Seeking Whiplash Treatment in Salt Lake City
Do you have persistent pain in your neck? Were you involved in a car accident and now suffer from back problems and severe headaches? You might have whiplash.
Instead of waiting for it to heal, come to our whiplash therapists in Utah. We evaluate you to pinpoint the source of your pain and determine what treatments you will need.
Understanding Whiplash: The Basics
Whiplash is a common injury that is often associated with vehicular accidents or other impacts that cause your head to jerk backward and forward, creating neck strain. The sudden movement stretches and tears the tendons and muscles of the neck.
People often confuse neck strain with neck sprain. While both can be painful, they are different. Neck sprains occur when the tissues and ligaments that connect your bones tear. Neck strain, on the other hand, is the result of damage to the muscles or tendons that connect your muscles to the bones.
Symptoms of whiplash may include the following:
- Pain, tightness in the neck, decreased range of motion, knotted or hard muscles
- Stiffness of the neck when you’re trying to look over your shoulder
- Pain when moving your head forward and backward or side to side
- Headaches at the base of your skull that radiate to your forehead
- Muscle tenderness
Sometimes, the pain from the strain is immediate. In some cases, it can take several hours or days before you feel sore.
The impact that caused the neck strain may also cause a concussion. If that is the case, see a doctor as soon as possible. If you’re experiencing severe headaches or nausea, seek medical care immediately.
How Can Apollo Chiropractic Help?
Don’t delay care when you experience severe neck pain. Instead of enduring the soreness, talk to our whiplash therapists in Utah immediately.
Our treatment starts with an evaluation of your spine to determine the regions affected by the trauma. Our detailed examination helps us create a specific plan for your case.
Your recovery plan may include one (or more) of the following treatments:
- Hot and cold therapies. We use heat on the affected area to increase blood flow to deliver more oxygen and nutrients. Cold therapy, on the other hand, soothes pain and reduces inflammation.
- Soft tissue massage. This therapy targets muscle tension and helps your muscles and tissues to heal faster.
- Range of motion exercises. Your mobility during the initial evaluation will determine which exercises you need, if any. Our physical therapists will guide you through a set of exercises that help you get back on track.
- Ultrasound. This procedure reduces muscle spasms, increases blood circulation and reduces cramping, swelling, pain and stiffness. It also promotes healing of your neck’s soft tissues.
Recover from an accident or treat your pain holistically with a professional whiplash therapist in Utah. Get in touch with us today.
First Surprise. Then Anger. Then Pain.
Upon impact, your body pushes deeply into your seat. Your head, momentarily isolated by your neck, delays its reaction while your body quickly reaches the limits of your seat.
Then, your body instantly changes directions, moving forward to the limits of your seat belt. Now, your head starts moving backward in the opposite direction! Unrestrained by a seat belt, your head is jerked back and then forward beyond its normal limits. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion, yet you are unable to stop your head from whipping backward and then forward.
Why did my headaches start more than a week after my accident? Whether you’ve been in an accident, stressed at work or overexerted yourself in the garden, your body is constantly adapting to the environment. When your capacity to adapt is exhausted, symptoms can appear. This can take days, weeks, months or years to occur.
Don’t minimize your own injuries because your car has sustained little or no damage. An immediate chiropractic examination is essential. Pain pills won’t heal inflamed tendons and ligaments. Muscle relaxers won’t heal torn muscles. A cervical collar won’t restore a graceful forward spinal curve.
Why Do I Have Pain in My Arms and Hands?
Because the nerves in the arms and hands exit the spine through the injured area of the neck, numbness and tingling are common. Even lower back pain can result directly from the trauma or as a reaction to the loss of proper spinal curves.
A whiplash injury can straighten forward curve in the neck, stretching the spinal cord. Symptoms can appear months and even years later.
Will I Ever Be Normal Again?
Many chiropractic patients report improved spinal curves and an end to their symptoms. Those who delay seeking appropriate care often discover that scar tissue and spinal instability require periodic chiropractic checkups.
Specific chiropractic spinal adjustments, because they can help restore proper motion and position of individual spinal bones, can help assure proper healing. Chiropractic doctors can help you get well and stay well after the trauma of a whiplash injury.
How Can I Prevent Whiplash Injuries?
Since car accidents are the major cause of acceleration/deceleration injuries, defensive driving skills can help. Be sure your taillights and turn signals are properly working. Allow enough stopping distance in front of you. When you slow down or stop, always check your rear view mirror to see if the driver behind you is paying attention.