Whiplash is a prevalent problem today and can occur from many different mechanisms, the most common being an auto accident. If you’ve ever been in an auto accident, you know just how scary they can be. Even the most minor collisions causing no damage to either vehicle or person can leave a person shaken and scared. Unfortunately, it only takes five mph to cause a whiplash injury to the neck or cervical spine.
$49 for Initial Chiropractic Whiplash Visit
Includes initial consultation, full spinal exam, digital posture assessment, and any necessary X-rays.
It’s estimated that an auto accident occurs every 60 seconds in the US. That amounts to over five million accidents per year. The most typical form of whiplash occurs when the neck is suddenly jerked backward and forward, causing hyperextension and hyperflexion of the cervical spine. But it can also happen with an impact from the side, like in a “T-Bone” accident. This rapid and forceful movement can strain the muscles, ligaments, discs, and other structures in the neck, leading to a range of symptoms.
Common effects of whiplash include neck pain, stiffness, reduced range of motion, headaches, dizziness, and even radiating pain into the shoulders and arms. Additionally, whiplash can disrupt the delicate alignment of the spine, leading to subluxations or misalignments that further exacerbate symptoms and impede the body’s ability to heal.
Many people who sustain a whiplash injury can recover in 3 to 6 months. However, a significant number develop chronic pain and degenerative changes if they don’t fix the problem in a timely manner. These injuries may not be apparent right after an injury. Sometimes, they appear within 24 hours or even up to a week later. Healing time from whiplash can vary greatly depending on the extent of the damage as well as other factors such as age, trauma history (i.e., previous neck injuries), or a high-impact collision. These injuries lead to a common chiropractic problem called Subluxation, among other things, like sprains and strains to the muscles and ligaments. Subluxation is any misalignment in the spine that affects the movement of joints and the nerves at those spinal levels.
Chiropractic care offers effective solutions for addressing the effects of whiplash on the neck. Chiropractors specialize in diagnosing and treating subluxations and musculoskeletal injuries resulting from whiplash. Through gentle adjustments and spinal manipulation techniques, chiropractors can realign the vertebrae, alleviate pressure on the nerves, and restore proper function to the cervical spine.
How Our Whiplash Care Plan Works
1. Get To The Root Cause of The Problem
Pain is not the problem, it is merely alerting us to the problem. We follow your pain to the root of the problem, so we can uncover your body’s seen and unseen dysfunction. Addressing that underlying dysfunction will lead to long-term, sustained health and well-being.
2. Create The Best Plan of Action
A one-size-fits-all solution won’t work – even for two patients with the same issue. We create a plan of action that is based on your unique situation and health goals, ensuring the solution suits you and not the other way around.
3. Get Back To Living Your Best Life
Our body is capable of incredible things. You deserve a life of abundant joy. Illness or injury interferes with that life, making simple tasks more difficult and draining your energy. A body in full health is able to flourish, unleashing your full potential onto the world.
How We Treat Whiplash in Westlake, OH
Comprehensive Consultation and Exam
When you arrive for your first visit to the office, the doctor will dive into your whiplash injury history, especially the mechanism of injury and how it occurred. We really listen to understand how the injury is affecting your life. The doctor will then review your health history, including prior traumas (you may have forgotten), daily habits (work, sleep, posture, etc), and what you are actually experiencing with your condition. After gathering all the information, the doctor will proceed with the examination, including a digital posture assessment, range of motion testing, certain neurological and orthopedic tests, and a spinal examination. After any whiplash injury, we will perform a motion study X-ray analysis to determine the extent of the injury and rule out any instability in the spine. This comprehensive approach allows us to get to the root cause of your issue.
Digital X-Rays
To see is to know, and not to see is to guess. And we won’t guess with your health! Especially after a whiplash injury! Our office has a state-of-the-art digital X-ray machine that gives us insight into your spine and allows us to see the intricate anatomy of the spine. We also do a unique motion study analysis that most other offices do not do. This type of X-ray analysis allows us to detect where the misaligned or subluxated joints in your spine might be. If we detect subluxations in your spine, it is likely that they could be causing your neck pain. Motion study X-rays (typically never done at the hospital) help us rule out any instability in the neck. Instability in the neck is a serious issue and could lead to chronic issues if not appropriately diagnosed.
X-rays allow us to see the different curvatures in your spine that are crucial for overall health, movement, and function. Knowing your spine’s alignment and measuring the curves against normal values can help us determine how to correct your problem. Specifically, cervical lordosis, called “the arc of life,” is vital to our health and function. The overuse of computers, phones, and tablets damages our cervical lordosis, putting stress and pressure on the joints and nerves in our neck and brain stem.
Specific Chiropractic Care in Westlake, OH.
Once we determine we can help your whiplash condition through our examination process, Dr. Greg will lay out a plan of chiropractic care designed to correct the damage done to your spine. He’ll deliver specific chiropractic adjustments to your spine on each visit to correct the subluxation and restore bio-mechanical integrity to the joints and spine.
Adjustments are the most essential thing we do in the office. Chiropractors are the only doctors trained to detect and correct spinal subluxation. Adjustments improve the motion and alignment of your spine as well as the neurological connection between the brain and the body. After removing the subluxation, the brain stops sending pain signals to the body. There are different ways chiropractors can adjust the spine, including hands-on/manual adjusting or instrument adjusting. Dr Greg will determine the best method for you and take into account the patients’ tolerances and preferences.
Deep Tissue Laser Therapy
Because of the impact from a collision that causes whiplash, it is typical for muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues to be damaged. When tissues are damaged, it causes inflammation, leading to further pain and discomfort.
