girl in a neck support collar on a solid pink background
A whiplash injury can cause pain for months, even years, after the accident/incident. It can cause persistent neck, shoulder, and back pain, headaches, and sleep problems. Waiting to see if it will go away is not recommended. Chiropractic treatment can effectively and successfully expedite the healing process of getting back to normal life as quickly as possible. Chiropractors treat whiplash successfully using a combination of techniques, approaches, and exercises for pain relief, recovery, and long-term spinal health. The extent and severity of the whiplash injury determine what type of chiropractic treatment will be implemented.
Table of Contents
Whiplash injuries are often the result of:
It is primarily an injury of the neck muscles and ligaments but can also damage the vertebral discs. It is not considered a serious or life-threatening injury but can cause long-term complications and severe chronic pain. The biggest risk comes from the delayed presentation of symptoms. It can take days and sometimes weeks for the effects of the injury to present. Individuals that are older or those with arthritis are more likely to have severe and long-term issues.
Typical symptoms like neck pain, blurry vision, stiffness, and dizziness are well known. These can range from mild to severe, and last for a few days, weeks, or, in severe cases, years. However, there are some symptoms that most don’t know about and including:
Individuals should be alert for signs/symptoms that the injury requires immediate medical attention. If any of the following are experienced, seek immediate care.
Chiropractic treatment depends on the individual case. A doctor of chiropractic will determine the right treatment plan by the:
X-rays will be taken of the affected area to rule out any other trauma or injury. The chiropractor will evaluate the entire spine. This is based on how one part of the body influences other areas, with the objective being to get the whole body functioning successfully at optimal levels.
Some of the more common treatments for whiplash include:
Visiting a chiropractor a short time after the injury means the neck will be inflamed. The doctor will utilize gentle, anti-inflammatory options like:
There are different types of spinal manipulation, these include:
This is also a hands-on technique that treats slipped and bulging discs. This treatment utilizes a pumping motion on the disc/s, not the spine.
McKenzie exercises help reduce disc tears common to these types of injuries. The chiropractor will show how to perform these simple movements at home as part of the recovery.
A chiropractor will offer tips and guidance on successfully avoiding worsening the injury or creating new injury/s. Stretches and exercises will be recommended to strengthen and maintain flexibility. Depending on an individual’s:
It is difficult to predict how long it will take to regain a previous fitness level after an injury. Retraining to peak conditions depends on the injury and how much damage was done. A key factor is to not adopt a sedentary lifestyle. Muscle memory can help as the muscles have special cells in the fibers that can recollect previous movements. This means the body can regain the lost muscle when back to working out after an extended layoff. Some tips to help get back into shape:
Patience and persistence are essential to regaining fitness successfully.
Dagenais, Simon, and Scott Haldeman. Chiropractic. Primary care vol. 29,2 (2002): 419-37. doi:10.1016/s0095-4543(01)00005-7
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0020138396000964
Ritchie, Carrie, et al. Medical and allied health service use during acute and chronic post-injury periods in whiplash injured individuals. BMC health services research vol. 20,1 260. 30 Mar. 2020, doi:10.1186/s12913-020-05146-0
Ferrari, Robert, and Anthony Science Russell. “Survey of general practitioner, family physician, and chiropractor’s beliefs regarding the management of acute whiplash patients. Spine vol. 29,19 (2004): 2173-7. doi:10.1097/01.brs.0000141184.86744.37
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The information on this blog site is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified healthcare professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.
Blog Information & Scope Discussions
Welcome to El Paso's Premier Wellness and Injury Care Clinic & Wellness Blog, where Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, FNP-C, a board-certified Family Practice Nurse Practitioner (FNP-BC) and Chiropractor (DC), presents insights on how our team is dedicated to holistic healing and personalized care. Our practice aligns with evidence-based treatment protocols inspired by integrative medicine principles, similar to those found on this site and our family practice-based chiromed.com site, focusing on restoring health naturally for patients of all ages.
Our areas of chiropractic practice include Wellness & Nutrition, Chronic Pain, Personal Injury, Auto Accident Care, Work Injuries, Back Injury, Low Back Pain, Neck Pain, Migraine Headaches, Sports Injuries, Severe Sciatica, Scoliosis, Complex Herniated Discs, Fibromyalgia, Chronic Pain, Complex Injuries, Stress Management, Functional Medicine Treatments, and in-scope care protocols.
Our information scope is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicine, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somato-visceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.
We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.
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Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.
We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how they may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to discuss the subject matter above further, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.
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Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, APRN, FNP-BC*, CCST, IFMCP, CFMP, ATN
email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com
Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807
New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182
Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Texas & Multistate
Texas RN License # 1191402
ANCC FNP-BC: Board Certified Nurse Practitioner*
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*
Graduate with Honors: ICHS: MSN-FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)
Degree Granted. Master's in Family Practice MSN Diploma (Cum Laude)
Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, APRN, FNP-BC*, CFMP, IFMCP, ATN, CCST
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