Whiplash: Do I Need to be Treated?

It's that time of the year.  The weather has gotten warm.  The sun is shining bright.  It is the perfect time of the year to put the top down or open the car windows and go for a ride.  When you go for a ride in a car you always run the risk of getting into a car accident.  Now what?

The most common injury that someone suffers in a car accident is an injury called whiplash.  Whiplash happens when your car comes to an abrupt stop, but your body in the car, continues to move forward at the same speed until something (preferably the seat-belt) acts in opposition to your moving body and stops you.  This is based on one of Newton's Law of Motion, that simply states that an object in motion will remain in motion until it is acted upon by another force.  This means that even thought the car gets slowed down from the accident, your body will continue to travel until something slows it down (i.e. the seat-belt).  Because the seat-belt goes over your shoulders, and not your head, your head and neck will continue at the same rate or speed at which your car was traveling causing the neck to whip around.  This whipping around  pulls on the muscles and ligaments in your neck, stretching them out and sometimes tearing them giving you the swelling and pain we call whiplash.

You have been diagnosed with whiplash, now what.  In most cases of a history of a car accident that leaves the patient with neck pain, the patient is usually taken to the ER for an evaluation and most likely x-rays.  After you have been cleared of any broken bones, you are usually sent home with a prescription for pain meds of muscle relaxers.  The question is now, what do you do?  There are several things to try that can be very important on how fast you recover from your injuries:

1.) Use ice packs -
- Ice will help lessen swelling, and thus lessen the stiffness.
- Ice also helps to numb the area and that can lessen pain.
- Try to avoid using any heat until you are sure the swelling is gone as heat can promote swelling.

2.) Keep your neck moving -
- As long as you are without fractures or tears you must move joints for them to get the nutrition they need to heal.
- Be careful to not overdo it.  Too much movement can pull more on already injured tissue making things worse.
- Try chiropractic.  Chiropractors are trained to get joints moving again that are lacking in motion.

3.) Listen to your body -
- Pain is your body's way of telling you that you are overdoing it.  The old adage of no pain, no gain is a poor one.  Listen to your body, if it hurts, slow down.  If you push it, you run the risk of injuring the area even more.
- Exercise is the key.  Moving the joints and strengthening them will help you feel better, faster.

It is easy to just think that relaxing and resting will help to eliminate the problems but studies have shown that  that when you do nothing you run the risk of further problems to the neck.  Because of this, it is very important to get your body treated as quickly as possible after your injury has happened.

Disclaimer:  The above information is intended for informational and educational purposes only and is not intended to be used as medical advise.  Always, see your physician to be properly diagnosed before trying any course of treatment.