Whiplash Treatment Woodstock GA

Whiplash is a neck injury that occurs due to forceful, rapid, and sudden back-and-forth neck movement, like the cracking of a whip. A rear-end car collision is the most common cause of this injury. Sports injuries, physical abuse, or amusement park rides can also cause whiplash. Your neck’s soft tissues (the muscles and ligaments) should not extend beyond their typical range of motion; otherwise, you will suffer whiplash. It might take a while for your symptoms to appear. Therefore, it is essential to pay attention for the next few days after an accident, so that you can seek whiplash treatment Woodstock GA soonest if you notice any physical changes. Whiplash can cause patients to develop long-term pain and discomfort even though it’s usually thought of as a relatively mild condition.

How Does Whiplash Occur?

Whiplash occurs due to a rapid and forceful movement backward and then forward that causes your neck muscles to suffer a strain. The stretching and tearing of the tendons and ligaments in your neck due to sudden motion can cause whiplash.

Some of the things that commonly cause whiplash include:

• Auto accidents
• Cycling accidents
• Contact sports such as boxing, karate, and football
• Falls that violently jerks the head backward
• Physical abuse, such as being shaken or punched
• Horse riding
• A hard blow to the head when struck by a heavy object

Watch for the Symptoms of Whiplash 

It usually takes about 24 hours for the symptoms to appear after the accident or injury that caused whiplash. Sometimes, you may develop symptoms after a few days. They can last for several weeks.

Watch for the following common symptoms after an accident:

• Dizziness
• Neck pain and stiffness
• Constant weariness
• Headache, especially at the base of your skull
• Blurred vision

The following symptoms are associated with chronic whiplash, but they’re less common:

• Concentration and memory problems
• Irritability
• Ringing in the ears
• Chronic pain in the head, neck, or shoulders
• Inability to sleep well

You should seek immediate whiplash treatment Woodstock GA if:

• you feel pain when moving your head
• you develop symptoms in your shoulders or arms
• your arms become numb or weak

Diagnosis of Whiplash

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications, ice, and other remedies can be used to treat most mild to moderate whiplash cases. However, you should see a doctor for immediate medical attention if you have the following symptoms:

• Severe neck pain
• Bladder or bowel issues
• Periodic neck pain or stiffness
• Weakness in a specific area of your leg or arm
• Pain, numbness, or tingling in your legs, arms, or shoulders

Before diagnosing and treating your injury, your doctor will often ask you some questions, including how it occurred, where you feel pain, and whether you feel a sharp, shooting, or dull pain.

Your physician may also want to look for areas of tenderness and check your range of motion, and therefore, he or she will do a physical examination. Further, your doctor would want to ascertain that your pain is not linked to a degenerative disease, such as arthritis or any other type of injury, and might order an X-ray.

Your doctor will be able to assess any inflammation or damage in the spinal cord, nerves, or soft tissues through other tests, such as MRI and CT scans.

When there may be a brain injury, it will be essential to do certain imaging tests, such as positron emission tomography (PET scan) or diffuse tensor imaging (DTI). These tests are very important for localizing and measuring the extent of an injury to your brain or other areas.

Preparing for Your Appointment

If you are involved in a car accident or any other accident, the doctors and paramedics might offer you treatment at the scene or in an emergency room. However, if you have suffered whiplash, symptoms may not appear immediately.

You should visit a doctor as soon as possible after an injury, especially if you have neck pain and other symptoms.

Be prepared to share any information that may help your doctor find out the cause of your symptoms and describe in detail the event that led to your injury. Here are some of the questions that can help you prepare well for your appointment:

• How painful is your neck pain on a scale of 1 to 10?
• Does the pain get worse when you move?
• Do you have any other symptoms?
• How long did it take for the symptoms to appear after the accident?
• Have you been diagnosed with neck pain before, or do you have it regularly?
• What medications or other treatments have you tried to relieve the pain? If so, what was the effect?
• Do you take any medications regularly, including herbal medicines and dietary supplements?

Treatment for Whiplash

Whiplash treatment Woodstock GA is meant to:

• Relieve pain
• Restore normal neck movement
• Help you regain the ability to do your normal activities

Our doctors at Advanced Health Solutions – GA Spine & Disc will develop your treatment plan depending on the extent of your whiplash. Over-the-counter medication and at-home care may work for some people. For others, it may take prescription medication, physical therapy, or specialized treatment to heal from whiplash.

Pain Management

The following treatments can help to manage and relieve pain, and your doctor may recommend one or more:

• Heat or cold – Either heat or cold can help you feel better, especially when applied to the neck for 15 minutes every three hours or so.
• Rest – Taking rest for a day or two may be helpful after an injury, but avoid too much bed rest because it may delay your recovery.
• Over-the-counter medications – You can often relieve mild to moderate pain due to whiplash with over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
• Prescription medications – Certain antidepressant drugs can relieve nerve pain for people with more severe pain.
• Muscle relaxants – These drugs can loosen tight muscles and alleviate pain. Your doctor may recommend them for short-term use. The medicine can also help you sleep well. It may be used to alleviate pain to restore normal sleep so that you can have a good night’s rest.
• Injections – Lidocaine (Xylocaine) – a numbing medicine – may relieve pain when injecting into painful muscle areas to enable you to do physical therapy.

Alternative Treatments

Non-traditional therapies have been recommended for treating whiplash, but there is limited research on how well they work. These treatments include:

• Chiropractic care – Our chiropractor can perform joint manipulation to relieve whiplash pain. There’s some evidence that chiropractic care may be paired with physical therapy or exercise to provide pain relief. Manipulation of the spine rarely damages spinal tissues, although it may cause minor problems, such as dizziness or numbness.
• Acupuncture – You may experience some pain relief when ultrafine needles are inserted on your skin through specific areas.
• Massage – Neck massage may provide short-term neck pain relief to heal from whiplash.
• Mind-body therapies – Exercises, such as yoga, qi gong, and tai chi, that focus on breathing and mindfulness and incorporate gentle movements may help ease pain and stiffness.

Whiplash Treatment Woodstock GA

Do you need whiplash treatment Woodstock GA? Contact Advanced Health Solutions – GA Spine & Disc today at (770) 212-3991 or fill out our online contact form to schedule an appointment.

Whiplash Treatment Woodstock GA