You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Whiplash is a very common neck injury. It can happen during a car accident, while playing contact sports or from a head impact. Our chiropractors in Charlotte can diagnose and treat your whiplash. Whiplash causes severe headaches and migraines, dizziness, neck pain and stiffness, upper back pain and loss of range of motion in the neck. Symptoms typically occur 24 to 48 hours after the accident, but some individuals do not experience symptoms until months after their accident, which can make the injury harder to diagnose. Importance of Seeking Treatment If you have recently been hit in the head with an object, experienced a hard impact playing contact sports or been in a car accident, you should immediately schedule an appointment with our chiropractor to check for whiplash and sprains and strains of your neck. Whiplash and sprains and strains of the neck do not heal on their own.

Instead, the symptoms and pain tend to get worse, and it can even leave you with permanent loss of range of motion in your neck. This happens because during a severe sprain of the neck, the cervical vertebrae are straightened. This completely eliminates the curvature of the neck and applies excess pressure to the front of the neck. This excess pressure can displace the discs and cause bulges and herniations, which further increase your pain and limit movement. If the whiplash remains untreated for years, eventually bone spurs develop. These spurs cause even more pain, and they severely and permanently impact the range of motion in your neck. Chiropractic Treatments for Whiplash Chiropractic adjustments, corrective exercises, massage therapy and nutritional advice can help correct whiplash damage and reduce your pain and headaches. Our first goal in our treatment programs involves reducing your pain, and we start that process with chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic adjustments help put your cervical vertebrae back into their proper alignment.

This is the key to permanently correcting the whiplash injury and reducing your pain and the frequency of your headaches.rent a chair hairdresser perth Massage therapy relaxes the muscles, ligaments and tendons, reduces inflammation and pain and improves blood flow and oxygenation to the muscles of your upper back and neck. stokke high chair greenThis greatly reduces recovery time and pain and helps prevent future injuries to the same areas.second hand chairs gloucester Wellness care and lifestyle advice are utilized to help you improve your overall health. where to buy chair screamer

When you get the right amount of exercise combined with the best possible nutrition, your body is better able to heal itself and maintain its energy levels, and future injuries are also reduced.baby feeding chair argos When all of these treatments are utilized to treat your severe neck sprain, healing times are greatly reduced, range of motion is increased and headaches and migraines are decreased. hair salon chair protectorsWe even offer ongoing care to help you reduce the chance of future neck and back injuries.rocking chair mumbai buy To get started treating your neck pain, headaches and upper back pain, call our Charlotte office at (704) 392-9999.used office chairs kochi

Neck whiplash is the term given to an acceleration / deceleration injury of the neck that typically occurs during motor vehicle accidents or contact sports. folding chair hire sydneyThis may cause damage to numerous structures within the neck resulting in a variety of symptoms such as pain and stiffness in the neck. The spine (neck) comprises of many bones known as vertebrae. Each vertebra connects with the vertebra above and below via two types of joints: the facet joints on either side of the spine and the disc centrally (figure 1). In addition, the spine has muscles situated at the front, back and sides of the neck supporting these joints. During a typical acceleration / deceleration injury of the neck involving a forward / backward movement, stretching and compressive forces are placed on the joints, muscles, ligaments and nerves primarily at the front and back of the neck. This may cause widespread damage to these structures if the forces are beyond what the tissues can withstand.

When this occurs the condition is known as neck whiplash. Figure 1 – Anatomy of Neck Whiplash Whiplash injuries most commonly occur in motor vehicle accidents whereby the neck is thrown forcefully forwards and then backwards. This condition is also frequently seen in contact sports, whereby the usual mechanism of injury is a forceful collision with another player resulting in a jolting force to the head and neck. Whilst a forward, backward movement of the neck is the typical mechanism of injury in patients with this condition, it is also common for whiplash injuries to involve a sideways or rotation force either in isolation or in addition to the typical forward / backward movement of the head and neck. When this occurs, tissue damage and symptoms are typically distributed more unevenly across the neck, with symptoms usually being worse on one side of the body. Patients with this condition usually experience a sudden onset of neck pain during the causative activity.

