Whiplash is an injury frequently suffered in a traumatic accident like a motor vehicle accident or a slip and fall.
But since it is so common, many people ignore the common symptoms of whiplash and think it will just go away over time.
So they never see a medical professional to get treatment for their pain.
Because of this, the injury can worsen and lead to a lifetime of chronic issues.
If you fear you're suffering from a whiplash injury, it is important to receive treatment as soon as possible.
One of the best healthcare professionals to see to treat your whiplash is a chiropractor.
In the article below, we will examine how visiting a Whiplash Injury Chiropractor can help you heal from whiplash and leave you feeling better than ever.
Table of Contents
- What Is Whiplash?
- How Will Your Chiropractor Diagnose Your Whiplash Injury?
- How Will Your Chiropractor Treat Whiplash?
- Find Quality Care At Florida Spine and Injury
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is an injury to your neck muscles. Whiplash injuries occur when your neck is thrust forward and then backward forcefully and without warning.
Whiplash often occurs in rear-end collisions, but any activity that could cause your neck to snap forward and backward can cause a whiplash injury.
The most common symptom of whiplash is neck pain.
Your neck could feel incredibly sore and tender, and you may experience a limited range of motion.
The severity of your whiplash injury will depend on the severity of your accident.
Other symptoms accident victims may experience are:
- Chronic pain in the arms, upper back, and shoulders
- Blurred vision
- Headaches, particularly the back of the head
- Challenges in concentrating
- Extreme fatigue
- Vertigo or dizziness
How Will Your Chiropractor Diagnose Your Whiplash Injury?
When you visit your chiropractor, they will evaluate your spine as a whole.
Even if you come in only complaining about neck pain, they will examine your entire spine because other regions of the spine could be affected.
Your chiropractor will identify any areas of restricted joint motion, muscle tension, muscle spasm, intervertebral disc injury, and ligament injury.
They will also check for tenderness, tightness, and how well your spinal joints move.
After that, they may check how you walk and take note of your posture and spinal alignment.
All of this will allow your chiropractor to understand your body's mechanics and how your spine works, allowing them to make an accurate diagnosis.
In addition to the chiropractor’s evaluation of your spinal cord, they may order imaging tests like an x-ray or an MRI of your spine to evaluate any degenerative changes that may have existed before your whiplash injury.
Once your injury has been accurately diagnosed, your chiropractor will design a custom treatment plan tailored to your needs.
How Will Your Chiropractor Treat Whiplash?
Spinal Manipulations
The bread and butter of chiropractic care are spinal manipulations.
Treatment plans for whiplash usually begin with and emphasize spinal manipulation techniques for your cervical spine.
Spinal manipulation is when force or pressure is applied to areas of your spine that are out of alignment to provide effective pain relief.
The most common forms of spinal manipulation for whiplash injuries are the flexion-distraction technique, instrument-assisted manipulation, and specific spinal manipulation.
Flexion-distraction is a gentle technique used to treat pain and herniation in discs that often occur following a whiplash injury.
With the flexion-distraction technique, instead of applying quick and direct force to the affected area, your chiropractor uses slower, less intense pushing motions on the discs.
Other spinal manipulation techniques utilize special instruments to apply force.
These instruments help set areas experiencing pain or degeneration without applying direct force to the area.
Specific spinal manipulation is the type of spinal manipulation most of us are familiar with.
Specific spinal manipulation refers to thrusting in the direction of a subluxation or misalignment in your spine.
This allows your chiropractor to realign the spine and allow your nervous system to do the work it was supposed to do in the first place.
Manual Therapies for Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries can be treated with more than just spinal manipulation.
Chiropractors refer to these techniques as manual therapy.
With manual therapies, injured muscles and ligaments can be repaired over time, and your normal range of motion can be restored.
Your chiropractor may utilize instrument-assisted therapy, trigger point therapy, therapeutic massage, gentle stretches, and various other manual resistance and stretching techniques to treat the soft tissue in the injured area.
Trigger point therapy is a precise treatment for specific areas of tension or pain.
Your chiropractor can often perform this treatment using their fingers.
Therapeutic massage is one of the more enjoyable treatments your chiropractor might use. It stimulates the affected muscles so they can relax from their tense state.
Resistance-based stretches are also helpful in rehabilitating soft tissue that has become damaged from a whiplash injury.
Find Quality Care At Florida Spine and Injury
If you need chiropractic treatment for a whiplash injury following a motor vehicle accident or any accident, schedule your Free Consultation with chiropractors at Florida Spine and Injury.
Our chiropractors want to help you feel your best so you can return to your normal activities after a whiplash injury.
Don't delay - begin your road to recovery with Florida Spine and Injury today.
Click the button below to get started with your Free Consultation.
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