After a car accident, a lot of people seek the care of a chiropractor for their injuries. One of the most common injuries is whiplash. This occurs when there is a sudden jarring motion or impact on the body. While car accidents are not the only cause of whiplash, they are definitely one of the biggest contributors. Many people experience immediate neck pain following a car accident, but others do not. Due to the burst of adrenaline, the pain can be temporarily masked, but then re-surfaces later.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is an injury to the neck involving the muscles, ligaments, and joints. Most whiplash injuries involve only these soft tissues, but there are cases where whiplash can also cause fractures. Therefore, it is important to seek care following an accident to be evaluated. Symptoms of whiplash include:
- Neck/back pain or stiffness
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Jaw pain
- Balance issues
Once fracture is ruled out and/or healed, the soft tissue injury must be addressed to speed recovery. Whiplash injuries are typically very responsive to Graston technique. Graston technique is an instrumented assisted soft tissue therapy that breaks down adhesions in tissues. After an injury such as whiplash, the muscles and ligaments can tear. When they heal they form adhesions or scar tissue and become restricted. This will contribute to decreased range of motion, pain, and stiffness. Combined with chiropractic care, Graston technique is extremely effective at getting patients back to pre- accident status.
Other treatments that can be helpful that are offered at Functional Health Unlimited include
- Dry needling
- Strengthening exercises
- Massage
- Ultrasound
- Electric muscle stimulation
- Cervical traction
Car accidents are extremely common, creating thousands of injuries each year. Within a split second your ability to live your life can change. Functional Health Unlimited seeks to get patients back to functioning at full capacity quickly. If you or someone you love has been in an accident, contact us today to help them get the care they need.
