Whiplash Injury Treatment by Trained Medical Professionals in Gainesville, Florida

If you were recently involved in an auto accident or had a nasty slip and fall in Gainesville, Florida and believe you may be suffering from Whiplash, our Chiropractors and Medical Doctors can help you get the care you deserve.

To ensure that our Whiplash patients are also protected from a legal standpoint, we can also refer them to a local Personal Injury Attorney to ensure that if they are entitled to financial compensation for their injury, they receive it and also do not have to pay for their medical treatment.

If you live near the Gainesville, Florida area and are suffering from symptoms related to an injury where you neck got jerked forward and backward rapidly, contact Florida Spine and Injury today and get a Free Consultation with our Whiplash Injury Chiropractor. 

Just click the link below to schedule an appointment

What is Whiplash?

Whiplash is a relatively common injury that occurs to a person's neck following a sudden acceleration-deceleration force that causes unrestrained, rapid forward and backward movement of the head and neck, and is most commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents.

Whiplash, also called neck sprain or neck strain, is an injury to the ligamentous structures of the neck. Whiplash is characterized by a collection of symptoms that occur following damage to the neck.

By suffering a whiplash injury, your intervertebral joints (located between vertebrae), discs, and ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerve roots may become irritated or damaged.

The ligaments and muscles in your neck are extended beyond their normal comfortable range of motion cause you to experience whiplash.

Whiplash is considered a soft tissue injury typically treated by a chiropractor.

What causes whiplash?

Whiplash commonly occurs through the rear impact of an auto accident that causes the head and neck to be forced into hyperextended (backward) position as the seat pushes the person's torso forward - and the unrestrained head and neck fall backward, then, the head and neck are thrown into a violent hyperflexed (forward) position.

More recent studies investigating high-speed cameras and sophisticated crash dummies have determined that after the rear impact the lower cervical vertebrae (lower bones in the neck) are forced into a position of hyperextension while the upper cervical vertebrae (upper bones in the neck) are in a hyperflexed position.

This leads to a deformation of the normal S-shape in the cervical spine which puts an incredible amount of load on the upper back to keep your head in a more anatomical position.

It is thought that this abnormal motion causes damage to the soft tissues that hold the cervical vertebrae together.

The harsh movement can injure bones in the spine, discs, ligaments, muscles, nerves and other tissues of the neck and upper back.

The neck is extremely vulnerable to this type of injury because of its ability to shift in a multitude of directions.

So now that you know about the cause, what are the common symptoms that affect most people?

What are Symptoms of Whiplash?

The odd thing about whiplash is that there usually isn’t a sign of right after an injury. Most symptoms show up a few hours or even days after the incident.

Common symptoms that a victim of whiplash will show are: 

• Neck stiffness or pain
• Neck and back pain increases
• Numbness in arms
• Tender shoulders, arms or upper back
• Headaches
• Ringing in the Ears
• Fluttering in the Eyes
• Migraines
• Loss of motion in your neck
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Loss of Focus

If you are dealing with any of the above-mentioned symptoms after an auto accident, it is important to come in a get tested to make sure you are not susceptible to chronic conditions in the future.

So how do you get diagnosed?

How is Whiplash Diagnosed?

Depending on the severity of the accident, you may be taken to the hospital or a doctor's office to be examined.

The doctor will examine the patient to determine if they have any injuries that require immediate medical treatment.

Our Gainesville medical staff includes a team Chiropractors, Medical Doctors, Surgeons and Physical Therapists who all have years of experience diagnosing and treating Whiplash Injuries.

There are three main steps to diagnosing whiplash.

The three steps are:

1. Neurological - First your doctor will ask you a series of questions to better understand the severity of your pain and how it is impacting your daily activities.
   1. They will test your balance, reflexes, mental clarity, and sight to see how your nervous system was impacted be the injuries
2. Physical - 
   1. Our chiropractor will examine your range of motion, sensation in your limbs, and tenderness to your shoulders neck and upper back. Some of the physical tests may include tasks like walking, jumping, or sitting to observe your body’s’ movement and its reactions.
   2. In addition to the active tests, our Chiropractors will need to check your entire spine for misalignments. This part of the exam is done by the chiropractor palpating different vertebral regions of the spine to determine if there are misalignments in the area.
3. Diagnostic Images.
   1. The last part of the exam is the diagnostic imaging using an x-ray and thermography scan. These tests help to determine damage to the spine as well as overall nerve irritation along the spinal column.  

These three tests are critical to determining the severity of your injuries, how long treatment will take and the methods of treatment that will work best for you! 

 How do chiropractors treat whiplash?

Recent studies have shown that prolonged immobilization on the neck actually slows the healing process. If there is no evidence of abnormal spinal alignment, early range of motion is advised.

Our Chiropractors and Medical Doctors take a  holistic views when it comes to treating their patient’s whiplash injuries. They focus on joint and muscle dysfunction, faulty movement patterns and disc derangement.

Here are the 3 Main Treatment Options:

• Chiropractic Adjustments: The main treatment chiropractors provide are spinal adjustments. It is a manual manipulation of your spine. The Gainesville chiropractor will have their patient sit or lay down in the needed position for them to place their hands on the patient and apply a sudden firm force to realign the spine.
• Muscle Relaxation and Muscle Stimulation: With calm gentle stretches to the affected muscles, Chiropractors can help relieve excessive tension. Sometimes these stretches are also combined with trigger point release therapy.
• Some of Physical Therapy Options We Have Available
  • T.E.N.S. - Commonly called TENS but formally known as Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation.  This type of therapy uses light electric waves that stimulate the nerves and reduces the pain. It is a small device that can be worn for extended periods of time. There are different settings that are best for your doctor to determine which setting will help the most with your healing.
  • Ultrasound - Ultrasound is used for deep tissue injuries. It creates sound waves that help heat the deep tissue as well as causing micro-vibrations. This form of treatment will help increase circulation and aid in the healing process.
  • Ice pack or Cold Packs: The application of cold or ice packs is meant to be applied directly to the pain area to restrict the blood flow and decrees the amount of inflammation, pain, and tissue issues. 
  • Hot Packs - Applying a hot compress to an area where there is a muscle spasm or tension it can help relax the muscle making it less tense and even stop it from the spasm. The heat has the opposite effect and the cold compress because heat dilates the blood vessels allowing more blood to flow. Heat is used for joint and muscle injuries, muscle spasms, and osteoarthritis.
  • Electrical Muscle Stimulation - EMS has electrodes that are placed in specific locations to break the muscle spasms or tension in the injured area. 

Other forms of treatment than manipulation and exercise is muscle relaxation. Sometimes lifestyle adjustments are necessary for the time being for a patient to get the best recovery possible.

How long does whiplash last?

Recovery time is based on the severity of your injuries.

Some whiplash injuries are minor enough that it may only take a few days or weeks to heal, while some injuries take longer.

The most common time frame for whiplash injuries to last is around 3 months for a full recovery.

Let Our Gainesville Whiplash Injury Chiropractors Help 

If you have been injured and are experiencing whiplash symptoms, call our Whiplash Injury Clinic in Gainesville now at (352) 433-0898 to schedule an appointment with our Chiropractors and Medical Doctors. Make sure your neck is in the right hands for the best whiplash recovery.

Need more information?

Check out our Complete Guide to Whiplash Injuries.