Best Ways To Get Rid of Whiplash

Whiplash is a non-medical term used to describe neck pain following an injury to the soft tissues of your neck (specifically ligaments tendons, and muscles). It’s caused by an abnormal motion or force applied to your neck that causes movement beyond the neck’s normal range of motion. The term whiplash was first used in 1928, and despite its replacement by synonyms (such as acceleration flexion-extension neck injury and soft tissue cervical hyperextension injury), it continues to be used to describe this common soft tissue neck injury. Your doctor may use the more specific terms of cervical sprain, cervical strain or hyperextension injury.

Whiplash happens in motor vehicle accidents, sporting activities, accidental falls and assault. Whiplash and whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) represent a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck. Whiplash is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, usually when the vehicle has been hit in the rear. However, the injury can be sustained in many other ways, including falls from bicycles or horses or head banging. The exact injury mechanism that causes whiplash injuries is unknown.

Symptoms of Whiplash

Symptoms reported by sufferers include pain and aching to the neck and back, sensory disturbance (such as pins and needles) to the arms and legs, referred pain to the shoulders and headaches. Symptoms can appear directly after the injury, but often aren’t felt until days afterwards. Whiplash is usually confined to the spinal cord (neck to pubic bone), and the most common areas of the spinal cord affected by whiplash are the neck and the mid-back (middle of the spine). When it comes to treating whiplash, you’ll have to work at it. With time, you will start to feel much better. If you start having increased pain or symptoms like tingling in your fingers or hands, then it would be time to consult an MD.

Causes of Whiplash

A whiplash injury may be the result of impulsive stretching of the spine, mainly the ligament, or anterior longitudinal ligament that’s stretched or tears as the head snaps forward and then back again causing a whiplash injury. Whiplash may be caused by any motion similar to a rear-end collision in a motor vehicle, such as incidents that may take place on a roller coaster or other rides at an amusement park, sports injuries such as skiing accidents, other modes of transportation such as airplane travel or from being hit or shaken. Shaken baby syndrome can result in a whiplash injury as well.

Basic Treatment of Whiplash

Home Treatment

Home care is intended to relieve the pain and minimize the amount of inflammation in the soft tissues of the neck.

Computer: If you’re on a computer the good part of the day, this may be your culprit. You need to have the monitor level with your vision so you are neither looking up or down. For most people, this means getting a chair that could be raised or a table with the right size. When you constantly have your neck looking up or down (it’s usually up) it can create neck muscle spasm and even headaches. Make sure your not straining to reach your keyboard either.
Head Exercises: Tilt your head left to stretch and hit your shoulder—hold this for as long as you can, repeat the same procedure with your right side. You should feel a good stretch—but it should not hurt. Afterwards, tilt your head back and hold it for 20 secs.Massage your neck muscles by primarily using your thumb and two fingers. It it hurts to do this, massage it lightly just to break up some of the spasm you may have. Find the tightness and massage it in a circular motion. You may also go to a professional masseuse and have them work on your neck as well as your shoulder muscles. Quite often when there is a sore neck, there is bound to be tight shoulder muscles.
Ice: Apply ice to the neck for 20 minutes at a time each hour for the first 24 hours while awake. Don’t apply ice directly to the skin. Place a towel between the ice and the neck. Continue to use ice therapy until the pain stops. After you see the doctor, follow his or her directions for ice therapy as well.
Acetaminophen: Take acetaminophen for pain relief or ibuprofen for anti-inflammatory action. Avoid ibuprofen if you have a past medical history of gastritis, duodenitis, peptic ulcer disease, reflux or other stomach problems.
Heating Pad: Alternate using an icepack with a heating pad. This will relax your neck and also reduce any swelling.
Muscle Cream: Muscle cream of any brand should get you by. It’s recommended that you to visit a doctor though, because it might be a warning sign of a bigger problem than a simple sore muscle.
No Slouching: When you drive, make sure your neck is aligned and you’re not slouching. Use the neck rest at the back of your seat.
One Pillow: At night, only use one pillow! If you sleep on your stomach, try to lie on your side. When you put more than one pillow under your neck, it can further strain the muscles. On that note, sleep on a flat bed as far as possible.
Topical Creams: Bengay or Tiger balm will make the pain seem like it has lessened, but it won’t fix the problem. You may also want to try Tylenol to bring down some of the inflammation.
Physiotherapy: Do some exercises for the area daily or have some physiotherapy done for one week, under the supervision of a qualified physiotherapist.
Professionals: Did you experience a recent fall or are you recovering from one? If there’s any history suggesting acute disturbance to the area, get a proper diagnosis from an orthopedist. Otherwise, the above measures should give you at least some pain relief.

Medical Treatment

Once you decide to see a physical therapist, chiropractor, doctor and/or massage therapist, he or she would most likely will recommend a treatment plan including a mixture of the following:

Neck massage.
Neck rest.
Bed rest.
Ice therapy.
Heat therapy.
Oral pain relievers and muscle relaxers.
Immobilization of the neck with a soft cervical collar (only a minimal benefit, if any at all).
Early range of motion exercises combined with heat therapy starting 72 hours after the injury to restore flexibility.
Avoidance of excessive neck strain for the next week and then increased activity as tolerated in the following week.

Follow Up

If no serious injury is detected in the emergency department, then the patient will be allowed to return home and will be referred to their doctor for follow up care.

If you continue to have symptoms from your whiplash injury, contact the doctor. Examine the following list of complaints and mention any that the patient may be experiencing: Neck pain, headache, increased fatigue, shoulder or arm pain, back pain, blurred vision, dizziness and sleep disturbance or irritability in young children.
Depending on the nature and severity of any continuing symptoms, the doctor may refer the patient to another doctor who specializes in the rehabilitation of these types of injuries. The doctor may also encourage physical therapy and monitor the patient for other injuries that may have been aggravated.

Prevention of Whiplash

Seatbelt: Always wear your seatbelt and adjust your headrest to the proper height when driving. The middle of the headrest should be even with the upper tips of your ears. Seatbelts with shoulder harnesses as well as headrests may not reduce the risk of cervical strain but should be used in all motor vehicles because they reduce the risk of death and serious injury.
Child Abuse: Child abuse can cause whiplash injuries in children through excessive or violent shaking. Parents need education and counseling. Report suspected child abuse to authorities.
Air Bags: The effect of air bags on whiplash prevention is still being examined.

Most people recover completely from a whiplash injury in the first six weeks. Others’ symptoms continue to improve over the course of a year. There is a 40% chance of experiencing some symptoms after three months and an 18% chance after two years.