Whiplash is a neck injury when the head and neck are suddenly forced backward and then forward like the cracking of a whip. Most cases occur during a rear-end collision car accident, but whiplash can also occur during high-impact sports like football and hockey, during equestrian or other falls, after assaults, and even from roller coasters. Whiplash can occur in any direction of impact, front to back or side to side, and ligaments, muscles, vertebral discs, nerves, blood vessels, and other soft tissues can sustain damage. Many people with a whiplash injury recover in about three months. However, a significant number can develop chronic pain that lasts for years. Some symptoms can appear instantly, while others can develop over 24-48 hours.
Risk factors for suffering more severe whiplash symptoms include older age (over 50), a previous whiplash injury, existing back or neck issues, and the height of the accident’s impact. Subluxations are very common in whiplash injuries – when vertebrae shift out of alignment or perhaps do not move as they should, causing abnormal nerve pinching. Chiropractors are the only experts trained to remove subluxations and help naturally treat whiplash injuries.
$49 Complete Chiropractic Health Screening For Whiplash
$49 for a complete chiropractic health screening including a consultation, exam, X-rays if necessary, a report of findings, and a plan of action.
How Our Chiropractic Care Plan for Whiplash Works
1. Get To The Root Cause
Schedule a time you can sit with a chiropractor who will take a thorough history and exam to find out the root cause of the problem
2. Customize A Plan Of Attack
The chiropractor will create a customized care plan to not only get you out of pain but work toward keeping you well long term.
3. Change Your Life
Start doing all the things you couldn’t do, or were afraid to try because of pain, and change your life for the better.
How We Treat Whiplash in Belmar, NJ
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
When you come into Kinney Chiropractic with whiplash symptoms, you will meet with one of our doctors who will review the incident and really listen to you, your story, how this problem started, and how it is affecting you. We will help you understand your condition and what to expect once we get it corrected. We will perform orthopedic, neurological, functional movement, and postural testing to diagnose the problem accurately.
We will also take specific digital X-rays to understand where subluxations are, what alignment looks like, and identify exactly where the spine needs correction. Then, we will discuss your tailor-made treatment plan, including chiropractic care, additional therapies, and insurance coverage.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Belmar, NJ
The amount of neck movement or whipping in a whiplash injury makes neck misalignment and subluxation very common. Failure to correct subluxations and poor alignment after a whiplash injury can lead to degeneration and arthritis, chronic pain, possible disc injuries, and loss of range of motion. Chiropractors are the only doctors fully trained to correct misalignments, subluxations, and nerve pinching after a whiplash injury.
Massage Therapy and Soft Tissue Work
A whiplash injury can cause extensive soft tissue, muscle, ligament, and tendon damage due to the reflexive violent head movement in a high-force impact.
Soft tissue can stretch or even partially tear, causing inflammation, swelling, and pain. Massage therapy is a great way to help decrease muscle tension, improve range of motion, and reduce swelling. Increased blood flow to the area can assist in tissue healing.
Therapeutic Exercise
The body heals best through movement. Movement is life and helps muscles, joints, and nerves heal. Exercise rehab is an essential component of healing whiplash injuries. Exercises must be done safely and properly to avoid exacerbating the injuries.
We prescribe specific exercises and stretches that effectively and safely maximize your healing potential. This way, our chiropractors can help in the office and provide stretching and strengthening exercises that you can take home to do on your own to support care outside the office.
Common Symptoms of Whiplash in Belmar, NJ
Concussion
A common symptom of whiplash is a concussion. A concussion is a sudden head and neck movement that causes the brain to bounce or twist in the skull, creating chemical changes in the brain and sometimes damaging and stretching brain cells. They are usually the result of car accidents or high-impact sports injuries.
Symptoms of a concussion include:
- Memory problems
- Confusion
- Trouble concentrating
- Mood or personality changes
- Headache
- Nausea and vomiting,
- Dizziness
- Blurry vision
- Groggy
- Sensitivity to light and sound
Symptoms may show up soon after the injury, however, it could take hours or days. Continue to check for signs a few days after the injury. Use symptoms as a guide to returning to regular activity.
Shoulder Pain
Depending on the force of an auto accident or sports injury, the shoulder may sprain or strain, causing pain and irritation. Stability is a critical factor in shoulder pain. Damaged ligaments can create a loose joint, so mobilization is not always ideal. Corrective exercises to increase the strength of stabilizing muscles are essential.
Much of the shoulder’s nerve supply comes from the lower neck. If whiplash has caused immobility of the lower neck joints or nerve pinching and irritation, chiropractic adjustments are necessary to reestablish healthy nerve supply so the shoulder can heal properly.
Headaches
Whiplash injuries can cause muscle tension, instability, nerve interference, and disc injury, leading to headaches. The back-and-forth motion of a car accident or sports injury can injure the cervical facet joints, causing inflammation and irritation of the nerves in the brain stem and spinal cord.
A whiplash headache is usually indistinguishable from other headaches. Symptoms may occur immediately or after several days. Women are more susceptible to headaches after a whiplash injury. 80% of people who experience whiplash develop a chronic headache.
Neck Pain
Forceful movements of whiplash can damage vertebral discs, nerves, and muscles, resulting in neck pain from several potential sources. It is crucial to have a chiropractor take stock of the situation after an auto or sports injury to determine the root cause of the pain and the best way to move forward.
Chiropractic adjustments can help to realign any bones that have been knocked out of place or have lost their normal motion and improve range of motion. Soft tissue work can help restore muscle balance and function, while corrective exercises can help improve muscle stability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a chiropractor in Belmar, NJ, help with whiplash?
Yes. Dr. Kinney can determine the extent of damage after whiplash and lay out a treatment plan to get it corrected as soon as possible.
Should you see a chiropractor after whiplash?
Yes. It will be necessary to have an exam and X-rays to see what type of stress the spine underwent after your accident.
Can chiropractors in Belmar, NJ, help after a car accident?
Yes. Even a low-force crash can cause vertebrae to shift out of alignment or cause soft tissue injury. Chiropractors can help restore healthy alignment and repair nerve and soft damage.
Is massage good for whiplash?
Yes. Soft tissue, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are often stretched or partially torn after an accident, causing pain and inflammation. Massage helps improve blood flow and helps with soft tissue healing.
Can you get permanent damage from whiplash?
Yes. Whiplash left untreated can give rise to more stress on discs and joint surfaces, setting the stage for disc herniations and, ultimately, degeneration and arthritis in the cervical spine (neck).
What are the symptoms of severe whiplash?
Severe whiplash symptoms include:
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Shoulder pain
- Numbness and tingling in the arms, hands, or fingers
- Dizziness
- Blurry vision
- Grogginess
$49 Complete Chiropractic Health Screening For Whiplash
$49 for a complete chiropractic health screening including a consultation, exam, X-rays if necessary, a report of findings, and a plan of action.