Understanding Your Neck and Whiplash Treatment

Understanding Your Neck And Whiplash Treatment

Whiplash and Whiplash Treatment Background:
It is estimated that more than 1 million people are diagnosed with whiplash in the United States each year. Whiplash can be caused by falls, such as from a bicycle or horse; contact sports such as football, hockey or boxing; or a blow to the head from a physical assault or falling object, but the most common cause is motor vehicle accidents.

Injuries associated with whiplash were originally called railroad spine because the same type of injuries were noted primarily during train collisions. The term whiplash was first used in 1928; other terms used to refer to this category of injuries are cervical sprain, cervical strain and hyperextension injury. A sprain is when a ligament is pulled; a strain is when a muscle is pulled.

Whiplash Treatment and The Neck:
The neck is made up of muscles, tendons, blood vessels, nerves, bones and ligaments, all of which can be injured in an auto accident. The bulk of the neck is muscle. This muscle serves three functions: it stabilizes the spine and keeps the head upright, it allows movement of the head, and it protects the nerves and blood vessels that travel to the head and arms.

The spine is made of individual vertebrae that support the head and protect the spinal cord. The vertebrae are separated by discs, which act as shock absorbers. Ligaments hold the vertebrae together and limit motion. Tendons attach the muscles to the bones.

The spine is designed to handle moderate amounts of vertical compressive force. Because the vertebrae and muscles in the neck allow a wide range of motion, they provide very little protection from side to side or front to back motion. The only thing that protects the spinal column from rear-end collisions is the ligaments which hold the vertebrae together. It is these ligaments which sustain the most serious whiplash injuries.

Whiplash Treatment: The neck’s flexibility makes it susceptible to injury during whiplash accidents

The neck's flexibility makes it susceptible to injury during whiplash accidents

These ligaments contain nerves that sense pain, so when you stretch them or tear them, it hurts. This causes your muscles to tighten up in an attempt to protect the injured areas.

Injuries to the ligaments can take anywhere from a few hours to several days to cause any symptoms. A lack of pain immediately following an accident does not mean no injury has occurred.

It is common for the real pain to not set in for days or even weeks after the crash.

Don’t Neglect Your Neck: There are many good whiplash treatment options – neglect is not one of them

Don’t neglect your injuries today and end up paying for it for the rest of your life. It’s not worth chronic pain and suffering, especially when there are so many good whiplash treatment options to help you recover properly and heal from your injuries. Chiropractic may be an effecting option for your whiplash treatment care.