you strapped into the car instead of being jostled around or ejected. However, this can cause your neck to violently whip forward and back. This strains the muscles and connective tissue that support your back and neck. The force of the impact, seatbelt position, impact direction and headrest position can all make a difference in the severity of your injuries.
After the accident, this impact can develop into chronic fatigue, neck and shoulder pain, back pain, soreness, headaches, jaw pain and more. You may not notice these injuries at first thanks to the adrenaline rush, but when it wears off, you might find that you hurt far worse than you initially realized.
Make sure you seek medical and chiropractic care immediately after the accident. Your doctor will treat external symptoms and look for internal injuries, while your chiropractor will take an x-ray of your spine to spot potential whiplash symptoms.
How chiropractic care can help
Chiropractic care includes a number of different modalities—not just the satisfying “popping” adjustments that can provide instant relief. Your chiropractor will evaluate your injuries through digital motion x-rays and make recommendations. This can include manual adjustments, massage therapy, physical therapy exercises and more to readjust your spine. To help you continue this alignment, we may also make lifestyle adjustments and teach you how to improve your alignment at home as well as in the office. The idea is to provide holistic therapies that address the root of the problem—your strained muscles, ligaments and tendons—so your body is able to heal properly.
If you’ve been in a car accident and require auto injury treatment in Naples, FL, the team at Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology can help. We will work with you to develop a treatment plan—get in touch with us today to schedule your initial appointment.
Maybe you don’t give them enough credit, but your neck muscles are involved in almost every movement you take.
Like all of us, you only realize it once they hurt you, trying to signal that something’s not right in the area.
The pain can become unbearable, and it usually leaves an imprint on everything you do, especially when standing up.
One of the causes of neck pain is whiplash, a common condition that is rarely clinically diagnosed and corrected.
Causes and Lasting Effects of Whiplash
Whiplash occurs most often as a result of a car accident or even heavy braking. The body is strapped and restrained in the seat, while the head and neck is forced abruptly into forward flexion, then hyperextension, followed by a hyperflexion. This leads to an irregular S shape of the spine, which can affect you on the long term.
Even if you didn’t have a immediate symptoms, the symptoms could surface moths or even years later if the underlying damage is not rehabilitated and corrected.
The most common symptoms that indicate whiplash or residual effects of whiplash are:
- Neck and shoulder pain and stiffness
- Headaches and fatigue
- Jaw pain
- Arm weakness and pain
Although they are often felt right after the impact, you can start to feel the effects of whiplash gradually, over a few days, or even months and years later.
Recovery and Treating the Symptoms
If left untreated, in most cases, the symptoms build up progressively and lead to anxiety, frustration, stress, depression, and insomnia. All of the secondary symptoms that develop are the result of the constant discomfort and underlying weakness and instability of the damaged neck joints, muscles, and ligaments.
The traditional treatments include over-the-counter medicine, and ice on the neck to reduce the swelling. If the pain is severe, you can be requested to wear a neck collar for a short period, or you can get a prescription for painkillers.
When addressed correctly, the recovery can take between a few days and a few months. But that can only happen once you get a proper clinical diagnosis.
Come Visit Us
If you’re looking for efficient whiplash treatment in Naples, stop by Hiler Chiropractic & Neurology and the Feel Amazing Spine and Joint Institute. We are advanced certified by the Spine Institute of San Diego to treat the condition. We offer chiropractic as well as medical procedures all under one roof.
To diagnose whiplash, we use Digital Motion X-Ray to view the structures of the spine in motion. The pain is usually worse with movement, so it makes sense to x-ray the spine 30 frames per second to visualize the underlying damage. To alleviate the symptoms, we rely on alternative remedies such as rehab and chiropractic, or even regenerative therapy provided by our medical staff.
If you’re interested in further information, you can book an appointment or contact us online. We are looking forward to helping you.
