Whiplash

Whiplash injuries occur following a car accident, sports, or an accident at work. Generally the neck experiences a sudden forward, backward or sideways movement. The biggest problem with whiplash is that the symptoms can take years to develop. Too often people don't seek treatment until more serious complications start to emerge. Frequently, patients report that they are still suffering a number of people report to still feel the effect of the injuries for up to 2 years after.

There are nowadays a variety of imaging devices which can show the extent of the injuries incurred during a whiplash injury. Normal procedure in a hospital setting is to examine the presenting patient with whiplash and often to use x-rays. This can be beneficial to find fractures or dislocations, however it does not show any form of soft tissue damage. Almost all patients who have suffered a whiplash injury will experience Neck pain. This is often the result of tightened muscles that react to either muscle tears or excessive movement of joints from ligament damage. The muscles tighten in an effort to splint and support the head, limiting the excessive movement.

Up to 70% will complain of headaches on either or both sides of the head and scalp, of varying intensity, severity and duration. Again, muscular spasms or tears can be associated to this condition as the muscles are fighting hard to maintain head stability.

 A tear to the muscle is often described as burning pain, prickling or tingling. More severe disc damage may cause sharp pain with certain movements, with or without radiation into the arms, hand and fingers, which are relieved by holding your hand over your head.

Quite often patients also describe pain down the shoulder blades, trapezius muscles or along the upper rib cage.

Basic Whiplash checklist…If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, we may be able to help you:

• Neck Pain/Stiffness
• Headaches
• Difficulty Swallowing
• Dizziness or Blurred vision
• Shoulder Pain
• Numbness or tingling
• Pains in arms/legs , hands or feet
• Fatigue
• Irritability
• Nausea

The resulting instability of the spine and soft tissues are noteworthy and depend on several factors. Some of the above symptoms may be as a result of the whiplash injury or may also reveal underlying/ pre-existing conditions which have been aggravated. For more information contact our Chiropractors and we will try our very best to rehabilitate you to better health.

Chiropractors are required by the General Chiropractic Council, the regulating body for chiropractic in the UK, to take a thorough history and carry out a physical examination of every patient, in order to form an appropriate diagnosis and to determine if the patient would benefit from chiropractic care. If the chiropractor identifies a patient who cannot be helped by chiropractic care, normal practice would be to refer the patient to the most appropriate healthcare practitioner for further consultation.