Whiplash Care from Chiropractors in Hiram, GA
Advanced & Traditional Chiropractic Care to Help You After an Accident
How Can Chiropractic Care Help Your Whiplash?
If you’ve recently been in an automobile accident and are experiencing neck stiffness or neurological impairment, you may be suffering from a condition known as whiplash. Immediate evaluation and treatment can not only ease your symptoms; it can also prevent the damage from growing steadily worse.
Receiving chiropractic treatment for whiplash can help remove pain and inflation from damaged tissues, leading to a quicker and smoother recovery. After suffering from whiplash, it can be difficult to adjust as your neck heals. Our doctors can help you with specially designed stretches and exercises to help alleviate this stress.
Whiplash Treatment in Hiram: How It Works
Examination
The doctor will discuss the cause and aftermath of the injury. They will then inspect the affected area, looking at the muscle tone, muscle strength, and range of motion.
Treatment
The doctor will administer soothing, healing treatment in the form of chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy, stretches, and nutritional counseling where necessary.
Wellness Management
After receiving an evaluation and treatment from us, it is crucial to understand that the recovery can take some time. During this time, it is vital to be gentle with your neck and take things slow.
What is Whiplash?
A harsh jolt to the body throws the weight of the head backward and forward sharply enough to cause hyperextension and hyperflexion of the cervical spine. This may dislodge the cervical vertebrae so far out of the position that the curvature of your neck actually changes. The resulting joint misalignment makes normal motion impossible, while pressure from herniated discs can impinge the cervical nerve tissue.
Symptoms of Whiplash
After the injury occurs, strained muscles and tendons cause severe pain and stiffness. Other symptoms can include:
How soon after an accident should I see a chiropractor for whiplash?
At Cornerstone Chiropractic, we recommend seeking chiropractic care as soon as possible after an accident. Early assessment and treatment are crucial for preventing long-term complications and promoting a quicker recovery. Whiplash injuries may not always manifest immediately, and symptoms can develop hours or even days after the incident. By consulting with our chiropractic team early, you can ensure that any underlying injuries are identified and addressed promptly, setting the stage for an effective recovery process.
How many sessions will I need?
The number of sessions required for whiplash treatment varies from person to person, as it is highly dependent on the severity of your symptoms and the specific details of your injury. At Cornerstone Chiropractic, we provide personalized treatment plans tailored to meet the individual needs of each patient.
During your initial consultation, our skilled chiropractors will conduct a thorough assessment to determine the extent of your injuries and create a treatment plan that best suits your recovery goals. Generally, patients may see improvements within a few sessions, but some may require a longer-term approach to fully address their condition.
Chiropractic Techniques for Whiplash
Chiropractic care for whiplash is frequently used to assist the patient in alleviating their pain and preventing long-term issues. Chiropractors are taught to help whiplash injuries using many methods, including manual treatments that stimulate nerve and tissue recovery.
Whiplash can indeed be managed in a variety of ways by a chiropractor. Several methods include lengthening the neck muscles, adjusting the vertebrae manually, and applying hot or cold therapies. Here are a few additional strategies for reducing whiplash symptoms via chiropractic care that you may not be aware of.
Adjustment of the neck
A mild neck adjustment could facilitate realigning the spinal column and reducing disc tension. Additionally, a chiropractor could utilize this approach to address imbalances, relieve inflammation issues, and lessen whiplash symptoms.
Mobilization of soft tissues
Soft tissue mobilization is a chiropractic procedure where the chiropractor applies minimal pressure to the soft tissue structures to enhance joint flexibility and range of motion. This is done because there might be structural problems in the spine, neck, or other areas after the wreck.
Since soft tissue mobilization is frequently utilized with people who have experienced whiplash, it is also regularly used with individuals who already have chronic whiplash issues. Therefore, this therapy method could be an excellent way for a person to reduce symptoms while decreasing strain on tight muscles that, if left unresolved, might cause further damage.
Extensive stretching exercises
While flexing the neck musculature might not appear to be beneficial for whiplash, it really is! Once the neck stretches, it can assist in extending tightened muscles in the spinal column. This could also alleviate strain on pinched ligaments, discs, and spinal nerves.
Most chiropractors prescribe stretching as an at-home therapy for whiplash. Stretching is one way to help increase your range of motion and decrease tightness in the neck and shoulders. Stretching exercises can be recommended by the chiropractor based on your condition.
Cervical spine mobilization and manipulation
Whiplash is commonly treated by adjusting the cervical spine. Whenever the neck is damaged, the vertebrae are really out of alignment. This might manifest itself in all sorts of ways for sufferers, including discomfort, pain, tightness, and decreased mobility. A chiropractor will typically flex and manipulate the spine to treat these issues.
Massage therapy and strategies for relaxing
Massage therapy and relaxation techniques could help some patients reduce the pain and discomfort closely correlated with whiplash. For example, lightly massaging the neck, rubbing the back and shoulders, and warming tight muscles could all help improve mobility and alleviate pain and discomfort.
Techniques of immobilization with heating or cooling
Patients frequently receive relief from their discomfort using ice, neck collars, and immobilization. Warm or cold therapies are commonly applied to reduce inflammation in the neck region. Maybe you may have used this course of treatment previously if you were suffering from a strained muscle.
Cold treatments are mainly used to reduce pain due to inflammation. On the other hand, warm therapies are often administered if somebody is suffering muscle cramps due to nerve problems since warmth can soothe muscle stiffness, leading to an increased range of motion.
Orthopedic treatments
Physical therapy could also be used to increase the cervical spine’s range of motion. But, again, you can discuss this option with your chiropractor.
