Whiplash occurs when a sudden motion forces the head back and forth in a whip-like motion. This extreme motion can injure bone and soft tissue in and around the neck. Whiplash symptoms can begin immediately or several days later after the accident. Symptoms include neck pain, spinal stiffness, headaches, pain in the back, shoulder pain and dizziness.
Cause
Automobile accidents are the number one cause of whiplash. It is usually a rear crash or a sudden stop that causes the driver's and passengers' heads forward and backward. This tends to be beyond the neck's normal range of motion. This strains the muscles, ligaments and connective tissue in the neck. It can even injure vertebrae.
Prevention
Headrests are designed to help reduce the risk of whiplash. The key is for the headrest to be adjusted in the proper position. This should be high enough to cushion your head and stop a backward whipping motion. If the headrest is adjusted too low then your preventative measure is useless.
Diagnosis
Whiplash can be minor and just be a discomfort to you while healing. Other times you must see a care provider to be treated. Warning signs to look for include a great force involved in the crash, severe neck pain that will not go away, loss of consciousness following the injury, pain that goes away only to return again, shoulder pain, numbness in an arm and pain whenever you move your head. These are signs that you are injured more than with just simple whiplash. Always see your care provider if an infant or child is suspected of obtaining a whiplash injury in an accident.
Home Treatment
Rest your neck after suffering from an automobile accident. Do not lift or do any activity that strains your neck muscles for 2 to 3 weeks. This is the usual time period that it takes for whiplash to heal. Avoid any backward tilting of the head since it puts pressure on the neck vertebrae. Place a heating pad or hot water bottle on the painful are of the neck. This helps to ease the pain and relax neck muscles. It also improves blood flow to the area in order to speed up healing. Use acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen to temporarily relieve pain.
Medical Treatment
Muscle relaxants are prescribed when whiplash is accompanied with muscle spasms. The steroid methylprednisolone is given intravenously early on in whiplash treatment. Lidocaine is injected into the tender areas of the neck muscles at the pain trigger points. This is to relieve chronic . A soft collar is worn around the neck for 2 to 3 weeks. This cervical collar is designed to take the strain off the neck muscles and joints to allow healing without re-injury. Physical therapy is used to help in the recovery period. It reduces pain and restores the range of motion to the neck. This may involve a visit to the chiropractor.
Tags: neck muscles, neck pain, around neck, care provider, headrest adjusted, motion This