Whiplash – What you can do about it.

Whiplash is the term given to the injuries sustained in the muscles bones ligaments and joint in the neck as a result of sudden acceleration or deceleration of the head on the neck.

2. What causes Whiplash?
Whiplash is caused by a rapid speeding up or slowing down of the head on the neck, and then back the other way ( hyper flexion and hyper extension) – similar to the motion seen in a whip! This causes some traumatic stretching, tension and compression of various musculo-skeletal, and neurological structures in the cervical spine. it is mostly caused in car accidents, by either being unexpectedly hit from behind, or having to slam on the brakes unexpectedly. It also occurs commonly as a result of various sporting injuries .

3. What can I do About my Whiplash injury?
Whiplash is commonly associated with some muscle tearing, filamentous inflammation and joint restriction/locking. After the initial Health Professional assessment is made, anti inflammatories, ice packs and manual therapy are commonly used to alleviate the symptoms and restore proper function to the affected area. Without treatment, most symptoms will eventually subside, but the long term effects of the injury can include arthritis, disc degeneration, neurological pain and loss of motion.