Imagine the following scenario: You´re on your way to work early one morning, sitting patiently at a stoplight waiting for the light to turn green, when suddenly you feel a violent force hit the back of your car propelling your body forward. Thanks to your seatbelt, your head avoided hitting the windshield, but as you get out of the car to check the damage of the rear end collision you just suffered, you notice a sharp pain in your neck. The collision was minor and caused no visual damage to your car´s bumper. The other driver apologizes, and you shake hands before heading on to work without exchanging insurance or contact information.
By lunchtime, however, a pounding headache, staring at the base of your skull, has made it almost impossible to concentrate on your work. Your neck feels painful and stiff, and you are increasingly finding it harder to move your neck. By mid-afternoon, you notice a serious loss of range of motion in the neck area and begin to suffer from pain in your shoulder and upper back. When you finally make it home, you notice a tingling or numbness in your arms, and fatigue and dizziness also begin to set in. A visit to the doctor the next morning confirms a serious case of whiplash injury.
Treatment for Whiplash from a Car Accident
Every year, over 3 million Americans sustain whiplash injuries. Of those injuries, around 1.5 million Americans suffer chronic pain from whiplash, and about 300,000 of those people become disabled due to the pain of whiplash. Rear end car collisions are by far the most common cause of whiplash, with one recent study finding that 85 percent of the neck injuries caused by car accidents are the result of rear-end collisions.
As in the theoretical situation outlined above, whiplash can occur even in minor accidents when limited or no damage to the vehicle occurs. Furthermore, many people unfortunately ignore the symptoms of whiplash because they don’t believe that the car accident was serious enough to have caused any serious damage.
Because of this, whiplash injury can lead to debilitating side effects down the road. In fact, one recent study found that of 586 employed patients who suffered from a whiplash injury, 7 percent did not return to work, and the average time off work after a whiplash injury was 39 days, or almost 8 weeks of work. Ignoring or disregarding the signs and symptoms of whiplash can not only negatively affect your work life but can also increase your chances of chronic shoulder and neck pain, as well as developing an abnormal psychological profile.
For this reason, visiting a chiropractor should be a priority for every person who suffers even the most minor rear end collision.
Why WNY Spine is the Best Option for People in Western New York Suffering from Whiplash
If you are one of the millions of people across the country who have experienced whiplash due to a car collision or car accident, finding treatment options can play a major role in alleviating pain and discomfort and helping you return to a healthy, active lifestyle. The professional chiropractors at Western New York Spine and Chiropractic understand that whiplash can be an extremely serious health problem, and our team of medical professionals can help you find the best pain relief and treatment for whiplash.
We also know that every case of whiplash is different, and we adjust our treatment approach as necessary to serve the unique needs of individuals. In some cases, high-tech laser therapy to relieve pain or facilitate healing may be necessary, while others may benefit more from the soothing corrective pressure of trigger point therapy. Our holistic, customized approach is data-driven, non-invasive, and wide-ranging. Among the many treatments we provide are the ice-and-compression technique that speeds recovery, flexion-distraction treatment for relieving pain and improving mobility; and traction therapy for stretching the spinal column and reducing the pressure on discs.
For whiplash injuries, we can also provide a wide range of manual therapy techniques to reduce pain, strengthen the muscles, and gradually increase the range of movement, gentle spinal manipulation that helps to restore normal motion to your neck’s facet joints, and instrument-assisted manipulation that applies gentle force without thrusting into the spine.
Whatever treatment option we utilize, our end motivation is to help our patients maintain optimal spinal health and live an active, pain-free lifestyle. Our team of professional chiropractors are proud to offer the best treatment options for whiplash injury. Call us at 716-322-1911 or visit our office in the Ellicott Square Building, 295 Main Street, Room 118, Buffalo, NY 14203.