It’s not uncommon to hear about someone getting into a car accident and suffering from whiplash. Whiplash can happen when your neck is suddenly and violently thrown forward or backward. This makes the neck muscles and ligaments overextend beyond their normal range of motion. Unfortunately, most people think that they can “shake it off” and “tough it out,” and they hope their pain will eventually get better after a few days. Do you happen to feel the same way towards a whiplash injury? Sadly, if you are, your risks for worse health problems increases by up to three-folds.

Many studies agree that seeking immediate care for whiplash is necessary to help manage all your symptoms, including ear and neck pain, and prevent long-term effects. Without proper care, whiplash can result in severe symptoms. So it’s always better to be proactive whenever you endure an injury or there’s recurring pain; this may spare you from long-term pain and discomfort.

The Repercussions of Not Seeking Proper Care for Whiplash

If you’ve been involved in an accident and think you may have suffered from whiplash, it’s important to seek medical attention right away. Ignoring the problem can potentially only make things worse and bring out issues such as:

#1. Reduced quality of life

If you don’t seek immediate care, your whiplash symptoms may linger far longer than they should, affecting your mobility and making it challenging for you to fulfill your day-to-day routine following the accident. Imagine having to nurse ear and neck pain, soreness, and stiffness longer than you can bear. We encourage you to get yourself checked so you can get back to your life as soon as possible. 

#2. Increased risk of injury

If left untreated, whiplash can cause additional injury to your neck, shoulders, and spine. Sometimes, a whiplash injury that is left ignored can make your symptoms linger for much longer, causing your neck to not heal from swelling or inflammation properly.

#3. Chronic pain

Without proper care, whiplash can lead to chronic pain lasting for months or even years. This can even make you miss time from work or school due to the pain and stiffness. Apart from the physical pain, you may also be hurting your productivity. You may also expect chronic headaches following a poorly managed whiplash injury. A chronic headache can also lead to more serious health concerns involving dizziness, nausea, fatigue, and weakness.

#4. Reduced or lost neck mobility 

Whiplash can bring stiffness to the neck and the surrounding muscles. If you ever had to deal with the discomforts of a stiff neck, whiplash feels that way for much longer. Doing things with reduced neck mobility is just difficult, and ignored whiplash injury can make this discomfort stay longer or, even worse, become permanent.

#5. Huge medical bills

Sometimes, the longer you wait to seek proper care for your whiplash, the more expensive your medical bills can be. So, if you get involved in a whiplash-causing accident, it’s best to act quickly. Note that some whiplash symptoms don’t come out right away, and if you think your injury from months ago got better, you might be surprised how it can resurface and make it more challenging to manage. Early diagnosis and care for whiplash can significantly improve the prognosis for a full recovery.

#6. Upper cervical spine misalignment

A whiplash injury makes you highly susceptible to misalignments in your upper cervical spine, where your atlas and axis are located. Unfortunately, when these bones move out of their proper position, you might suffer from various adverse effects on your health, including a reduced range of motion in your neck. Misalignments can also affect the optimum function of your nervous system as they can interfere with the communication of your body and brain.

Long-term management of upper cervical misalignment, ear and neck pain 

Without proper and timely management, the symptoms of whiplash can last for months or even years. Whiplash can bring bouts of stiffness, headaches, dizziness, difficulty sleeping, memory problems, depression, and anxiety. If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s essential to seek proper care right away. One promising method to help manage the effects of your whiplash injury is upper cervical care. This is because a whiplash injury significantly increases your risk of developing an upper spine misalignment. If you unknowingly have misalignment, whiplash can worsen it and trigger a host of painful and uncomfortable symptoms that can interfere with your life.Misalignments can also lead to adverse health issues on the neck and the whole body. The best way to counteract the effects of misalignment is by correcting it and restoring the balance in your spine through upper cervical care. This can also help alleviate your whiplash symptoms and reduce the chances of recurrence. Visit an upper cervical chiropractic doctor to help manage your symptoms and experience lasting whiplash relief. In addition, an upper cervical chiropractic doctor can help confirm if a misalignment has resulted from your injury, identify the severity, and recommend a course of chiropractic adjustments to relieve you from the symptoms that bring pain and discomfort, such as ear and neck pain.The attending cervical doctor will thoroughly examine your injury history on your first visit to an upper cervical chiropractic clinic. You will also need to undergo imaging tests to get a clearer view of the impacts on your upper cervical bones. You will then have to undergo a series of safe and gentle adjustments in your upper neck that will correct the misalignments and prompt your body to heal naturally.Seeking immediate care for whiplash is necessary so you can return to your daily life without worries and pain. Seek help from an upper cervical chiropractic doctor today.

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