Whiplash injuries and Chronic Neck Pain Treatment
By Dr. Justin Anderson of Optimal Spine & Posture in Boise, ID
Whiplash is an injury to the neck, which is generally attributable to a rapid and forceful jerking of the neck. It is frequently caused by car accidents that involve being rear-ended by another car, although it is also possible to sustain whiplash through a sports injury or some other kind of physical trauma. Often a person who has whiplash injury or some other kind of chronic pain will be prescribed a several week program of exercise and pain medication. It is common that this helps moderately in the short term.
In other cases, chronic neck pain will persist long after the trauma and cause of the pain, and that’s when you may want to consult a chiropractor. At Optimal Spine & Posture we are a Boise chiropractic facility which has a great deal of expertise in spine traumatology that helps with alleviating the pain and discomfort from whiplash and chronic neck pain. Contact today for an initial consultation, and then we’ll be able to determine the extent of relief we’ll be able to provide you.
Identifying the source of what is causing your pain
The first thing a greatly trained chiropractor will do is to identify the true source of your chronic neck pain. This may be difficult to do, especially in cases when you suffered whiplash during an accident which may have occurred several years ago. In order to get at the true cause, a thorough medical history is needed. Then he/she will conduct a thorough examination of your neck, as well as the connective tissues of the spine, to make an accurate diagnosis.
How do you know if you have whiplash?
Commonly within days of an accident and sometimes weeks after, the symptoms of whiplash will appear and typically include some or all of the following:
- dizziness
- fatigue
- numbness or tingling in the arms
- tenderness in the upper back, arms, or shoulders
- headaches which usually originate at the base of the skull
- decreased range of motion in the neck
- intense pain associated with neck movement
- pain and stiffness in the neck
- depression
- difficulty concentrating
- memory problems
- irritability
- ringing in the ears
- sleep disturbance or disruption
- blurred vision
Treatments for chronic neck pain
There are a number of different treatments which might be effective in treating your chronic neck pain, starting with spinal adjustments performed by an expert chiropractor. It’s very possible that some of the individual vertebrae have been misaligned. When this kind of misalignment occurs, it does not naturally heal itself, and must be adjusted by an expert trained at a chiropractic college.
In some cases, acupuncture may provide relief for your chronic neck pain, because this can also relieve pressure points which have been exerted upon nerves to cause pain and discomfort. Trigger point injections are also a possible form of treatment for chronic neck pain, and these will relax the tissue and nerves at various points around the body, so that normalcy can be restored.
The most important factor to rehabbing the spine after a trauma follows a proper diagnosis from x-ray analysis. If the biomechanics of your spine have been affected by the trauma, treatment should be aimed towards restoring normal alignment. Chiropractic BioPhysics or CBP is a methodology used to restore normal spine alignment through corrective spine traction and exercise. Healing ligaments of the spine in the right position after a trauma is extremely important for long-term outcomes.
In Boise give our office a call today at 208-748-5909 if you have sustained a sudden trauma, motor vehicle crash or fall. Visit us online for more information on the services we offer to properly rehab your from these injuries.
Dr. Justin Anderson is a Boise Chiropractor, with advanced certification in Chiropractic BioPhysics, located in Boise, Idaho at Optimal Spine & Posture. He offers many non-invasive treatments including whiplash and auto injury treatment. To learn more about non-surgical treatment options visit optimalchiropracticboise.com.
