Explaining Whiplash It is true that many people suffer whiplash from being rear ended in a car. When the impact occurs, the person's neck will thrust forward and back resulting in whiplash. Essentially whiplash is the overstretching or tearing of the muscles and ligaments in the neck that are intended to support the head and spine. Aside from being rear ended while in a vehicle whiplash can occur through a sports injury, fall or vocational accident. Regardless of how it happens, whiplash is painful. Common Symptoms Many people who suffer from whiplash will commonly get a headache followed by shoulder or neck pain. These symptoms can be compounded with headache, dizziness, blurred vision, shooting pain in the shoulder, arms or hands and a greatly reduced range of motion. Sometimes the effects can be felt in the back and legs as well. This onset can begin several hours, or even weeks and months following the incident. One of the problems with whiplash is if there is no pain or discomfort at the time of the trauma, the victim will think they came through "without a scratch." It doesn't occur to them to get an immediate evaluation to prevent any present damage from worsening. Whiplash can cause a disc in the neck area to herniated or tear. This may be a silent condition for a while until it worsens to the point where pain is felt. This may also not be felt until a great deal of time after the initial trauma. A study in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery stated that "an individual involved in a motor vehicle accident is nearly 7-times more likely to suffer neck degeneration within 7-years of the accident" than individuals that have not been involved in an auto accident. See a Chiropractor Right Away If you are involved in an accident the best choice you can make is to seek a medical evaluation within 48 hours of the accident. The best type of doctor to perform the evaluation would be a chiropractor. The chiropractor will be able to care for any joints, muscles or nerves that may have been injured. The evaluation they perform can quickly diagnose areas of concern and with a quick treatment can decrease risks of degenerations. Chiropractic adjustments will restore proper motion thus allowing the body to regain its lost function. This often will relieve the pain caused by inflammation trapped within the joints. The adjustments also reduce strain on fatigued and spasmed muscles, and are effective in reducing pressure on "pinched" nerves and joint irritation. This then opens the way for the body to begin to heal itself. Proof is in the Results The British Journal or Orthopedic Medicine (1999) 22(1):22-25 reported that "chiropractic is the only proven effective treatment in chronic cases "of whiplash injury. This is not the only study that proves such things. Much research indicates that since chiropractic doctors use a whole body approach they are more capable of healing root causes of pain. Traditional doctors will prescribe medicines, bed rest, hot and cold compresses and even the use of a neck brace to combat symptoms from whiplash. Although these may lessen the symptoms they do not effectively treat the problem like a chiropractor does. Whether you were involved in a wreck today or several months ago it is never too late to see a chiropractor and benefit from a specific spinal evaluation and adjustment. Call today to set up an appointment and you will be on the road to a healthier You!
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