Are you feeling a bit of a pain in the neck lately? Does your neck feel stiff, painful, tender, or are you not able to turn it and move around as much as you used to? You may be a victim of whiplash.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is most associated with traumatic events involving sudden acceleration-deceleration forces mainly on the neck. It can affect a variety of issues pertaining to your muscles, joints, bones, ligaments, discs, and nerves. Whiplash is mostly associated with car accidents, but other causes may include roller-coasters, bungee jumping, or a sports-related condition.
What are the symptoms of Whiplash?
Symptoms and severity of whiplash can vary significantly between people. The most commonly reported symptom is neck pain or stiffness. This can occur anywhere from immediately after the injury to several days after.
Symptoms may include:
- Neck pain or stiffness
- Headache
- Shoulder pain, arm pain, or upper back pain
- Dizziness
- Altered sensation
- Weakness
- Visual disturbances
- Hearing difficulties
- Difficulty speaking or swallowing
- Difficulty swallowing
How can Whiplash be treated?
Fortunately, most people recover from the pain and stiffness associated with whiplash in a matter of weeks, but some cases require longer recovery time and treatment from a physiotherapist. Healing time varies with the level of tissue damage and promptness of treatment. Most whiplash patients will start to feel better within a few weeks of the injury from physiotherapy treatment. At Triangle Physiotherapy, our physiotherapists will aim to:
- Reduce neck pain, headaches, and inflammation
- Normalise joint range of motion
- Gain strength in your neck
- Strengthen your upper back muscles
- Improve neck posture
- Normalize your muscles lengths and rest muscle tension
- Resolve any deficit in neural tissue extensibility
- Improve neck proprioception, fine motor control, and balance
- Improve your ability to cope with everyday activities
- Minimize your chance of future neck pain or disability
Whiplash injuries can take from a few days to several months to rehabilitate. Just as the symptoms and severity of whiplash can vary from person to person, so can the recovery time. The large majority of whiplash sufferers do recover with actively guided treatment. Depression and trauma-related anxiety may impact the healing process of whiplash. Please consult with a qualified health professional to give yourself the best chance of recovery.
Click HERE to book an appointment with a physiotherapist at one of our eight locations.
