What Happens When You Get Whiplash?

Whiplash isn’t just caused by motor vehicle accidents–a fall or athletic injury can also cause it.

When they hear the word, “whiplash,” most people immediately picture a rear-end motor vehicle accident. But there are other ways that whiplash injuries can occur, including:

• Assault, such as being punched or shaken
• Roller coaster rides
• Sports
• Falls

A whiplash injury occurs when the cervical spine (neck) is stretched beyond its normal range of motion in a forward (flexion), backward (extension) or sideways movement.

The discs between the vertebrae, along with their associated muscles, tendons and ligaments can be stretched or torn, resulting in symptoms such as:

• Neck pain, stiffness or tenderness
• Headache and dizziness
• Numbness or tingling
• Muscle spasms
• Blurred vision
• Ringing in the ears

How Chiropractic Can Help

These symptoms and related pain can show up immediately after the impact, or several weeks later. And the pain and discomfort can last for months, even years.

People often down play the extent of their injuries initially after an accident. This can cause serious problems later on as most of the injury is to the disc and facet joints.

The goal of chiropractic care is to return neck joints affected by whiplash to their normal position and movement, to relieve stress on affected nerves and muscles. Know someone who might benefit from our care? Contact us today.