How to Treat Symptoms of Whiplash Injury

Whiplash usually occurs after a rear-end collision. The soft tissues of the neck are affected after being stretched, and thrust back and forth. It can be caused from any kind of accident that tosses your neck in a range of motion.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Physical Therapy
• Support of Doctors

1. 
   Shoulder Joint Pain

   Some causes of Whiplash injuries are car accidents, amusement park rides, sports injury, physical injury, and shaken baby syndrome. Even low impact car accident collisions can have effects of whiplash.

2. Symptoms of whiplash may include headache, dizziness, nausea, neck tenderness and stiffness or blurred vision. Whiplash injury is accompanied by burning pain or tingling sensations to the neck. Ligaments in the neck may tense causing a condition called wry neck.

3. Existing conditions, like arthritis may increase whiplash symptoms. A person loses the flexibility or strength with age, they once had, ligaments lose their elasticity.

4. 
   Neck Pain

   A neurological exam is usually planned when whiplash injury is suspected. The diagnosis is based on the outcome of these exams. X-rays may be ordered to see if there is a fracture to the bones. A CT scan or MRI and other imaging tests may be necessary to access the condition of the cervical spine, and soft tissues, to rule out other spinal problems.

5. Treating whiplash may include putting the neck in a cervical collar to control neck injury movement. Use of pain medications, inflammatory and muscle relaxers, and physical therapy may be recommended. Physical therapy should reduce the spasms, increase circulation to promote healing.

6. Physical therapy may include alternating moist heat and ice on the whiplash neck injury. Other PT may include ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and exercise to build strength.

7. If symptoms of whiplash continue the doctor may recommend a cervical traction to use at home to alleviate problems. Analgesic injection may alleviate pain of whiplash injury and its tenderness.

8. 
   Whiplash Headache

   Surgery is rarely needed for disc problems and is only considered for severe neck injuries, especially those with persistent neck, and shoulder pain. Increasing pain may cause a vertebral disc to tear.

Resources

• http://www.spineuniverse.com/displayarticle.php/article1435.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiplash_(medicine)
• http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/whiplash/whiplash.htm
• More from this Author

[cherold598]

on 3/28/2009 Excellent tips for how to treat whiplash symptoms. I was in a car accident four years ago and have not been the same since. 5* and recommend.