Tips for Preventing Whiplash
Although it’s reassuring to know that our chiropractors at Cornerstone Chiropractic in Hiram, GA, are available to help you if you ever do sustain a whiplash injury, you would probably prefer to avoid any kinds of injuries if possible. Consequently, here are a few ideas to guide you in minimizing the possibility of whiplash in the future.
1. Keep your head straight and shoulders level when sitting or standing.
2. Don’t slouch in the automobile.
3. Resist rotating your neck to one side for extended periods (e.g., looking at something off to one side for a long time).
4. While driving, keep your arms close to your body to avoid jerking your head in the event of a collision.
5. Wear a seatbelt – Wearing your seatbelt is the easiest way to avoid injury from whiplash, as it will prevent your body from being thrown around in an accident.
Tips for Dealing With Whiplash After an Accident
1. Measure your progress – Your chiropractor can measure your progress using X-rays and MRIs, which are used to assess the extent of any injuries or damage sustained in an incident.
2. Apply hot compresses – Heat packs are commonly used directly following a wreck or whiplash injury to promote relaxation in tense muscles and provide temporary pain relief.
3. Cold packs – If you experience inflammation due to injuries, using ice packs for ten minutes each time will assist in reducing the side effects by constricting blood vessels near the site of the damage.
Do You Have Whiplash?
Whiplash is a widespread back and neck trauma that can arise from an automobile accident, sports injury, or other kinds of impacts. Whiplash happens whenever the neck and head are violently wrenched forwards, backward, or side to side.
This generally occurs due to an abrupt stop or a collision where the person’s skull moves forcefully in a whipping motion after an accident – for example, if you get rear-ended in a wreck. This abrupt impact causes your neck vertebra to flex in ways that just aren’t normal, resulting in discomfort and inflammation.
How do you know if you have whiplash? The only way to know for sure is to have it examined by a medical professional like the chiropractors at Cornerstone Chiropractic in Hiram, GA. But there are some signs that you can watch for. For example, immediately after an accident, you may experience headaches and neck stiffness, which is usually followed by neck pain.
These symptoms are the most common signs of whiplash, but your symptoms can vary. If you do develop any of the symptoms mentioned above within 24-48 hours of your injury, and you’re in the Hiram or Dallas, GA areas, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the chiropractors at Cornerstone Chiropractic right away – 770-439-7765.
What Are The Symptoms of Whiplash?
Depending on the severity of your accident and where the injury actually occurred at, symptoms are often very varied from patient to patient. For example, whiplash might cause headaches, vertigo, back and neck pain, and rigidity, among other issues.
Most people only think about neck pain when they hear the term whiplash – but that is not the only symptom that might happen if you get it. Typical symptoms of whiplash can include any of the following:
- Neck aches
- Headaches
- Shoulder & Arm Pain
- Fatigue
- Ear ringing
- Swallowing problems
- Nausea
- Numbness and tingling
- Irritability
- Vision Impairment
- Dizziness or vertigo
- Back pain
- Stiffness
- And more
It is important to remember that, concerning whiplash, the injury symptoms do not always manifest immediately following an accident. Whiplash injuries can often happen during an accident but do not actually display signs until several days later. So if you’ve been in any kind of accident, you may not even realize you have it until days later.
While whiplash can sometimes be resolved relatively quickly with appropriate treatment, it can also be managed to prevent it from becoming recurrent with proper care. Whiplash can be treated in various ways, and one of those is by chiropractic care.
Therefore, it really is quite important to get examined and begin for whiplash as quickly as possible right after the accident because untreated whiplash can have long-term consequences. So please call us at Cornerstone Chiropractic if you have questions about your injury – 770-439-7765.
Is chiropractic treatment for whiplash covered by insurance?
Many insurance plans do cover chiropractic care for whiplash injuries, but coverage can vary significantly between different providers and policies. At Cornerstone Chiropractic, we advise our patients to check with their insurance provider to understand the details of their coverage for chiropractic care benefits.
Additionally, for those involved in a car accident claim, we may be able to work with your attorney on a lien basis. This arrangement allows you to receive the necessary whiplash treatment without upfront payment, with the understanding that payment will be made from any settlement received from your claim.
Our staff is here to assist you with navigating insurance questions and billing to ensure you can focus on your recovery.
Seeking Chiropractic Care for Whiplash in Hiram, GA
Chiropractic whiplash treatments at Cornerstone Chiropractic begin with examining your back and neck and a review of your symptoms. One of our doctors of chiropractic will first check your entire spine and neck to establish the severity of your injuries and any unexpected issues. After determining the extent of the damage, the chiropractor will propose a course of treatment.
We may begin by applying ice or heat to the neck to decrease inflammation. Additionally, we use gentle adjustments to realign the spine and neck. Spinal decompression is helpful if you have a slipped disc, and we utilize deep tissue laser treatments to address soft tissue damage.
Each year, millions of people suffer from whiplash injuries. Avoid allowing a manageable injury to become a recurrent one leading to a lifetime of tightness, inflammation, and decreased range of motion. Chiropractic care for whiplash can help to improve all of these problems.
So, if you’re experiencing discomfort as a byproduct of an automobile or some other kind of accident, book an appointment with Cornerstone Chiropractic in Hiram, GA, as soon as you can. You do not want to live with pain, and the expert chiropractors at Cornerstone Chiropractic in Hiram, GA, can help you.
If you’ve had a sports injury, vehicle accident, fall, or sustained another type of injury resulting in neck trauma, contact Cornerstone Chiropractic immediately to schedule a whiplash consultation. We want to help you feel better – 770-439-7765.