Whiplash is a neck trauma that occurs as a result of an accelerated movement of the head with a forced stop. In most cases, this involves a movement in which the head is moved from front to back or vice versa. For example, by a rear-end collision with a car.
The sudden movement can cause injuries to the vertebra, muscles, tendons and ligaments, blood vessels, ligaments, intervertebral discs, nerve pathways and brain tissue. If the head is turned during the accident, you may also have a concussion.
Did you know that you not only get whiplash due to an accident, but also during work or sports?
How we can help you
The frustrating aspect about whiplash complaints is that the symptoms can persist for months even years. In most cases, the symptoms fortunately disappear within 4 to 6 weeks. Sometimes complaints only start after 1 or 2 weeks, or even months post-injury. This is because after the trauma sustained, your neck spasms the muscles as some sort of security mechanism to prevent further damage. That’s the ‘stiff’ feeling.
Chiropractic treatments usually make whiplash easy to remedy. Corrective actions prevent further damage and promote repair.
Chiropractic aims to improve poor posture, increase the mobility of the spine and restore the function of the irritated nerves.
Whiplash is caused by an unexpected, fast movement in which the head first swings hard backwards and then hard forward. The neck ligaments and joints stretch too far, which can damage certain parts of the neck, head and shoulders. Yet it’s not just collisions that cause whiplash. Accidents during sports or diving, or even a fall can also cause whiplash.
Below you can see a classification of the complaints that occur after whiplash. A distinction is made between four classes:
Class 1: Neck pain and stiffness without physical abnormalities
Class 2: Neck pain with limitation of movement due to muscle and joint injuries
Class 3: Neck complaints with symptoms of nerve failure
Class 4: Neck complaints with fractures of vertebrae
The consequences are very diverse, one person barely suffers, while the other person continues to suffer for weeks/months. Unfortunately, it also happens that complaints after whiplash are permanent, the damage to the nervous system or spine is then too great.
Whiplash: the most common symptoms
A neck hernia often starts with neck complaints. The symptoms of a neck hernia are different from those of a back hernia. This is because the nerve roots in the neck branch out to the shoulder, arm and hands. Despite the hernia being in the neck, you can get radiation in the shoulders, arm and hand.
Are the above complaints recognisable? A chiropractor can help bring your body back into balance. This way you recover a lot faster after whiplash.
Also read: NECK HERNIA