Whiplash injuries are a common occurrence in motor vehicle accidents and are popularly known to be quite harmless, but the truth is that such an injury could cause more trouble than you might be aware of.
What is whiplash?
Whiplash is a term that refers to the lash-like effect that is experienced when sudden forces cause the upper trunk and neck to move in an back and forth fashion mostly after the body or head is impacted from behind.
In general, whiplash injury is considered to be uncomplicated and dislocations and fractures are mostly excluded when the diagnosis is made. This is actually very distressing for sufferers of whiplash injuries as the condition often takes a turn for the worse and becomes chronic. The chronic state of such an injury can bring about significant distress and suffering about and it is actually classified as a functional syndrome.
After experiencing a whiplash injury, you may suffer from considerable neck pain, anxiety and even severe headaches and other symptoms may also occur like visual disturbances, dizziness, general weakness, paresthesia, depression and disturbances of memory and concentration. [1][2]
Act now and end the suffering!
So perhaps you have fallen victim to whiplash injury… Don’t fret, a lot can be done about it. Uncomplicated whiplash injuries respond well to some straightforward approaches.
- Keeping active and making neck exercises routine
- Trying to stick to your normal routine (work etc.)
- Partaking in activities that help to release built-up stress
- Staying positive about yourself
- Being careful of attention seeking behaviour
Wait there’s more…
Some other recommended therapies (that are still being researched) which may help with the repercussions of a whiplash injury include:
- Short term use of pain medications
- Manual treatments like neck mobilization in the short term
It is very important to avoid passive treatments where possible as they may worsen the situation and seeing as they do not contribute to healing, they are quite frankly a waste of time. [3][4]
Even though whiplash can be a real pain in the neck, the main thing is to focus on your recovery and to avoid becoming over-anxious about the situation.
References:
- Myrtveit SM, Skogen JC, Wenzel HG, Mykletun A. Somatic symptoms beyond those generally associated with a whiplash injury are increased in self-reported chronic whiplash. A population-based cross sectional study: the Hordaland Health Study (HUSK). BMC psychiatry. 2012 Aug 31; vol. 12(1): 129.
- Barnsley L, Lord S, Bogduk N. Whiplash injury. Pain. 1994 Sep 30; vol. 58(3): 283-307.
- Allen M. Practical management of whiplash: A guide for patients. BCMJ, July-August 2002; vol. 44 (6); 317-321.
- Hiscott R. When Does a Whiplash Injury Turn Into Chronic Pain? Neurology Now. 2015 Apr 13.
