Live Your Life Without Suffering From Whiplash By Consulting Your Lawrenceville GA Chiropractor

Some sudden motion or force causes the neck to move beyond its normal range of motion, which may result to injuries to its soft tissues. This is referred to as whiplash. This is often described as a neck pain following an injury to the soft tissues in the neck that involves ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Some people recover from whiplash within a few weeks, but some people experience chronic pain symptoms which can disturb their daily lifestyle. Chiropractic care may be needed to treat injuries from whiplash, where your chiropractor Lawrenceville GA can use appropriate techniques to improve functioning and correct postural problems.

What is whiplash?

Whiplash is usually characterized by a collection of symptoms that happens following damage to the neck brought by sudden flexion and extension. The sudden movement strains the muscles and ligaments in the neck beyond their normal range of motion. The pain in the neck may also radiate to the surrounding muscles in the head, chest, shoulders, and arms.

Motor vehicle accidents, athletic injuries, falls, and assaults are the most common causes of whiplash. During the accident, the head is usually unsupported which increases the risk for neck injuries. The type of such injury is referred to as whiplash associated disorder (WAD).

Whiplash injuries are responsible for long-term disability and raise the risk of future neck pain and other health problems. The pain may not occur right away after an accident, but may take hours or weeks to appear. Symptoms of whiplash include neck, neck pain, tingling or numbness, shoulder pain and stiffness, decreases range of neck motion, muscle spasms, headache, pain, numbness, or tingling extending down an arm.

How does chiropractic care help with my whiplash problems?

Chiropractic treatment concentrates on treating whiplash injuries, aiming to optimize motion of the spine, treat spinal discs, reduce muscle spasm, and improve muscular strength. Your Lawrenceville GA chiropractor observes your spine and joints to find the site of joint dysfunction and how it causes the symptoms. The treatment plan varies according to your diagnosis. Your chiropractor may perform a type of spinal manipulation to improve your joint motion and soft tissue function.

Spinal manipulation and muscle relaxation and/or stimulation are some of the common chiropractic treatments for whiplash. The techniques for spinal manipulation in treating whiplash include specific spinal manipulation and flexion-distraction technique. Other treatments for whiplash include trigger point therapy, instrument-assisted soft tissue therapy, interferential electrical stimulation, and ultrasound.

Apart from receiving chiropractic care for your whiplash, ergonomic support accessories and ergonomic furniture may be provided to help increase the effectiveness of the treatment and restore your health and well-being. Whiplash can become worse if left untreated during the early stages. A combination of chiropractic interventions can become more effective in reducing pain, increasing the range of motion of the neck and upper back, and speeding up the body’s natural healing process.

Your Lawrenceville chiropractor may recommend a series of exercises and/or stretches to strengthen the weakened muscles in the neck and shoulders which are good to follow to restore mobility and good health. These activities can provide faster recovery from whiplash.