Whiplash refers to the traumatic path of the head when, for example, during a car collision, the body is thrown violently forward and, as a result, the head is suddenly thrown backwards and then again, during deceleration, forwards
The injuries resulting from this type of accident vary in nature and severity. They mainly affect the muscles, ligaments, intervertebral discs and, in extreme cases, the vertebrae and the spinal cord.
Whiplash does not only occur in traffic accidents. It can also result from collisions in certain sports, falls and direct trauma to the head (skull).
Symptoms of whiplash
The most common symptoms and complaints are:
muscle tension, neck pain, headache, pain in the temporomandibular joint (jaw), dizziness, nausea, cervical spasms, radiculopathy with pain and irradiation in the shoulder, arm, elbow, hand and in some cases, also psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression or irritability.
Chiropractic treatment for whiplash
Chiropractic is effective in recovery from whiplash because:
- First of all, it not only acts on the symptoms, but it also works on the origin of the problem.
- The chiropractor realigns the vertebrae that may have been displaced, controlling not only the neck, but the entire spine from the pelvis (the back is also involved in the blow of the car accident).
Displacement of the pelvis and the dorsal or lumbar spine often occurs, so subluxations in these structures must be treated in order to put the body back on axis so that it can heal. Residual blockages are identified and removed and the musculature of the neck structures is rebalanced.
Through chiropractic treatment, vertebral realignment and restoring the correct physiological cervical curve, recovery time from whiplash are significantly shorter.
When the nervous system is free from interference thanks to the chiropractic adjustment and thus proper spinal realignment, cell regeneration of damaged and inflamed tissues will also occur more quickly.
In the same way, the doctor of chiropractic can help the patient to improve bad postural habits to prevent possible relapses.