Whiplash Injury: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment
It’s the classic car-accident injury, but other circumstances in which your head jerks backwards and then suddenly forwards can cause whiplash. The movement causes the muscles and ligaments in the neck to stretch beyond the range in which they would ordinarily move. You might not even feel it right away, but later on, the pain begins to manifest.
First of all, it’s important to make sure that the condition really is whiplash, and for that you’ll need medical help. The good news is that it’s a mild condition, and although it can take a long time to heal, it does no lasting damage.
Circumstances in which the neck moves in such a way that whiplash results include:
- Being in a car or bicycle accident
- Having been hit, punched, or shaken
- Playing contact sports
- Horse riding
- Falls
Whiplash Symptoms
Whiplash symptoms usually set in within about 25 hours after the incident that caused whiplash. However, they can also take a few days to develop. If treated correctly, whiplash can clear up completely within a few weeks.
You may have whiplash if you experience a combination of the following symptoms:
- Pain and stiffness in the neck
- Headaches
- Dizziness and vision disturbances
- Feeling constantly tired out
- Numbness in the arms
- A ringing sound in the ears
You should consult a physiotherapist to ensure that whiplash is the real cause, especially if you have suffered a blow to the head. The doctor may recommend further tests if he or she believes that you may have something more serious than whiplash. Specifically, a doctor may be concerned that you have injured your spinal cord. Scans and x-rays will help to confirm whether whiplash is all you need to be concerned about.
Whiplash Treatments
Doctors will generally prescribe medications to relieve pain and inflammation. They do not cure whiplash, but they help to reduce the discomfort. Your doctor may also recommend that you wear a foam neck brace to support your neck during the healing process.
Physiotherapy and chiropractic care can help you to recover from whiplash faster, and your therapist will look at factors such as your posture which may need to be adjusted. You can also ask about additional therapies that might help you, for example, acupuncture can help to relieve pain so that you don’t need to use as many painkillers.
Physiotherapists often use massage as part of their course of treatments and they prescribe gentle exercises that will help you to recover by strengthening the muscles to give your neck better support.
It’s Worth Doing a Little Extra
Although whiplash itself usually heals after a few weeks, there can be longer-term complications including pain and headaches. Once again, regular doctors can only help by prescribing drugs to relieve symptoms.
It therefore makes sense to get the quickest, most comprehensive recovery you can, and for that, a little extra intervention can go a long way.
Relieving pain and helping with recovery from injuries is what we do, so why not let us work with you to achieve faster recovery from whiplash?
