Whiplash Injuries
Your chiropractor can offer you a non-surgical treatment to offer relief from the neck pain resulting from your whiplash. Whiplash occurs when the muscles in your neck are rapidly moved backwards and forwards due to a trauma such as a car accident. This can cause both restricted movement and acute pain in your neck. You need to tell your chiropractor you have experienced a trauma and have neck pain. Your neck and entire spine will be examined to determine which area were affected. Your chiropractor will identify any ligament injuries, muscle spasms, intervertebral disc injuries and restriction in joint movement. Some of the diagnostic techniques involve touch to locate tightness, tenderness and discern the movement of your spinal joints.
The way you walk, your spinal alignment and your posture will be analyzed. This information helps with your diagnosis because your chiropractor will understand how your spine works and the mechanics of your body. You may require an MRI or x-rays of your spine to evaluate any degeneration you had prior to the whiplash injury. The best treatment plan is developed using the results or your neurological and physical evaluations. The acute phase is triggered shortly after you receive your injury. Your chiropractor will use a variety of therapy modalities to help decrease the inflammation in your neck. This may involve manual therapy techniques such as gentle stretching and muscle energy therapy.
You may be advised to use a light neck support or place an ice pack on your neck for a specific period of time. As the pain and inflammation in your neck begin to decrease, chiropractic techniques such as a gentle spine manipulation may be performed to restore the normal motion to the facet joints in your neck. Your specific treatment plan is dependent on your whiplash injury, Spinal manipulation is the most commonly used technique.
Chiropractic Treatments for Whiplash
The Flexion distraction technique is a non-thrusting and gentle hands on spinal manipulation technique to help with the treatment of herniated discs. Herniated and bulging discs can be aggravated by a whiplash injury. Your chiropractor will slowly pump the disc as opposed to applying direct force to your spine. Another commonly used non-thrusting technique is instrument assisted manipulation. Force is applied to your spine without the use of thrusting. This kind of manipulation is effective for older individuals with a degenerative joint syndrome.
Specific spinal manipulation is when spinal joints with abnormal motion or restrictions are identified by your chiropractor. A gentle thrusting technique is used to help restore the joint’s motion. This often restores the normal motion to your spine by stimulating your nervous system and stretching the soft tissue. Manual therapy may be used in combination with spinal manipulation. This is to treat soft tissue injuries including muscles and ligaments. There are several different types of manual therapies chiropractors may use.
Soft tissue therapy may be instrument assisted. One of the most commonly used techniques of this type is called the Graston technique for treating soft tissues. An instrument is used to perform repeated and gentle strokes across the injured area. There are also techniques for joint resistance and stretching. Muscle energy therapy is a good example of a manual joint technique. Therapeutic massage is often used to ease the tense muscles in your neck.
Trigger point therapy is a way for your chiropractor to identify painful and tight muscle points. Direct pressure using the fingers is placed on specific points to relieve the tension in your muscles. Interferential electrical stimulation is another therapy often effective for reducing neck inflammation. An electrical current using a low frequency is used to help stimulate your muscles. This often reduces the inflammation. An ultrasound increases your blood circulation to help decrease pain, stiffness and muscle spasms in your neck. The sound waves sent by the ultrasound reach your deepest muscle tissues. This increases your circulation through gentle heat.
The techniques are effective because they take the whole individual into account as opposed to just the problem area. The neck pain experienced by every patient is unique. Your chiropractor knows the best way to promote good health in the future is by emphasizing prevention. Your whiplash symptoms may be reduced and the normal motion of your spine restored with therapeutic exercises. All of these techniques can assist in increasing the activities you can perform on a daily basis. Your chiropractor can diagnose the cause of you whiplash. If you are experiencing pain, limited motions and inflammation due to whiplash, call 205-637-1363 now for help.
