What is Whiplash?

When you hear the word “whiplash” you probably think about car accidents. That’s because being in a car accident is one of the most common reasons why someone may experience whiplash. This neck injury occurs when there is a fast, forceful jerking of the neck. While whiplash is most commonly associated with an auto accident it can also be caused by trauma or a sports injury.

If you have whiplash the most common symptoms you will experience will include stiffness and pain in the neck. You may also have an increase in headaches. You may notice that you can’t move your neck as far as you used to before the accident. Moving your neck may even lead to more pain. You may also experience numbness or tingling in the arms or pain and tenderness in the shoulders and arms. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms after an accident or traumatic injury to the neck then it’s time you sought chiropractic care.

While whiplash often goes away on its over after a few months, getting chiropractic treatment can help promote faster healing and recovery. Our goal is to manage your neck pain and stiffness and to improve the mobility and function of the neck to fully restore it. Common chiropractic techniques for whiplash include spinal manipulation, muscle relaxation, physical therapy exercises and certain lifestyle changes.

During spinal manipulation, we can apply the proper amount of pressure and force to certain areas of the spine to reduce muscle dysfunction and to boost blood flow to tissues, ligaments and tendons. By increasing blood flow to these areas we also promote faster and more effective healing.

Muscle relaxation involves a series of gentle stretching exercises to reduce muscle tension. While these are techniques that you can do in the privacy of your own home whenever you choose, if muscles are severely tight we may need to apply more controlled and intense pressure to these muscles to help them release.

Interested in learning more about whiplash from The Back Pain Relief Center? Call our Everett, WA office today at (425) 259-3700 for more information!