R2 Wellness Centers was founded to provide residents of Lowell, Indiana, with outstanding care for a wide range of musculoskeletal issues, as well as the latest wellness treatments. Casey Walker, DC, brings a wealth of training and experience to his practice and is always pursuing opportunities to expand his skill set.
Today, let’s examine whiplash: what it is, how it develops, and when to seek professional care if symptoms persist or worsen.
Your neck serves numerous functions, including housing your spinal cord and enabling your head to perform a variety of movements. While surprisingly strong, your neck is subject to harm from degenerative conditions and traumatic injury.
Whiplash is a specific form of neck injury that happens when your neck is subjected to sudden, vigorous, back-and-forth motion. Most commonly associated with being in a rear-end auto collision, whiplash can also happen as a result of a sports injury, assault, or other types of traumatic injury.
Inertia, one of the laws of physics, states that an object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain in motion. Applied to a sudden change in force, your head, neck, and body will continue to move at different rates of speed, which is what causes the ligaments, bones, and muscles within your cervical spine to sustain injury.
Whiplash symptoms don’t always develop immediately after the triggering injury. That’s often due to the adrenaline that can accompany an injury or the shock that can set in.
It can take hours or even days for symptoms to develop. Some things to look out for include:
Symptoms can remain steady or can come and go over time.
Ideally, you’ll come in for an assessment soon after being involved in any traumatic injury involving your head or neck. This approach ensures you receive treatment before your condition becomes more serious.
We can determine if you’ve injured your neck or other areas of your spine. We perform a thorough assessment to fully understand how the injury affected your musculoskeletal system, and we use that knowledge to shape a customized treatment plan.
Treatment options include medication to manage pain and reduce swelling. A course of physical therapy can also help facilitate healing. For many, chiropractic care is a great fit for whiplash symptoms. We also offer red light therapy, an approach that uses specific wavelengths of light to trigger your body’s natural healing abilities.
Many people, however, prefer to try a period of self-care after an injury. Rest, immobilization, and icing can help ease the symptoms of whiplash. However, if you’re still uncomfortable after a few days, or if your symptoms seem to be getting worse rather than better, it’s a good idea to schedule a visit to R2 Wellness Centers. We offer online booking for convenience, but you can also give us a call if you prefer to schedule over the phone.
