Let’s talk about whiplash.

No, not the incredible movie of the same name about a young musician’s dreams starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons; though we would be happy to talk about that when you come in for your appointment.

Rather, we’re going to talk about the common neck injury when your head moves rapidly back and forth. Do you know why it’s called whiplash? The term references the movement of a whip. The tip of a whip cracks when it moves violently back and forth through the air from all the pressure and motion traveling from the base of the whip to the top. If your tailbone is the base of your spine and a rapid movement travels from the tailbone up your vertebrae, the tip of your spine (also known as your neck) will snap violently. Chances are, just reading that description send shivers up your spine, so you can only imagine the damage an actual accident could do.

Let’s take a moment to recognize that whiplash is not exclusive to car accidents. Whiplash can result from any traumatic injury including but not limited to: rear end collisions, sudden stops, physical assault, shaken baby syndrome, and contact sports. So it’s entirely possible that you may have whiplash, even if you weren’t in a car accident.

Symptoms of Whiplash

There are several symptoms of whiplash that range from mildly irritating to extremely chronic. The most obvious include pain in the neck, shoulders, and back muscles. However, more severe cases include symptoms of pain that travels down the arms, dizziness, muscle spasms, and stiffness. Since your neck is connected to your brain (a critical organ that most people use), whiplash can affect the senses and emotions, causing blurred vision, tinnitus, memory issues, and even Depression.

Treating Whiplash

Whiplash is often self-diagnosable and so people feel it must also be self-treated but that’s not the case. In fact if you are suffering from a whiplash injury, you should see a doctor as soon as possible to make sure you haven’t fractured a bone or continue doing activities that would aggravate and worsen the injury.
Like most injuries, it’s impossible to predict when you’ll heal from a whiplash injury. Some people will be able to recover quickly within a few days or weeks while some may have complications that extend their recovery time by years.

Seeing A Chiropractor

What exactly can a chiropractor do to help treat your whiplash? Well, we have many options for treatment, from joint stretching to trigger point therapy to instrument-assisted manipulation. This may sound intimidating and intense, but in reality, they are common and well known treatments that people have benefited from for years.

If you think you may have whiplash or had a whiplash injury that you never had checked out by a medical professional, you should call us. We’ll get you into the center and begin the diagnostic process. We’ll evaluate your posture, your gait, and what stage your whiplash is affecting you so that we may begin initial treatment with the proper techniques. Call today to schedule an appointment!