However, occasionally, in less severe cases, patients may experience little or no pain at the time of injury. In these instances, symptoms typically increase over the following 2 to 3 days and may be most prominent at night or first thing in the morning. Patients with neck whiplash usually experience pain in the front, back or sides of the neck that sometimes may be accompanied by pain radiating down one or both arms (sometimes as far as the hand and fingers) or into the shoulder blade region, or in some cases, headaches. Pain may be sharp or dull, with symptom intensity varying between mild and severe usually based on the forces involved at the time of injury. Patients with this condition also commonly experience stiffness or restricted movement in their neck which can range from mild to severe. Muscle spasm, pins and needles, numbness, a burning sensation or weakness may also be present. Occasionally the neck may be noticeably out of alignment, with pain preventing the patient from straightening the neck.

Some patients may also feel that their head is too heavy and can experience difficulty lifting their head off a pillow. Symptoms associated with whiplash are often exacerbated by sustained postures such as reading, driving, sitting at a computer, using a mobile phone or watching television. Symptoms may also increase during activities using the arms in front of the body (such as cooking, ironing, vacuuming etc.), prolonged sitting (especially if slouched), lifting and with certain neck movements involving rotation, side bending, bending forwards or backwards. Sneezing may also aggravate symptoms. Patients with neck whiplash often experience pain and stiffness that is worse first thing in the morning. A thorough subjective and objective examination from a physiotherapist is usually sufficient to diagnose neck whiplash. Investigations such as an X-ray, MRI or CT scan are usually required to rule out serious injury. Most patients with mild to moderate cases of neck whiplash heal quickly and have a full recovery with appropriate physiotherapy treatment.

In these instances, recovery may take weeks to months. In severe cases, recovery may be significantly longer. Patients with severe neck whiplash may also have an increased likelihood of developing degenerative changes to their joints (neck arthritis) resulting in potential long term problems with restricted movement and pain. For detailed physiotherapy information on the treatment of this condition Become a Member. Login now to view the complete article. For detailed information on physiotherapy treatment of this condition Become a Member. Despite appropriate physiotherapy management, a small percentage of patients with neck whiplash fail to improve and may require other intervention. This may include pharmaceutical intervention, corticosteroid injection, investigations such as an X-ray, CT scan or MRI, or referral to appropriate medical authorities who can advise on any intervention that may be appropriate to improve the condition. The following exercises are commonly prescribed to patients with neck whiplash.

You should discuss the suitability of these exercises with your physiotherapist prior to beginning them. Generally, they should be performed provided they do not cause or increase symptoms. Your physiotherapist can advise when it is appropriate to begin the initial exercises and eventually progress to the intermediate and advanced exercises. As a general rule, addition of exercises or progression to more advanced exercises should only take place provided there is no increase in symptoms. The following initial exercises should generally be performed 3 – 5 times daily and only provided they do not cause or increase symptoms. Begin sitting or standing tall with your back and neck straight. Your shoulders should be back slightly (figure 6). Tuck your chin in as far as you can go without pain and provided you feel no more than a mild to moderate stretch. Keep your eyes and nose facing forwards. Hold for 2 seconds and repeat 10 times provided the exercise does not cause or increase symptoms.

Repeat 3 – 5 times daily. Figure 6 – Chin Tucks Begin sitting or standing tall with your back and neck straight (figure 7). Squeeze your shoulder blades together as far as you can go without pain and provided you feel no more than a mild to moderate stretch. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat 10 times provided the exercise does not cause or increase symptoms. Repeat 3 – 5 times daily. Figure 7 – Shoulder Blade Squeezes For intermediate exercises that are a vital component of rehabilitation for this condition Become a Member. For advanced exercises that are a vital component of rehabilitation for this condition Become a Member. For a detailed, step by step rehabilitation protocol for this condition Become a Member. Some of the most commonly recommended products by physiotherapists to hasten healing and speed recovery in patients with this condition include: To purchase physiotherapy products for neck whiplash click on one of the above links or visit the PhysioAdvisor Shop.