Did you know that about 3 million people suffer from whiplash injury in the US every year? It’s a common injury that happens to rear-end passengers during a car collision. Contrary to popular belief, you can suffer from whiplash even when you’re not speeding along the highway like the stars of the Fast and Furious franchise.
The worst part is that it can cause all kinds of problems. For example, it’s pretty common to hear people say they have whiplash and tinnitus. Some even associate their injury with other symptoms like chronic neck pain, headaches, and lower back pain.
Besides the symptoms, you need to know plenty of other things about this prevalent neck injury. To help you start your recovery journey or provide better care for an injured loved one, we’ve gathered four surprising facts about whiplash injury.
While whiplash is a fairly common problem among Americans, it’s also quite misunderstood by many. Some believe that you can only injure the neck by applying blunt force on the bones. However, in truth, this isn’t always the case.
The neck is one of the most injury-prone parts of the body. Its unique structure and design allow the bones tend to move with great ease. That’s why you can move or tilt the head in various directions and angles.
Sadly, the same functionality increases your risk for cervical subluxation. When this happens, the bones tend to shift from their normal orientation. It can result from a whiplash wherein the neck rapidly overextends in either an upwards or sidewards direction. The tendons, ligaments, and muscles get overstretched, making you feel sore and in pain. Sometimes, the stabbing or searing pain can spread to the shoulders or back when your body suffers from an intense impact from the accident or injury.
Besides car collisions, whiplash injuries can also stem from other events, including:
Many patients report having whiplash and tinnitus. However, besides hearing a ringing or buzzing sound in the ears, others also note additional debilitating symptoms, such as:
Typically, the symptoms appear right after the accident. However, it could appear several days or weeks later, so it pays to observe your body and look for the signs. These symptoms might even tell you other problems that your accident triggered.
Also, note that no two cases of whiplash injury are the same, so it would be best to keep a list of your observed symptoms. This will help you provide more accurate information to your doctor, therapist, or upper cervical chiropractic practitioner.
Rest can indeed do a lot of wonders to an injured body. It allows the damaged body parts to heal gradually. It also helps you minimize complications that could extend the recovery period. However, that doesn’t mean that taking a break from physical activities is enough to restore your body’s rigor and vitality and eliminate the pain. Sometimes, you need to investigate further and look at things like your neck bone alignment.
Studies explain that pain and muscle stiffness along your neck can potentially stem from a bone misalignment. Naturally, the misaligned bones press on the muscles and nerve tissues, triggering the painful stabbing sensation that tends to persist for days. It can also cause your spine to compensate for the changes, resulting in the uneven alignment of the shoulders, hip bones, and legs.
Until you address the underlying reason behind the pain and your whiplash and tinnitus (plus other symptoms), your problem will likely persist longer. It can also lead to more alarming and debilitating health concerns.
Upper cervical care is one of the most promising ways to deal with a whiplash injury and its accompanying symptoms. Essentially, the approach focuses on the upper cervical bones or the atlas and axis. It aims to help you stimulate the body’s natural way of healing itself.
An upper cervical care doctor assesses the damage of the neck bone misalignment. Tests like physical examination, x-ray, and other digital imaging techniques can help detect even the tiniest fraction of changes in your bone’s alignment. This provides them with a thorough and accurate background on your condition. It also allows them to perform adjustments that can provide you with long-term relief from your injury and symptoms. It’s a holistic, gradual, and precise approach to healing the body.
Once you complete the course of the adjustments, you can potentially see significant improvements in your whiplash injury. It also helps you restore the function of your brainstem, a highly critical component of the central nervous system. This allows you to prevent the further onset of other health problems and address existing ones like migraine attacks, vertigo episodes, and irreversible nerve damage (due to degradation of the protective lining of the nerves).
Start finding a better way to cope with whiplash and tinnitus today through upper cervical chiropractic. Learn more about your natural relief option from a local upper cervical doctor today.
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The content and materials provided in this web site are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended to supplement or comprise a medical diagnosis or other professional opinion, or to be used in lieu of a consultation with a physician or competent health care professional for medical diagnosis and/or treatment. All content and materials including research papers, case studies and testimonials summarizing patients' responses to care are intended for educational purposes only and do not imply a guarantee of benefit. Individual results may vary, depending upon several factors including age of the patient, severity of the condition, severity of the spinal injury, and duration of time the condition has been present.
