Often poorly misunderstood, whiplash is an injury sustained by your neck due to forced and abrupt movement such as bending forward and backward or vice versa. This injury affects the neck muscles, discs, tendons, and nerves. If you or a loved one suffered from an accident or event that may have caused whiplash, keep reading to know how you can get neck pain relief in Brentwood TN.
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When people hear whiplash, the first thing that often comes to mind is a vehicular accident. While that is not entirely wrong, there are also other possible causes of whiplash that we have to watch out for, such as:
The effects of whiplash can manifest right away, or sometimes it can take days, weeks, months, or even years. On some occasions, people who encounter physical trauma may not feel whiplash symptoms, but not having pain does not guarantee that the injury never took place.
You can experience muscle strain or tissue damage in your neck, and symptoms may vary from minor to severe, depending on which tissues are damaged and how badly you were injured.
Here are some common signs and symptoms of whiplash. Be mindful that you may not feel any of these immediately. They may also gradually come out weeks or months after the accident.
It is crucial to pay attention to the signs and symptoms of whiplash following an accident. Besides the symptoms listed above, this injury can also lead to severe and debilitating disorders such as chronic fatigue syndrome, seizures, ADHD, and multiple sclerosis when uncared for. In addition, the damage to your neck can create a ripple of adverse effects on your body years after you heal from the accident.
To learn more about the connection between head and neck injuries and neck pain, download our free e-book by clicking the image below.
As soon as your symptoms show, you can opt for natural remedies to help ease the pain and discomfort.
For the first two to three days from the injury, use an ice pack or any frozen or chilled material (make sure it's clean!) to soothe the injured area. Do this for about 20 minutes every three to four hours. To avoid frostbite, you can wrap your ice pack in a paper towel before pressing on the injured area. A cold compress can lessen the inflammation and pain in your neck, especially when done right away.
Do this after the two or three-day cold compress period. While ice helps reduce the swelling and inflammation, the warmth from the hot compress will help bring the blood flow back to normal.
Practicing relaxation techniques can help avoid straining your neck muscles further and speed up your recovery. We suggest exploring several relaxation methods such as yoga, massage therapy, and tai chi. These methods can help release the tension in your muscles and relieve muscle spasms. It can also keep your mind preoccupied and distract you from the pain.
This is a unique approach in chiropractic care focusing on re-aligning the spine's upper cervical vertebrae or the topmost bones. Most of the time, whiplash can lead to a misalignment of the upper cervical spine. Thankfully, with the help of a licensed upper cervical chiropractor, you can gauge your neck bone misalignments and correct them through gentle cervical spine manipulations. With the neck bones back to their proper places, you can most certainly achieve lasting neck pain relief in Brentwood TN.
Hot and cold compress and relaxation techniques can help ease your neck pain and give short-term relief. However, it's only for a small part of your recovery and healing. You may need a more precise care regimen to manage whiplash symptoms and eliminate neck pain and other symptoms.
Upper cervical chiropractic might be the proper care for you, and it's worth trying, especially with the severe conditions that can manifest from a whiplash injury. However, as we shared earlier, not all whiplash symptoms will show up immediately after. Some can take years to emerge. Therefore, it's worth paying a chiropractic doctor a visit to check for any misalignment in your neck.
Misalignment of as little as ¼ of a millimeter can disrupt communication between the brain and the body. If the brain cannot communicate with the body accurately, neck pain and other health issues can ensue.
We at Precision Spine Specialists do not take any injury or issues for granted. Our patient's health and wellness are our top priority. To start your journey to neck pain relief in Brentwood TN, call our office directly at 615-488-7891 or book your appointment online.
To schedule a consultation with Dr. Hall, call our Brentwood office at 615-488-7891 or just click the button below.
If you are outside of the local area, you can find an Upper Cervical Doctor near you at www.uppercervicalawareness.com
