If you are involved in a motor vehicle accident, you might suffer several injuries. Sometimes, symptoms of injuries following a car collision do not show up until the next day. One of the most common issues that you might develop is called whiplash. This is the medical term used to describe a sprain of the cervical ligaments. The good news is that a chiropractor can address whiplash, helping you make a complete and comprehensive recovery.
How Does Whiplash Happen?
Whiplash occurs when you sprain one or more of the ligaments in your neck. When involved in a motor vehicle accident, your neck sometimes snaps back and forth quickly. This shocks the ligaments, tendons, and nerves in your neck. Therefore, your neck stiffens up in response, severely restricting the range of motion in your neck until your ligaments relax again.
What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?
If you have developed whiplash, you might notice a few symptoms. These include:
You may develop stiffness and discomfort in your neck
You may also notice pain that travels from your neck into your upper back, arms, and shoulders
You could experience vertigo or dizziness
You may feel like there is a vice squeezing your head, particularly in the back
You might have a hard time concentrating during the day
These symptoms can have a serious and significant impact on your overall quality of life. Fortunately, a trained chiropractor can help you address these issues.
Chiropractic Treatment of Whiplash
There are a few ways that a chiropractor can help you treat whiplash. A few techniques that might play a role include:
Chiropractic Adjustments: This is the primary tool that Dr. Bonnie will use to help you recover from whiplash. After perfoming a full case history, perform imaging, and a thorough physical examination, she will identify specific joints in your neck that might not be appropriately aligned. Then, using gentle, controlled adjustments she will move these joints back into place, helping your tendons, ligaments, and joints relax.
Corrective Exercises: Using corrective exercises such as McKenzie exercises, she can help you address disc instability issues that might arise following whiplash. This can help you correct faulty movement patterns that could be present in your neck, upper back, and lower back areas.
Ergonomic Advice: Finally, her aim to help prevent these symptoms from returning. She will also provide advice, exercises, and techniques that you can use at home to expedite the recovery process and feel better.
The goal is to tailor her services to meet your unique needs. Therefore, some or all of these treatment techniques might play a role in your recovery. That way, she can help you not only treat the symptoms on the surface but also address the underlying cause of whiplash.
Recover from Whiplash
If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident, it's improtant to seek medical care as quickly as possible. That way, you can recover as quickly and as correctly and completely as possible. So give us a call. We're here to help.
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