Ultimately, these tissues need to heal. At Paramount Chiropractic, we leverage technology to accelerate that healing process. Deep tissue laser uses low-level light energy to penetrate deep into the tissue, down to the cellular level. There, it stimulates the cell’s mitochondria, which are responsible for energy production. The cells direct that energy toward reducing inflammation and accelerating tissue healing, both of which will reduce pain. Deep tissue laser is a fast, painless treatment that gets excellent results and is a key component in our whiplash treatment plans.
Therapeutic Exercise and Rehab
When suffering from whiplash injury, it is crucial to restore normal elasticity, strength, and stability to our soft tissues and structure. We’ll guide you through rehab exercises inside and outside of the office. All changes in the body happen when the patient is an active participant in their healthcare with easy-to-do-at-home care.
Our bodies heal through movement, so the earlier you incorporate movement into treatment, the better. Many times, in these delicate cases, exercise starts off very basic with things like range of motion and stretching. Over time, it’s important to provide more stability and strength to the spine to decrease the chance of something like this ever happening again. Long-term stability of your spine and structure is crucial. This is a key step towards returning the patient to pre-accident status.
Common Symptoms of Whiplash in Westlake, OH
Neck Pain
The most common symptom of a whiplash injury is neck pain. The forceful movement of the head and neck can damage the cervical spine joints, discs, nerves, muscles, and ligaments. A number of these different sources can elicit pain. It is essential to have a chiropractor evaluate the patient’s neck as soon as possible after an accident to determine the extent of the injuries and the right approach to treating this problem effectively. Chiropractic, soft tissue work, and exercise are three common treatments utilized at Paramount Chiropractic to restore our patients who have been in a car accident or had a sports injury.
Concussion
One of the more serious injuries that can occur from a whiplash injury is a concussion. A concussion is a literal brain injury, so don’t be fooled when they call it mTBI, meaning mild traumatic brain injury. There is nothing mild about injuring your brain.
There are two ways to get a concussion: impact (direct blow to the head) and inertial forces like “whiplash” (rapid acceleration to deceleration). This rapid neck movement can cause the brain to essentially smash into the interior of the skull, causing bruising on the brain. Symptoms of a concussion can include confusion, trouble concentrating, headache, dizziness, just to name a few. It’s important to know that symptoms may not begin right away, so it is critical to be evaluated regularly, especially if you experience such symptoms.
Headaches
Whiplash can cause headaches through various mechanisms, including muscle tension, nerve irritation, and changes in cervical spine alignment. The abrupt and forceful movement of the neck during a whiplash injury can strain the muscles and soft tissues in the neck and upper back, leading to tension and discomfort that radiates into the head. Additionally, whiplash can irritate the nerves in the cervical spine, triggering headaches that may be experienced as dull, achy pain or as more severe, throbbing sensations.
Changes in the alignment of the cervical spine, such as subluxations or misalignments resulting from the injury, can also contribute to headaches by disrupting proper nerve function and blood flow to the head. By addressing the underlying causes of whiplash-related headaches through chiropractic care, including spinal adjustments, soft tissue therapies, and lifestyle modifications, individuals can relieve their symptoms and improve their overall quality of life.
Shoulder Pain
Whiplash exerts significant force on the neck and upper back, causing abrupt and forceful movement that can strain the muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues surrounding the shoulder joint. Especially in car accidents, the seat belt can injure the shoulder. This strain can result in inflammation, muscle spasms, restricted range of motion, and even rotator cuff tears in the shoulder, leading to pain and discomfort.
Additionally, whiplash-related neck injuries can also irritate nerves that travel into the shoulder region, causing referred pain and discomfort. By addressing the underlying musculoskeletal imbalances and nerve irritation associated with whiplash injuries through chiropractic care, including spinal adjustments, soft tissue therapies, deep tissue low-level laser, and corrective exercises, individuals can experience relief from shoulder pain and improve their overall function and mobility.
Check Out Our Location Near You
23760 Center Ridge Rd, Westlake, OH 44145
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a chiropractor in Westlake, OH, help with whiplash?
Yes! Dr. Greg is an expert at handling auto accident cases involving whiplash, having treated these types of injuries since 2010. We will take you through the exam process, provide excellent care, and help get you back to feeling your best again. The Paramount Chiropractic staff will help you navigate the insurance and/or legal process so you can stay focused on healing and feeling better.
Should you see a chiropractor after whiplash?
Absolutely! The sooner you can see a chiropractor after your accident, the better. The longer you wait to have this problem checked out, the better chance it has of becoming a chronic problem. Chronic injuries can last for months, years, or even decades, so you definitely want to manage this injury as quickly as possible. Too often, we see people a year, five years, ten years down the road, and the spine is a mess. Even if you think it is a “minor” impact or collision. At Paramount Chiropractic, we will thoroughly examine the extent of your injury and provide you with a treatment plan for your specific needs.
How soon after a car accident should you see a chiropractor?
As soon as possible, the sooner a chiropractor sees you, the faster your recovery. There are times when people don’t get checked by a chiropractor until 3-4 months after the injury, and as a result, their care takes a lot longer because the injury has become chronic and much more difficult to manage. If you are in a whiplash-causing accident, make getting checked by a chiropractor a priority.
Can whiplash symptoms get worse over time?
The longer you have a problem, the worse it can get. This is especially true for headaches, neck pain, and pain traveling down the arms (as in a pinched nerve). If the nerves are damaged, they can take a long time to heal. With little to no treatment, symptoms could last for years, decades, or even longer.
$49 for Initial Chiropractic Whiplash Visit
Includes initial consultation, full spinal exam, digital posture assessment, and any necessary X-rays.