Whether you have been in a car accident on you are just someone who likes to exercise a lot, whiplash can be pretty common. There are a lot of people around the world who suffer from whiplash. It may sound like something ubiquitous, but in fact, whiplash can result in some severe health complications if not treated properly.
The severity and complexity of whiplash are utterly dependent on the force you meet during the accident. It depends on how hard your car hit another object on the road if it was a car. If whiplash was because of your daily cardio routine, the complexity depends on how much you moved your head. The more complex your issue is, the longer it will take whiplash to recover fully. With the increasing population in Marietta, it is hard to cope with traffic on the road. The city has officially seen an increase in its car accident statistics.
What Exactly Is Whiplash?
When your neck moves in a to and fro motion rapidly, it can result in harming the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in your neck. The combination of these three is called soft tissues. When your soft tissues are damaged, this creates tension in your neck by reducing your range of motion and causing pain upon even the basic movements. The intensity of pain entirely depends on how bad the crash was.
What Are Symptoms of Whiplash?
Symptoms of whiplash are:
- Neck pain
- Shoulder and arm pain
- Difficulty moving neck from one side to the other
- Loss of focus
- Difficulty chewing food
- Insomnia
- Headache
- Muscle spasms
- Ringing ears
- Fatigue
Damage of Whiplash On Human Body
Although recognized as a reasonably simple injury compared to health complications like fractures and burns, whiplash does leave a significant impact on your body. Especially if you do not seek immediate whiplash care in Marietta.
Whiplash generally damages your:
- Posture
- Spinal alignment
- Muscles
- Ability to conduct essential tasks without movement
If you have chronic pain due to whiplash, forget an early recovery. Chronic pain usually occurs when you don’t seek immediate treatment. If the symptoms persist over 2 to 3 months, there is a possibility that they will last forever. Whiplash symptoms start appearing after 24 to 72 hours but if you have been in an accident, visit an accident doctor immediately.
Treatment for Whiplash Injury
Since the issue has chronic tendencies, visiting your accident doctor is kind of mandatory. They will immediately assess your condition and help you recover from the painful trauma of whiplash. Feel free to discuss everything that happened to you when you got whiplash. It may seem useless to you now, but for doctors, it goes a long way into helping them diagnose the extent of your injury. Ask questions regarding your health. If you have reservations about an unavoidable step – go ahead ask them about its importance.
Your doctor will introduce different pain-relieving and recovery techniques to help you control pain and improve your range of motion. Their main goal is to help you get back to a normal lifestyle. Here are a few things involved in the treatment plan.
Rest
Rest is recommended for the first couple of days. Since you are mainly mobile, bed rest can actually decrease your recovery period for a very long time. Now, this is for someone who has minor injuries. Your doctor will recommend a plan if you have injuries like fractures and burns along with whiplash. Try moving around – slow walking and meditation exercises help a lot.
Medication
OTC medicines like ibuprofen are prescribed by doctors for pain relief and loosening tight muscles. Other than this, if you have really complex symptoms, doctors can prescribe drugs like muscle relaxants and sleeping pills. Make sure you use them exactly as prescribed.
Injections
You may also get injections to numb painful parts of the neck. Usually, lidocaine injection is prescribed. Your doctor will give you one dose, but they can provide more if the pain is persistent.
Treatment for Chronic Whiplash
If you are diagnosed with a chronic whiplash patient, it is usually improper/no treatment. In a recent survey, a lady mentioned that she has symptoms for over 3 years now! Imagine how that feels like! The first step is to completely eliminate chronic pain by seeking timely treatment and precautions. However, if you’re a chronic patient, do not panic. It doesn’t mean that your symptoms cannot be reduced. Chronic patients are referred to a Marietta pain clinic. General therapeutic methods along with regular medication that you’ll get are:
- Multidisciplinary pain management
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Chiropractic care
- Physical therapy
- Psychotherapy
Understand that you cannot recover without a clear mindset – this is why many people are recommended to have sessions with a psychiatrist.
Alternate Care and Lifestyle Changes
A simple change in a few bad habits or spending a couple of extra dollars on getting alternate care can actually leave you feeling a lot better. You’ll be amazed at how this works. Here are a few things that you can include in your overall treatment plan in the case of whiplash. While general doctors recommend alternate care, but it’s always a good idea to ask first.
Here are a few tips to speed up the recovery process and eliminate whiplash from your body:
Physical Therapy
Since mobility is necessary, we recommend that you sign up for physical therapy. A physical therapist will help you exercise and relieve the tension between your damaged muscles. They will help you remain loyal to the program you signed up for. As a result, you will eliminate stress built-up in your neck. Physical therapy also enables you to revive muscle strength, mandatory to keep your spine and head aligned.
Posture Changes
Make some changes in your habits. Keep an eye out for poor posture habits or your sitting and standing positions. Since you are going through so many changes, your body will act differently. Having a bad posture despite whiplash is one of the significant reasons you may suffer from chronic trauma. Therefore, we recommend that you work on your posture. There are plenty of gadgets that help people maintain their posture while sitting, standing, driving, sleeping, and well – overall.
Chiropractic Care
Hire a car accident chiropractor in Marietta. They will help you eliminate the primary cause of whiplash rather than just concealing the pain. Chiropractors treat neuromusculoskeletal disorders, which means they will work on your nervous system to reduce pain rather than just covering it up. Chiropractic care is also drugless, so it’s completely safe and recommended by all doctors.
Mobility
Instead of just sitting in one position all day long, try moving around a bit after every hour. People who work long desk hours are recommended to take a short stroll after every 90 minutes around the office. Similarly, with whiplash, you need to move around. Walk around to help people who need you instead of calling them in your cabin. Stand up in your cabin and move a few steps before sitting down.
Conclusion
Whiplash is quite a common injury in a car accident and contact sports. You can suffer from severe symptoms if you don’t get timely treatment. There are several ways to get rid of whiplash. Consider alternate care along with your general treatment to see the best results.