Whiplash
Did whiplash cause neck pain, stiffness, headaches, or shoulder tension after an auto accident, fall, sports injury, or sudden impact?
Because whiplash can affect the joints, muscles, ligaments, and nerves in different ways, the injured areas must be properly identified before treatment begins.
For patients in Clemmons and Winston-Salem, Optimal Health Chiropractic offers care for whiplash-related symptoms. We focus on neck movement, pain, and injured tissues.
Signs And Symptoms Of Whiplash
Whiplash can injure the muscles and ligaments that support the neck, restrict movement within the cervical joints, and irritate nearby nerves. Symptoms may begin immediately or gradually develop during the hours or days following the injury.
Common signs of whiplash include:
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Difficulty turning or tilting your head
- Headaches that begin near the base of the skull
- Pain across the shoulders or upper back
- Muscle tightness and spasms
- Pain between the shoulder blades
- Numbness or tingling in an arm or hand
- Increased pain with neck movement
- Dizziness or difficulty concentrating
- Difficulty sleeping because of discomfort
You may notice the pain most when looking over your shoulder, driving, working at a computer, looking down at your phone, or trying to find a comfortable sleeping position.
How We Treat Whiplash Injuries
Whiplash treatment should be based on which parts of the neck were injured and how those injuries are affecting your movement. During your evaluation, we’ll examine your range of motion, locate areas of pain and restriction, and check for muscle, joint, and nerve-related symptoms.
Your treatment plan may include:
Manual Adjustments – Whiplash can restrict movement within the joints of the neck, making it painful to turn your head or look over your shoulder. Gentle chiropractic adjustments help restore proper joint motion, improve neck function, and reduce stress around irritated nerves. The techniques used will be adapted to your injury and comfort level.
MLS Laser Therapy – The sudden movement that causes whiplash can stretch and injure muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues. MLS Laser Therapy uses targeted light energy to help reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and support tissue healing. It may help relieve soreness, stiffness, and muscle spasms while the injured tissues recover.
SoftWave Therapy – If pain continues after the initial injury, the affected soft tissues may remain tight, sensitive, and inflamed. SoftWave Therapy stimulates blood flow and activates the body’s natural repair response within the targeted area. It may help reduce persistent pain and support the healing of damaged tissues.
Many patients benefit from combining treatments. Adjustments may help restore movement in restricted joints, while MLS Laser Therapy or SoftWave Therapy addresses inflammation and soft-tissue damage.
Throughout care, we’ll monitor your pain, neck movement, muscle tension, and nerve-related symptoms. Then we’ll adjust your plan as your neck heals.
Whiplash During An Auto Accident
Rear-end collisions are one of the most common causes of whiplash, but the injury can also happen during front-impact and side-impact accidents. When another vehicle strikes your car, the force may move your body in one direction while your head moves in another.
This rapid motion can strain the neck even when the vehicles are traveling at relatively low speeds. Seat belts help protect against more serious injuries, but they do not prevent the head and neck from moving during the impact.
Whiplash symptoms after an auto accident may include:
- Neck pain that develops later that day or the following morning
- Difficulty checking your blind spot while driving
- Headaches that were not present before the collision
- Tightness across the shoulders and upper back
- Pain or tingling that travels into an arm
- Increasing stiffness as inflammation develops
Because adrenaline can temporarily make pain less noticeable, you should not assume your neck is uninjured simply because you felt fine at the scene. An evaluation can help identify restricted movement, soft-tissue injuries, and signs of nerve irritation before the symptoms become more disruptive.
Visit our Auto Accident Injuries page to learn more about the neck, back, shoulder, and nerve injuries we treat following a collision.
Whiplash can also follow a fall or sports collision. Whatever the cause, muscles and ligaments may become overstretched, neck joints may lose normal movement, and nearby nerves may become irritated.
Start Your Recovery Today
Don’t wait for whiplash pain and stiffness to become more difficult to manage. The sooner we determine which areas were injured, the sooner you can begin the right treatment and start moving comfortably again.
Call us today to schedule your appointment.