Are you suffering from debilitating whiplash symptoms? Let Dr. William Seieroe and Dr. Y.B. Barrat at Northshore Chiropractic Center of North Muskegon, MI, develop a customized treatment plan to bring you relief.
Whiplash and Chiropractic Care
Whiplash is among the most common results of auto accidents. It is a soft tissue injury to the neck that can create a great deal of pain, discomfort, and suffering. In the guide below, Dr. Seieroe, Dr. Barrat, and the team at Northshore Chiropractic Center of North Muskegon, MI, explain how this injury occurs, its symptoms, and how chiropractic care can help.
Understanding Whiplash
Your neck has many soft tissues and a very specific normal range of motion. During an auto accident, the neck is typically forced forward and backward or side to side quickly and beyond its normal range of motion. The soft tissues develop tears, which lead to symptoms such as:
- Inflammation
- Neck stiffness
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Pain or numbness in your hand or arm
- Irritability
- Trouble concentrating or remembering things
- Headaches
- Blurry vision
Additionally, this forceful movement can cause misalignment, herniated discs, nerve compression, and other issues in the neck and shoulders.
It’s also important to note that while it might be a common auto accident injury, whiplash can be sustained during any activity that involves such force. This includes sports accidents, falls, and more. Don’t avoid going to the chiropractor if you have any of these symptoms just because you haven’t been in an auto accident. You might have sustained it during another event and not realized it.
Treating Whiplash
Due to the stiffness and inflammation of the neck, movement can be very uncomfortable. Therefore, chiropractic care begins with treating the soft tissues. The exact soft tissue techniques used can vary, but they can include:
- Massage therapy, which provides hands-on relief from tension and inflammation while restoring the range of motion
- Laser therapy, which utilizes energy to penetrate deep layers of soft tissue
- Therapeutic ultrasound, which uses sound waves to break up tension and relieve pain
Therapeutic exercises are also important, as they gently stretch the neck and shoulders to relieve pain and discomfort.
After movement is comfortable again, adjustments are critical for restoring alignment and relieving pressure on the muscles, nerves, discs, and other components in the neck and shoulders. Soft tissue techniques and therapeutic exercises will be continually used throughout treatment until optimal healing and relief are achieved.
Don’t let the pain and discomfort of whiplash steal another moment of your time. Start your journey to healing by visiting Dr. Seieroe, Dr. Barrat, and the team at Northshore Chiropractic Center in North Muskegon, MI. Schedule an appointment by calling (231) 744-8277.