Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM November 2018 | Page 14

The Business of Fitness Whiplash By: Louie Robinson, DC CES [email protected] Clear Creek Chiropractic Center M any of us know the term whiplash; it’s something that happens to you when you are in a car accident right? Some of us are even unfortunate enough to have experienced and suffered from whiplash. But what is it? How does it happen? What do you do to help fix the problem? What happens if you do nothing and let it heal on its own? What is Whiplash? Whiplash typically occurs with a car accident, forces in a car accident are so great and easily damage the body, but it can happen with any traumatic incident that effects the cervical spine. During a car accident the car changes speeds dramatically, your body is restrained and supported by the seat and seat belt. However, you head is not and it continues in the direction of travel until it is jerked back and forth beyond its normal limits. This damages the ligaments, muscles, tendons and joints in the cervical spine. These types of injuries can even occur even at low speeds. People react quite differently than steel, plastic, and glass. Don’t assume if the damage to your car is minimal the damage to your body is minimal as well. If you have pain or discomfort get checked out as soon as possible! How long does it take for symptoms to appear? Symptoms can be instant but typically symptoms do not occur immediately. Adrenaline and your body’s natural fight or flight response will block pain signals immediately after the accident. Pain, stiffness and discomfort often won’t show up until hours or even days after the accident. Inflammation and your bodies other responses to injury may take days to build up levels high enough to cause pain and restricted motion. Your body is able to adapt quite well to changes in condition and environment. When that capacity is exhausted, symptoms will appear. 13 MOMENTUM / November 2018 Is the damage permanent? Unless there is severe injury such as fracture, dislocation etc., patients who receive proper treatment are typically able to return to normal within a few months. Even with severe injury patients are able to get back to normal although the healing process may take longer. How quickly you start receiving treatment can affect the duration and effectiveness of healing. The longer you wait the to get the proper help the more scar tissue forms, then inflammation damages other yet unaffected tissues and the longer it takes to return to normal function. What other symptoms might I experience? Many patients experience headaches and tension in the upper back. Tension in the musculature of the neck can pull on the head and shoulders causing pain. Other patients might experience arm and hand pain, numbness and tingling. This is because the nerves that control the arms and hands exit the cervical spine. Inflammation and injury to the cervical spine can cause pressure on the nerves and cause these symptoms as well. However, once these problems in the neck are resolved the head, shoulder, and arm pain symptoms resolve as well. What can I do? Proper care from a chiropractor is essential to make sure the body is properly healed and future problems are prevented. This typically involves x-rays to determine if there are any injuries we cannot see, adjustment to return joints to their proper function, and physiotherapy to rehab muscles, ligaments and tendons to prevent scar tissue from forming and insure proper healing. Can I prevent whiplash? Whiplash is typically due to car accidents therefore defensive driving if the best preventative. Make sure your car is in proper working order and avoid distracted drivers. Also make sure your head rest is in the proper position so to prevent your head from getting jerked back and forth.