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Neck pain and stiffness after a motor vehicle accident or fall could be signs of whiplash, an injury that affects the soft tissues in the neck. Without prompt treatment, symptoms could last weeks, months, or even years. Fortunately, your chiropractor offers several treatments designed to improve whiplash pain.
What Causes Whiplash?
Whiplash happens during a motor vehicle accident when your head jerks back and forth. Any act that causes your head to "whip" back and forth violently can result in whiplash. You could develop whiplash if you ride a roller coaster, fall when skiing, or if you are tackled or fall when playing sports.
As your head moves back and forth, several things happen to your neck. First, muscles in your neck become strained as they're pushed past their limits. The sudden movements may also change the alignment of the vertebrae in your neck and back, in addition to straining ligaments that connect bones together and tendons that attach muscles to bones.
Whiplash is a common injury. According to an analysis of crash and hospital data in Accident Analysis and Prevention in 2020, more than 1.2 million people experience whiplash every year.
What Are the Symptoms of Whiplash?
Whiplash symptoms don't always start immediately, but may start hours or days after your injury. Symptoms may include:
Chiropractic Treatments Ease Whiplash Symptoms
Your chiropractor offers natural, drug-free methods that soothe sore tissues and realign the vertebrae in your neck. Therapies that might be included in your whiplash treatment plan include:
Are you struggling with whiplash pain? Chiropractic care could help you get back to normal. Call our office to schedule your appointment.
Sources:
SpineUniverse: Best Practice Guidelines for Chiropractic Care of Neck Pain and Whiplash Disorders, 2/6/20
SPINE-Health: Whiplash Symptoms and Associated Disorders, 4/18/2017
https://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/whiplash-symptoms-and-associated-disorders
Science Direct: Accident Analysis & Prevention: Estimating the Number of Crash-Related Cervical Spine Injuries in the United States; an Analysis and Comparison of National Crash and Hospital Date, 7/2020
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001457520300713
Mayo Clinic: Whiplash, 2/11/2022
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/whiplash/symptoms-causes/syc-20378921