Whiplash is an injury which results from sudden acceleration-deceleration forces on the neck. The term encompasses a variety of issues referred to as WAD - Whiplash-Associated Disorders which affect muscles, joints, bones, ligaments, discs and nerves.
What Causes Whiplash?
Whiplash generally results from a traumatic event involving sudden acceleration-deceleration forces most often caused by a MVA. Other causes may include roller-coasters, bungy jumping or sports-related injuries.
What are the Symptoms of Whiplash?
Symptoms and severity of WAD can vary significantly between people. The most commonly reported symptom is neck pain or stiffness. This can occur anywhere from immediately after the injury to several days later.
Other Symptoms may include: Headache, shoulder pain, arm pain or upper back pain. Even dizziness, altered sensation and weakness can be evident.
Due to the traumatic nature of a whiplash injury it is IMPORTANT to rule out the major concerns immediately, so get an assessment from a primary healthcare provider.
What can be done for whiplash?
Practitioners should not prescribe collars as they are ineffective and should NOT be used in the treatment of acute WAD.
Active treatment is more beneficial. Chiropractic care when coupled with patient specific rehab can be of benefit.
So, if you have a whiplash injury or if you have had in the past and it has not completely resolved why not get a thorough Chiropractic assessment to get to the underlying problem.
Chiropractic care is safe and non-invasive.
