Sharing Information About Chiropractic Treatments

If you were recently involved in a car crash and are now feeling pain in your neck, it is possible that you may have whiplash. This condition is extremely common after car accidents, but it is typically a condition that can be fixed with the right types of treatment. Here are several things you should know about whiplash, its symptoms, and the treatment options for it.

What Is Whiplash?

Whiplash is strain on the muscles in the neck, and this strain is the result of the fast movement your neck can go through after being struck in a car accident. This movement causes your neck to shift very quickly, and you will typically feel the pain within 6 to 12 hours after the accident took place. In most cases, whiplash is not a serious medical condition; however, it may be wise to get x-rays or other tests completed at the hospital if you suspect that you may have broken bones or other serious issues with your neck.

What Are The Symptoms?

If you begin feeling any of the following symptoms after your car accident, it is most likely the result of whiplash:

• Stiffness in your neck – Whiplash is a condition that may prevent you from being able to turn your neck from side to side or up and down.
• Pain – The pain caused by whiplash is primarily in the neck area; however, it can also leave you with headaches and facial pain.

If these are the symptoms you are having, you may want to try to relieve the pain and stiffness by using some of the following methods.

What At-Home Methods Can You Use To Relieve The Problems?

Whiplash can be painful, but it is not typically life threatening. In fact, it will usually go away within a few weeks or months, and you may even be able to help relieve the symptoms by performing a few easy steps at home. Here are some options you have for treating the whiplash symptoms at home:

• Ice and heat – Using a combination of ice and heat can help your neck pain. Ice will help reduce the inflammation of your muscles, while heat can be soothing to sore muscles.
• Exercises – Completing neck exercises can help loosen up the tight muscles. You can practice moving your neck forward and backwards and from side to side, and you can repeat these exercises multiple times a day.
• TENS unit therapy – If you have a TENS unit at home, use it to loosen the muscles. This therapy involves small electrical pulses to your muscles, and these pulses break up tightness in muscles.

Your doctor may suggest taking painkillers as well if you have a lot of pain. If you do not want to take painkillers and are not finding enough relief from the at-home methods listed above, you could look into several other options for treating your whiplash.

What Professional Options Are Available For Whiplash Treatment?

The two main services you could benefit from are massage therapy and chiropractic care. These two services are often offered together and can have positive effects on the symptoms of whiplash.

Massage therapy is designed to loosen muscles, and it also helps stimulate blood flow to painful areas of the body. When blood flow improves, it helps heal damaged tissue in the body. Chiropractic care involves performing spinal manipulation, which is a process that helps relieve pressure on muscles in the back and neck.

If you believe you have whiplash and are not sure what to do, a good place to start is at a chiropractor's office. To learn more, contact a chiropractor in your area, such as those at TLC Chiropractic, today.