Whiplash
This information is provided to broaden the understanding of whiplash injuries.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash occurs when the head is violently snapped back and forth. Since your neck is the most flexible part of the spine, it is more vulnerable to injury.
Four Major Types of Injury Occur
- Muscle Injury: During an accident your muscles are often stretched or strained. This can lead to painful swelling and tenderness in the muscles of the neck and shoulders.
- Nerve Injury: As the muscles are stretched, so are the nerves. Nerves can be stretched too far or "pinched." This occurs more often if your head was turned during the impact or your headrest was not positioned properly.
- Joint Injury: The key to the movement in your neck is the joints located in each of your cervical vertebrae. They allow the bones to move smoothly over each other. Injury to these joints may cause pain in the area of the affected joint and/or pain in other areas of the body such as the arms and shoulders.
- Disc Injury: Discs function as shock absorbers and spacers between the vertebrae. They make space for the sensitive nerves to exit the spinal cord. A whiplash injury can cause these discs to bulge, herniate or rupture, which may lead to painful nerve irritation.
Whiplash can also occur from sports impacts, slips and falls.
Symptoms of Whiplash
- Neck Pain
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Blurred Vision
- "Pins and needles," Numbness
- Reduced Mobility
How Can Chiropractic Care Help?
Proper treatment of any condition involves treating the cause and not just the symptoms. As a chiropractor, Dr. Karr is specially trained to pinpoint the root cause of your symptoms. Your symptom may stem from a new injury or one sustained years ago. Dr. Karr will review your complete health history and perform a thorough physical examination to reveal any underlying physical problems.
- Chiropractic care can provide pain relief and increase your mobility and flexibility.
- Increased mobility and flexibility allow your body to heal faster.
- Chiropractic care is a safe, effective treatment for whiplash.
- Chiropractic care can help restore the normal forward curve of your neck without the use of drugs or surgery.
Whiplash Facts
- Most rear-impact car accidents occur between 1/2 mile to 5 1/2 miles per hour.
- An impact at 5 miles per hour can cause soft tissue damage. In a rear-impact car accident, your head can accelerate up to 2 1/2 times faster than your car.
- A significant percentage of people with whiplash will suffer chronic symptoms and 10% will suffer disability.