Neck strain and whiplash share many similarities. As a result, many associate them with upper neck pain. Notably, studies suggest that these two health concerns refer to the same thing. They often develop when the neck bones and joints get overstretched because of an accident, physical abuse, and contact sports.

Do you currently suffer from this problem? Are you presently looking for a way to cope? Then, let’s investigate further into how neck strain and whiplash injuries work and how you can manage them with the help of natural remedies.

Whiplash or Neck Strain: How the Symptoms Can Affect You

The neck or cervical spine serves a critical role in ensuring good health. Besides helping you tilt your head in various angles and directions, it also encases the brainstem or the topmost portion of the spinal cord. Moreover, the cervical spine supports the cranial nerve pairs and several neck muscle fibers like the trapezius and levator scapulae. Suppose something goes wrong with the structure because of a whiplash injury. What do you think will happen? 

Studies explain that a car accident or similar event can cause the neck to overextend in a whip-like motion. When this happens, the neck structure gets compromised. The soft tissues can also suffer the impact, which can cause you extreme discomfort and affect your ability to move or tilt your head, neck, shoulders, and upper back. Most people who experience this health concern experience a wide range of symptoms, including: 

• Arm tingling
• Back and upper neck pain
• Headaches
• Memory and other cognitive problems
• Muscle numbness
• Fatigue
• Sleeping difficulty

In most cases, these symptoms last anywhere from a few days to two weeks. However, if you had a severe accident, it might take longer for your cervical spine to recover. Therefore, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about your symptoms and expectations during your recovery period. Consulting with your physician will also help you determine if you are at risk of developing complications because of your injury.

Whiplash or Neck Strain Complications: What to Expect

Because the cervical spine serves more function besides supporting the head, a whiplash injury can undoubtedly leave you susceptible to certain health complications. Notably, most of these complications happen because of the postural imbalance that results from the intense and rapid jerking of the cervical spine and the head. To help you understand these concerns, let’s take a closer look at them: 

• Chronic neck pain – Plenty of people who previously suffered a whiplash injury report recurring or chronic neck pain years after the incident. Most of these individuals also experience limited neck movement, preventing them from doing their usual routine at home or work. 

• Irritability and depression – Whiplash injuries often trigger mental health issues like depression and irritability. According to a study, this issue usually traces its roots to craniocervical instability. The postural distortion impairs various physiological processes like blood circulation in the nervous system, brain signal transmission, and pain perception. 

• Nerve damage – Cervical subluxation that results from a whiplash injury can increase your risk for nerve damage. The misaligned bones can impinge on nearby nerve roots like the trigeminal nerve and cause severe health repercussions. 

• Tinnitus – Tinnitus is a leading symptom that causes severe disability to roughly 25 million Americans. Essentially, it causes patients to hear intense buzzing sounds in one or both ears. While it primarily stems from a previous ear infection, several case studies on upper cervical health note that it can result from cervical bone misalignment. 

• Blurry vision – Postural distortions in the cervical spine can impact the optic nerve. Consequently, this leads to vision problems like blurry eyesight and difficulty focusing the eyes on specific items. 

Manage Your Upper Neck Pain and Whiplash Complications with Upper Cervical Care 

Are you tired of experiencing upper neck pain because of neck strain or whiplash injury? It’s time to look beyond muscle pain and start focusing on your posture. Besides muscle fibers, the C1 and C2 bones, which sit directly under the skull, also get affected by a whiplash injury. They can shift by a couple of millimeters and tip the balance of your entire body.

When this happens, your joints and muscles become inflamed, and your nerves get compressed or irritated. This not only limits your head movements and causes excruciating upper neck pain but also affects your ability to heal. The misaligned bones can interfere with the signals carrying information needed to restore your health and vitality.  

Thankfully, upper cervical care allows you to fix postural distortions in your cervical spine. Upper cervical chiropractic is among the leading techniques that patients use to recover from painful and crippling health concerns such as a whiplash injury. 

The swift but careful chiropractic adjustments provided by an upper cervical practitioner can cancel out the effects of the cervical subluxation. It also ensures that the nervous system can do its job correctly so the affected parts of the neck can heal naturally. 

Thousands of patients who previously had problems because of whiplash injuries now live a happy and pain-free life thanks to upper cervical care. If you also have a history of a whiplash or neck strain injury, we recommend having your neck bones checked to begin your upper cervical care journey. 

Start coping with your debilitating symptoms like upper neck pain and achieve renewed health with the help of chiropractic care. Find the nearest upper cervical doctor and get your neck assessed for cervical subluxation today!

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