Whiplash: What is It and How Can Chiropractic Help?

Whiplash is a common Santa Barbara automobile accident injury. This injury is so common because it can occur at speeds as slow as 5mph. Many victims of minor fender benders show signs of whiplash injuries, including chronic neck pain, headaches and migraines. Depending on the extent of injury, some Santa Barbara automobile accident victims may even have difficulty sleeping at night or concentrating on work.

Santa Barbara Chiropractors Discuss Whiplash

Understanding how a whiplash injury occurs is essential to recognizing the warning signs of injury and seeking prompt treatment:

Can a fender bender really lead to chronic pain?

Absolutely; many accident victims mistakenly believe that a minor fender bender cannot cause their body serious harm. However, thats simply not the case. The force of a rear impact caused by a fender bender can whip the neck backwards and forwards, forcing it out of alignment.

What is a whiplash injury?

A whiplash injury occurs when an outside force acts upon the body, whipping the neck forwards and backwards so that it becomes misaligned. While the majority of whiplash injuries occur during a car accident, the injury is also common for contact sports, skiing and roller coasters.

What are the symptoms of a whiplash injury?

Initially, you may experience some pain and stiffness in your neck. After a few days, this soreness may go away. However, neck pain will later return and become a chronic problem, affecting patients for months and even years until they seek treatment. Other symptoms include frequent headaches and migraines, which are the result of a cervical spine misalignment.

How can chiropractic care treat whiplash?

Whiplash injuries cause chronic pain because the cervical spine is misaligned. The vertebra compress nearby nerves, triggering pain. Spinal manipulation restores alignment to the neck. Rehabilitation exercises can also help bring natural movement back to the cervical spine, so patients can comfortably turn their heads. Some automobile accident victims also sustain injuries to their lower back; back pain therapy, including spinal manipulation, can help treat these misalignments.

How has Santa Barbara spinal manipulation helped with your auto accident injury?