A neck injury called whiplash is something that someone would like to avoid because it causes much discomfort as it can be painful and restricts your movements. After all, you cannot move your neck freely. The most common cause of this type of neck injury in a car accident or sudden braking, but it could also be due to other factors such as an extreme activity and other similar incidences, and for as long as a sudden forward and backward movement of the neck occurs and results in trauma in the neck.
Though we try to prevent this experience from happening, there are really moments when we cannot only avoid it because it occurs so quickly and unexpectedly that you do not really have time to react and protect yourself. We should know and what we can prepare for how to deal with it when it has already happened, and this is something that we have the capacity of control.
What to Do When Whiplash Occurs
Right after a whiplash happens, most people would shrug it off and merely let the injury heal on its own no matter how many days it takes to recover. But the best thing to do when you experience this neck injury is to actually take a trip to your chiropractor so your injury can be evaluated, and you can have the appropriate chiropractic treatment.
Though this type of injury is usually not serious, it is still recommended to get yourself checked by a chiropractor to ensure that no other parts were damaged. It can also affect other tissues such as the back, shoulder, ligaments, discs, nerves, muscles, and tendons. This kind of neck injury varies in degree and severity, so trying a non-surgical approach such as a chiropractic treatment may be your best option to give you some relief and heal the quickest time.
It would be best if you saw your chiropractor right away to avoid the situation from turning into chronic pain or illness that may eventually lead you to take opioids or other prescription medicines that can result in more deterioration later on. Consult a professional the soonest time after you experience this injury to start with your treatment right away. To be sure that your treatment is effective, check out Yentz Family Chiropractic as you can surely trust their 2_chiropractors.
How to Treat this Neck Injury
There are several ways to relieve yourself of the pain resulting from whiplash, and it can be through massage therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, or physical exercise. But before a treatment can be decided, the chiropractor must first diagnose the patient’s condition, and their assessment is not just based on the affected area, but rather, the entire spine is evaluated to ensure that no other sites or tissues are damaged as well.
Chiropractors use a diagnostic method known as motion and static palpation. This technique uses touch, and through this, any part of ligament injury, restricted joint movement, muscle spasm, and intervertebral disc injury can be determined. Through this method, a chiropractor can assess any signs of tightness and tenderness, and if the spinal joints can move properly. Along with this approach, an MRI or an X-ray of your spine may also be performed.
Going to a chiropractor to get your neck injury treated may be the best decision because you will get a natural and definitely safer treatment than a drug. They use a gentle approach to heal your injury, and before any type of treatment, they will first try to comprehend the soreness associated with the pain. After this, they may guide you in stretching your neck muscles or even suggest that you put some ice to lessen the inflammation. Once the swelling has subsided, they usually perform spinal manipulation wherein they use their hands to put the spine back in place. When the spine is aligned correctly, pressure and stress may be relieved, and the healing process for the neck and spine may start.
Different Techniques Used to Heal the Injury
Before beginning any form of treatment, the chiropractor will try to lessen the swelling first using various techniques that may include gentle stretching, muscle energy therapy, ultrasound, manual therapy, and the like. You may also be asked to put on a cold compress or even use light neck support for a couple of days.
When the pain has been reduced, usually a gentle spinal manipulation or other methods is done to make the joints in your neck return to normal. Each treatment plan for every individual varies because they are based according to the severity of the injury. Chiropractors have several approaches to heal the neck injury, but the commonly used method is spinal manipulation.
This form of treatment comes in different ways:
- Instrument – assisted manipulation –is a non- thrusting approach, and a specialized hand-held device is used on the patient. It works by applying some force without pressing into the spine.
- Specific spinal manipulation – involves the use of gentle pressure, which stretches the soft tissues and revives the nervous system that results in the restoration of the spine’s normal movement.
- The Flexion-distraction technique also uses non- non-thrusting and gentle approach. Still, this one involves a slow pushing action on the disc rather than applying direct pressure on the spine.
Other methods used by chiropractors include manual therapy, which can either be trigger point therapy, manual joint stretching combined with resistant techniques, therapeutic massage, or instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy. The process for the latter uses the Graston technique, which deals in healing the damaged soft tissue. It works by gently doing repeated strokes while using a device onto the injured region.
More ways to heal a neck injury through a chiropractor’s method and different therapies may also be performed, such as ultrasound or interferential electrical stimulation. What is excellent about getting healed by a chiropractor is that they do not only look at the injured area, but instead, the totality of the person is checked so there can be overall healing because they believe that prevention is the way to have good health in the long run.
When choosing a chiropractor, though, make sure to choose wisely and select one who is really after your overall wellness and someone who truly wants you to have the best health. Go to a chiropractor who will accommodate all your needs and concerns at any time but will not break your budget. Choose someone that will help you promote a healthy lifestyle and good overall wellness.
At Yentz Family Chiropractic, you can surely get the kind of service that you need as they offer:
- Resources for health and well-being
- Does specific and efficient correction of the spine
- Exercise programs that are scientifically designed
- Workshops and other health talks
- Recommendations for nutritional plans
- Spinal care exercises that you can actually do at home
This chiropractic clinic will undoubtedly lead you to their mission: to have a long and healthy life and do their best to help you achieve optimal health and wellness.
Though this kind of neck injury is typically not severe and may seem ordinary, it is essential to know that its damage mainly affects the vertebrae involving the muscle and nerve groups, so it is vital to get assessed by a professional.
This injury can cause so much pain and can affect your neck movement, and though you can let time heal it, it will take several days or weeks to recover because you are continually using your neck so it will not have the chance to properly rest and restore the strength that you need. To make your healing speed up, just go to your trusted chiropractor because they would know how to heal you quickly and in a much more effective and safer way.
Suppose you are not sure about the symptoms of this neck injury. In that case, they are soreness, tenderness, the persistent throbbing of pain with stiffness, restricted neck movement, muscle spasms and pulls, numbness, sleeping irregularities, and blurry vision. But whether you have any of these symptoms or not, going to your chiropractor is never a bad idea because your injury will be assessed appropriately, and you will be given a specific treatment plan that matches your condition correctly. This way, you can heal quicker and in the best possible way.
If you have not tried going to a chiropractor before, now may be the best time to go and see one to feel the results for yourself. Besides, this kind of approach to healing is definitely better than taking some prescription drugs, leading to other side effects later on.