If you have recently been involved in an auto accident you may be suffering from a neck injury termed whiplash. A whiplash neck injury is most commonly the result of rear-end car accidents, but can also happen from side and front impact accidents.
What is whiplash?
Whiplash, also known as a neck sprain or strain, is a sometimes very painful injury to the soft tissues of the neck. A car accident can result in this type of traumatic neck injury, caused by a sudden and excessive snapping movement of your head both forward and backward.
Even a low-speed impact collision can cause a whiplash injury and you should seek immediate treatment from a chiropractor to avoid long term problems. Although whiplash injury symptoms commonly occur instantly, sometimes the symptoms take days, and even weeks, to appear.
Several things that can happen are:
- Spinal misalignment
- Damage to your ligaments
- Pinched nerves
- Muscle tearing
- Spasms
The most common whiplash symptoms are neck pain, accompanied by headaches, and burning shoulder pain. Some other common symptoms may be dizziness, ringing in your ears, tingling and pain in your arm, and sometimes disorientation. These symptoms may not go away and can greatly affect your quality of life.
Ligament or disc damage can also cause a misalignment of the vertebrae of your neck and if left without treatment, the vertebrae will continue to be misaligned and can cause lasting neck problems such as range of motion loss, continuous and lasting headaches, and may even promote arthritis.
Why a chiropractor is your best solution for whiplash
Did you know that a major study showed after examining over ten thousand cases of neck injuries that one of the most effective and proven whiplash injury treatments is adjustments from a licensed chiropractor? The study also came to the conclusion that most of the more traditional treatments such as muscle relaxation pills, neck collars, immobilization, and just resting were not as effective for whiplash sufferers as chiropractic treatment.
If you have recently been in a car accident or suffered a sports injury, please call Virginia Spine Care Chiropractic today and schedule a consultation.
