Whiplash

Whiplash is an injury to the neck due to a forceful, rapid, jerking, back-and-forth movement of the neck, similar to the cracking of a whip. Whiplash is usually brought on when drivers are rear-ended by another vehicle in a car accident. However, whiplash is not just an auto accident injury. It can also come from contact sports injuries, physical misconduct, and other types of severe trauma.  

A neck sprain or strain may be another name for whiplash, but these medical terms include other types of neck injuries too. In addition, whiplash has also been known to cause accident patients chronic complications and pain in the neck and spine. 

The recovery time for people who experience whiplash can be many weeks. At Holistic Health Clinic in Beaverton, OR, we offer acupuncture, chiropractic, naturopathy, and massage as part of a treatment plan to help patients overcome the effects of whiplash. 

Symptoms of Whiplash

Whiplash symptoms can take days to develop after the initial time of injury. The symptoms can include:

• Stiffness and pain in the neck
• Loss of range of motion in the neck
• Headaches from the skull's base
• Pain and tenderness in the shoulder, arms, and back
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Numbness and tingling in arms and shoulders

Some people with whiplash have even reported symptoms of:

• Irritability
• Inability to concentrate
• Loss of memory
• Depression
• Ears ringing
• Problems sleeping
• Blurry vision

When To See a Chiropractor

See your chiropractor if you suffer from neck pain, headache, and other whiplash symptoms due to an auto accident injury. It's vital to consult a chiropractor to get an accurate diagnosis quickly to rule out broken bones or a much more severe condition. 

Complications and Recovery

Most patients who suffer from whiplash feel better within a few weeks and don't appear to have any lasting effects from their injury. 

On the other hand, some people continue having pain and other complications for months or years after the injury occurred. 

Medical professionals aren't able to predict how each whiplash patient will recover. People may be more likely to have chronic pain if their symptoms were intense from the start and include:

• Serious neck pain and discomfort
• Minimal range of motion
• Pain spreading from the neck down to the shoulder and arms

Other factors are linked to a worse outcome from whiplash, such as:

• Previous whiplash diagnosis
• Advanced in age
• Pre-Existing neck or lower back pain
• A previous auto accident injury or sports injury that happened at a high rate of speed

Quality Holistic Care in Beaverton

If you are in the Beaverton OR area and you feel you may be suffering from a case of whiplash, contact Holistic Health Clinic today at (503) 646-8575