When Whiplash Occurs, Your Chiropractor Can Help
It’s really a moment in time. One minute my friend was caught in Friday night rush hour traffic and it was pouring. The next minute a fellow driver clipped her car from behind and sent her spinning across three lanes, winding up facing the wrong way in the center median. Fortunately she was not hit again. Everybody sees these accidents on the news, but when it happens the impact is stunning. Regular commitments, schedules, and mobility are all in question as you figure out all of the ensuing logistics. My friend was dazed but grateful that it was not worse as she went through the aftermath of the accident.
How Whiplash Was Part of the Aftermath
In the time following the crash, it became apparent there was a price to pay and whiplash had occurred. The impact of the crash snaps the neck back and forth, and can strain or tear the muscles and ligaments causing soft tissue damage.
Seeing the doctor and the chiropractor
My friend was stiff and sore. She saw her doctor and her chiropractor for evaluations. The chiropractor did a spinal evaluation and discussed the accident. He also reviewed my friend’s medical history. Whiplash can also cause herniated, bulging or ruptured discs, or nerve damage and misaligned vertebrae.
With the chiropractic treatment the goal is to return the spine to its proper realignment and release pressure on discs and nerves. In my friend’s case returning to normal, which was an active life on the weekend with her grandkids, and a daily office job, took some time. And progress moved slowly at times.
Together, she and the chiropractor fashioned a plan for recovery and she followed up with regular visits as she tried to piece her life back together. Finally, she said she felt she had crossed back over to that moment before the crash. The crash was becoming a memory and the stiffness and pain were also letting go. She was able to play in the park with her grandkids and handle her regular full time schedule at work. Now when she has twinges she checks back with her chiropractor for adjustments. In her case, surgery and medications were sidestepped in large part because of ongoing treatment and a plan of self care at home.
