If you have recently been in a car accident, you may be experiencing severe neck pain from whiplash. Whiplash occurs when your head is quickly jerked forward or backward, resulting in neck strain and sprain. Although your pain may lessen over time, whiplash may require chiropractic care to heal properly. Here are several chiropractic treatments that may be prescribed for whiplash:
Spinal Manipulation
When your chiropractic performs a spinal manipulation, which is also called a "chiropractic adjustment," he gently but firmly moves your spine in the direction in which the joint motion is restricted. The chiropractor may use a slow, deliberate movement to adjust your spine, or he may use quick thrusts.
Muscular Relaxation
Your chiropractor may relax the muscles of your neck by gently stretching them. If the whiplash has caused excessive tightness in a particular area of the neck, the tension is relieved by the stretching.
Muscle Stimulation
Muscle stimulation involves the use of repeated contractions to stimulate muscles that have tightened from the injury. The stimulation may be provided manually through massage. However, electrical stimulation may also be used to contract specific muscles. With electrical stimulation, the degree of contraction can be controlled by the amount of current stimulation that is applied. .
Your chiropractor may prescribe exercises, such as McKenzie exercises, to help you manage your own pain. In some cases, the pain from your whiplash injury may be affecting your arms and shoulders. McKenzie exercises, which may be done in the office and then at home, extend the spine to help relocate pain from the extremities to the back. Centralizing the discomfort places focus on the source of your pain.
Stabilization and Sensorimotor Exercises
Chiropractic treatment that alternates between stabilization and sensorimotor activities helps train your brain and spinal cord to coordinate your movements in a way that keeps your neck stable and minimizes dizziness or giddiness. Up to 75 percent of whiplash victims experience symptoms of light-headedness, giddiness or instability.
Ice and Heat
Your chiropractor may prescribe an ice pack or a hot pack. Ice and heat can help reduce your pain and calm spastic muscles.
Whiplash usually involves the sprain and strain of your neck. The ligaments that help protect and stabilize your vertebrae may be torn, and your muscles and tendons may be stretched to the point of injury. However, chiropractic care can restore the movement in your neck and minimize your pain. If you have recently incurred a whiplash injury, contact a chiropractor today to start your treatment.
Share29 June 2015
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